Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin shine as Everton hammers 10-man West Brom
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hat-trick and a spirited display from James Rodriguez saw Everton storm to a thumping win over 10-man West Brom in the Premier League.
Published : Sep 19, 2020 19:23 IST
Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez scored his first Premier League goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged a hat-trick as Everton thrashed 10-man West Bromwich Albion 5-2 at Goodison Park on Saturday.
West Brom started brightly and opened the scoring through Grady Diangana, his debut Premier League goal, but when Calvert-Lewin equalised after an intervention from the Video Assistant Referee, Everton took control.
The home side scored five goals in 35 minutes as West Brom capitulated following a needless red card for defender Kieran Gibbs.
Rodriguez whipped Everton in front from the edge of the box, and Michael Keane and Calvert-Lewin ensured it was two wins from two in the Premier League so far this season.
It all started well for West Brom when Diangana fired past home goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after running 60 metres for his first top-flight goal, and the visiting side might have been 2-0 up had Jake Livermore not been denied by the post.
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Everton found an equaliser through Calvert-Lewin's clever close-range back heel that was initially disallowed for offside, a decision over-ruled by VAR as the touch into the striker's path came via a slight deflection off West Brom defender Darnell Furlong.
The home side was in front just before halftime as Richarlison wriggled past a couple of challenges before feeding Rodriguez, who speared a low drive into the bottom corner.
Gibbs was sent-off shortly afterwards and could have no complaints as he pushed Rodriguez in the face, while Baggies boss Bilic was similarly punished by referee Mike Dean for his vehement complaints at half-time.
West Brom equalised minutes into the second period with a free-kick of real quality from Matheus Pereira, but Michael Keane restored Everton's lead with a tap-in after the ball fell loose in the box following Lucas Dignes free-kick.
Rodriguez's delightful pass then put Richarlison behind the West Brom defence and his cross was bundled over the line by Calvert-Lewin.
The striker completed his hat-trick with a header from Dignes corner as Everton threatened to run riot.
The home side appeared sloppy at times compared to its 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in its season opener, but it has continued to improve dramatically from last season.
For West Brom, however, eight goals conceded in two games shows the measure of its task since winning promotion to the Premier League.