Anthony Gordon scored a hat-trick as Everton showed hints that its attacking unit might be gaining a greater understanding in Sydney.
The 21-year-old was the last player to leave a training session on Tuesday night as he waited until every one of the supporters invited to watch had had the opportunity to speak to him. Twenty four hours later he was saving his best until last again as he cut inside from the left and fired in a right-footed effort to seal a 5-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
It was a comfortable game for the Blues on the banks of the Parramatta River but there were glimpses of the development of relationships between the front men that supporters crave. And by the end, five of the Under-21s had joined Isaac Price on the pitch - Tom Cannon scoring a goal that was made at Finch Farm and which rounded off a positive trip for Frank Lampard.
AS IT HAPPENED: Western Sydney Wanderers vs Everton highlights and full match recap
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While it was a makeshift side due to the World cup, other international duties and injuries, this was Everton's most dominant performance since the win over Crystal Palace and a game they largely controlled from the start. Ramy Najjarine's strike from 20 yards prevented the visitors from earning a clean sheet and Wanderers hit the woodwork twice, but Everton offered a constant threat until the game was won, then stepped up the performance once again as Stanley Mills and Tom Cannon found their groove.
Gordon will lead the headlines for his hat-trick, and his general all-round performance. He restored Everton's lead with a cheeky flick after Gray set Abdoulaye Doucoure free to cross from the left, burst forward to launch the attack that ended with him scoring after Gray's shot was parried into his path and added the gloss to his display with that late strike from just inside the area. His clever run across the face of goal created space for Cannon to get an excellent opportunity to double his tally at the back post too.
But this felt like a breakthrough game for Neal Maupay, who opened the scoring with a neat header from a Nathan Patterson cross. The 26-year-old is desperate to provide the solution to Everton's goalscoring issues but has not scored since his crucial winner against West Ham United.
After missing a golden chance against Celtic on Sunday he responded with a menacing performance at the CommBank Stadium, curling just wide of the top corner as he came close to a second. Around the hour mark he read Gordon's dummy then played the winger in behind the Wanderers defence in a move that hinted Everton's attack, expected to be bolstered in January, may be getting onto the same wavelength.
The other major positive of Wednesday's game was the roles of the young stars who have added a real glow of positivity to the club's Australia tour. Price was excellent again and by the end of the match he was joined by Stanley Mills, Tom Cannon, Joe Anderson, Sebastian Quirk and Reece Welch. The youngsters added a renewed vigour to the display and Mills cut in from the right and saw his shot saved by Daniel Margush only for Cannon to pounce on the goalkeeper's misjudgement.
Mills and Cannon both could have added to Everton's tally, Cannon doing particularly well to create space on the edge of the area and force an impressive diving stop from Margush. This was far from Everton's biggest test but it was only five months ago they were embarrassed in a similar tour friendly by Minnesota United. In Sydney there is no need for a post mortem after 180 minutes and a penalty shootout that will have restored some confidence and positivity into the camp ahead of a break before the return to training and then preparation for the huge Boxing Day clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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