Champions League is still Everton’s aim

EVERTON 3 SWANSEA CITY 2

Everton - Baines 20' (pen), Lukaku 53', Barkley 58'

Swansea - Bony 33', Williams 90'

Man of the match - Ross Barkley (Everton)

English football correspondent

LIVERPOOL // Where there is Roberto Martinez, there is always hope. If most others thought Everton's challenge for a top-four finish ended a month ago with defeat to Chelsea, their ever-optimistic manager thinks otherwise.

"[Uefa] Champions League football is around 71 points," he said, after Everton reached 54 with nine games to go. "That is our aim."

His side remain outsiders but, quietly, they have reeled off three successive league wins, the latest a 3-2 triumph over Swansea City. All have come at home, where Everton’s sequence of eight-straight victories is their best since 1986.

It illustrates that, although they were more fluent in the first half of the season, they continue to find ways to win on their own patch. While there were three other goals and plenty of penalty-box incidents, this was decided in a five-minute spell when Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley scored, both courtesy of assists from Kevin Mirallas.

“When you can win without being at your best it is a sign of what you have got,” said Martinez.

They led before then when Leighton Baines, with meticulous accuracy, despatched his penalty past Michel Vorm. It was earned by Barkley, drawing a foul from a fooled Chico Flores.

Yet Swansea possess a potency few of their relegation rivals can equal. Wilfried Bony levelled with his 18th goal of the season, Angel Rangel supplying the Ivorian with a tap-in. However, a game of two towering target men was decided in Everton’s favour.

Lukaku’s third goal in four games was a striker’s finish from Mirallas’s low cross but the forward merits credit for picking out his fellow Belgian in the build-up.

Without touching the ball, he contributed to Everton’s third. When Mirallas whipped in a corner, Lukaku failed to make contact and the Swansea defence, seemingly distracted by his presence, neglected to notice Barkley, who was left alone to head in. From a defensive perspective, it was an awful goal.

“Individual mistakes,” said manager Garry Monk. Jose Canas, Barkley’s supposed marker, had been blocked off by teammate Ashley Williams.

The Swansea captain made amends by heading in his side’s second goal but the damage had been done.

“That five-minute period cost us dearly,” said Monk, whose side have gone eight games without a win and are in danger of relegation. Martinez, a former Swansea manager, insisted: “I know for a fact they will get enough points to achieve their aim.”

If few would think that Everton, who have tough home games ahead, will secure enough to play in the Champions League. The safer prediction is that Martinez will remain positive.

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