Jack Wilshere performed well again but ended up on the losing side as Bournemouth recorded their 12th loss of the Premier League campaign during a nine-goal thriller at Goodison Park.
Romelu Lukaku broke the deadlock for Everton after just 31 seconds in a quick-fire move in what was an exciting match.
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Goals from James McCarthy and a second for Belgian forward gave the Toffees a comfortable lead at the interval. To Bournemouth’s credit, they refused to lie down and created a few chances of their own in the second-half.
Wilshere was constantly looking for opportunities to get the ball at his feet. After calling for it, he made a quick signal to Joshua King to run. The 25-year-old Norwegian keenly obliged and Wilshere lofted a great ball into his path, allowing him to control the ball and flick it past a helpless Joel Robles in a flash.
The delivery itself split Williams and Funes Mori – they could only watch as King latched onto the pass The goal sparked hopes of a possible comeback from the visitors.
King completed his brace with a finish from close-range before Lukaku responded in perfect fashion with two more strikes of his own. This killed off the match at 5-2 with just minutes remaining.
Harry Arter’s scrappy finish gave the travelling supporters something else to celebrate. Minutes later, Ross Barkley put the icing on the cake with a well-taken finish from close-range in stoppage time.
Jack tried his utmost to make things happen. He wasn’t getting enough of the ball to influence the game more than he did. Everton raced into a comfortable lead and Bournemouth were chasing Everton for large periods meaning Wilshere had to be more defensive-minded.
Wilshere’s individual match statistics:
- Three shots, one on target
- Four key passes
- Three completed tackles, one interception
- 80.8% pass accuracy, 69 touches
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Stats’ source: WhoScored