Tom Davies’ first goal in Toffees colours was the perfect reward for a man who simply “is Everton”, according to teammate Leighton Baines.

The boyhood Evertonian scored the third goal in his side’s 4-0 drubbing of Manchester City on Sunday, a moment not even he thought possible as he collapsed in a heap in celebration.

That moment perfected a memorable afternoon at Goodison Park for the 18-year-old, with a helping hand in Romelu Lukaku’s opener just a small part of his man-of-the-match display.

But it was the Belgian who almost stole the limelight from the teenager with perhaps the faintest of touches as the ball crossed the line, but defender Baines admitted nothing was going to be taken away from a midfielder who undoubtedly bleeds blue.

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“With his ability, you know what is there and what he is capable of, but he’s excelled when he’s got out there,” said Baines.

“You get some players who train well but flatter to deceive in a game because it can be a bit overwhelming and daunting as a young lad.

“But Tom is the opposite. He trains well but he finds another level when he gets out on the pitch and that is always the sign of a proper player.

“I see him working hard, I see him doing all the right things, we’ll come off the field and he’ll be in the gym, he’s got good support around him ­– he knows that – but he deserves all the plaudits.

“He’s a lovely kid, a great player and he’s Everton, he’s one of the ones we’ll all get behind.”

Chelsea’s title charge continued yesterday as they beat defending Premier League champions Leicester City 3-0 at home, but Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri insists his team are prepared to keep on fighting.

Leicester are just 15^th, while Chelsea’s win took them seven points clear of Tottenham at the league summit, but after upsetting Everton at Goodison Park in the FA Cup third round, Ranieri believes his men have the heart to continue scrapping for points in the league.

“I said from the beginning that we would have to look over our shoulder. From the beginning it was another Premier League for us and we’re in the battle. I said that two or three months ago,” he said.

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“The mentality is right – this team is used to fighting. Three seasons ago, they fought to win the Championship. Two seasons ago, they were in the relegation battle and they survived. Last season, we won the title. This team, these players, are used to fighting.

With two goals from Marcus Alonso and a third from Pedro doing the damage for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, Ranieri found there were still positives to be found.

He said: “Of course, I’m not happy that we conceded a goal at the beginning of the first half and the beginning of the second half, but if you take out those two goals, the match was good for us. We closed the space, we mirrored Chelsea with a 3-5-2 and it was good.”

Abel Hernandez was a relieved man after helping new Hull City boss Marco Silva to a debut Premier League win against Bournemouth at the KCOM Stadium.

Junior Stanislas got Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth off to a flying start in Yorkshire with a penalty in the third minute.

But it wasn’t to be for the Cherries as Hernandez struck on 32 minutes and again on 50 minutes, before Tyrone Mings’ own goal made the result certain.

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Hull climbed into 18th with the win, level on points with Crystal Palace who are one spot above them, and Hernandez was delighted to provide the scoring touches in such a morale-boosting win, as well as notch his first league goals since August.

“It was a good win and a good performance and so we can look forward now,” said Hernandez.

“I am happy to score two very good goals, but the most important thing of the afternoon was that the team got a very important win so I am very happy.

“We are happy with this win and we need to win more games now because the important thing this season is that we stay in the Premier League.”

Bournemouth winger Junior Stanislas says Hull City’s first goal proved to be the decisive moment in the Cherries’ 3-1 defeat at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.

New Hull boss Marco Silva enjoyed the perfect start to life in the Premier League after an Abel Hernandez brace saw the Tigers come from behind to down Eddie Howe’s men.

Stanislas converted a third-minute penalty to give Bournemouth the lead, but Hernandez equalised for the home side after 32 minutes when he headed home Andrew Robertson’s teasing centre.

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Hernandez struck again five minutes after the break, before a Tyrone Mings own goal compounded Bournemouth’s misery.

“It’s frustrating,” Stanislas said. “We usually get the ball down, pass it and do that effectively.

“Today as soon as they scored they got on the front foot and instead of passing it we went a little more direct, got caught on the ball and gave it away cheaply and if you do that in this league you get punished for it – and you saw that today.

“After a good start, we got a penalty and I stuck it away, we dominated the game for the first 25 minutes, then they scored and it was downhill from there.

“We were a little bit slow to react all around, the second half started the same and you get punished for that.”

Crystal Palace must learn not to lose before they can start concentrating on picking up some wins according to manager Sam Allardyce.

Palace suffered their third consecutive Premier League defeat on Sunday with a 3-0 reverse at the London Stadium against West Ham United.

Their last league victory was back on December 3 at home to Southampton with Allardyce’s side on a run of seven games without a Premier League win since then.

“The capabilities of not losing are the most important thing to get out of trouble and we don’t have that,” he admitted.

“It’s the first thing that we have to put right when you come into a struggling team and try to put points on the board in every game that you can.

“At the moment we don’t know how to get that result, just a draw may lead to a few wins from there.

“I think it’s tough for us at the minute because I’m still finding out about the players that are already here, and they’re making statements to me by the fact that results still aren’t good enough, and we’ve not managed to turn that around in this short period of time which is disappointing for me.”

Practice makes perfect is the old adage and Andy Carroll admitted it was no lack of time on the training ground that helped him with his spectacular scissor kick against Crystal Palace.

Carroll got a sensational second for West Ham United on Saturday with Sofiane Feghouli and Manuel Lanzini also on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win at the London Stadium.

The three points moves the Hammers up to 12th in the Premier League, nine points above Palace who are just a single place above the relegation zone.

And Carroll described it as one of the best strikes of his entire career after Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was left with no chance.

“I had done one of those in training last week and it hit the post so I have been practising,” said the 28-year-old striker.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“The cross came in and I wanted to try it again and thankfully it has gone into the back of the net so I am over the moon. I think it has to be one of the best of my career.

“Michail (Antonio) has had three assists which is fantastic and put in the perfect ball for me. I just went for it and it went in.

“I have been practising for a while – actually for a few years, so thankfully it has come off.”

Alex Iwobi was left disappointed on Saturday night after failing to lay claim to Arsenal’s second goal which went down as a Jack Cork own goal.

The 20-year-old stuck two shots that were deflected into the back of the net during Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Swansea on Saturday with both going down as own goals.

The first was accredited to Cork while Kyle Naughton was the unfortunate defender for Arsenal’s third goal after 67 minutes.

But Iwobi felt his first strike was on target prior to the deflection of Cork and admitted his side had been given the hurry up by manger Arsene Wenger at half-time.

“I’m claiming the first one. It’s on target so I’m going to claim that one,” Iwobi said. “Second one I can let slide, but the first one is definitely my goal. That one at least, I’m praying it’s my goal.

(Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“The boss got onto us a bit saying we know we can do better, just keep on moving the ball quickly, as fast as we can.

“In the second half we showed our quality and were able to get the three points.

“Swansea gave us a difficult start, they pressed us really well and they also kept the ball and were on the front foot.

“It was a great performance from us and at the end of the day we were able to get the three points.”

Marcos Alonso bagged a brace as Chelsea returned to form with a thumping win over defending champions Leicester City on Saturday evening and the Spaniard admits he is happy to help out in any way he can.

The left-wing back came very close to a hat-trick with a second-half volley but his double – the first of his career – plus a sweet Pedro strike had already wrapped up the win in the East Midlands.

And after defeat to Tottenham last time out and Diego Costa absent from the match-day squad, Alonso was delighted to help the Blues strengthen their position on top of the table.

“I used to play more forward but in my senior career it is the first time I have scored a brace,” he said.

“I was unlucky not to score again but I am very happy to help the team by scoring goals and I am delighted with the win.

(Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

“We played okay in the first half, the manager asked us to give more in the second half and I think the team played very well after the break. We controlled the game and scored another two goals.

“Against a good team, it was important to bounce back from that defeat against Tottenham and the team showed that we are not afraid and we are going to fight for every game.

“There have been a couple of tough weeks after the Tottenham defeat but I think we didn’t play a bad game there and against Leicester, we showed we are still fighting. We have to keep working hard to get another win next week.”

Joey Barton admitted he owed Burnley one after scoring the winner on his second debut for the Clarets on Saturday.

Barton climbed off the bench to score the winner for Sean Dyche’s side in their 1-0 win over Southampton.

The 34-year-old has re-joined the Clarets after a turbulent spell at Rangers in Scotland that ended prematurely.

And Barton hopes he has gone some way to expressing his gratitude to everyone at Turf Moor after his dramatic intervention.

“The gaffer here, the player and the fans – this football club has invested a lot in me the last few months, so to come on and make an impact and be part of this group is very, very important,” he said.

“To do what he did in view of what’s going on around me, and the circus that goes around me, it’s an incredible thing he did to bring me back.

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“Hopefully doing that, and turning in performances week-in, week-out will repay some of that faith.

“But it’s a real collective effort and it’s just fantastic to be a part of this group again, to be back playing football again and to be in the Premier League.

“This a unique football club and unique group of people. You sometimes have to be not in the building to realise just how special that was and certainly I realised that in the summer.

“I’m very fortunate and feel very privileged to get the opportunity to come back and be part of this again.”

Watford boss Walter Mazzarri has lamented his side’s lack of luck in their 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough.

The Hornets had the better of the game against their Teesside opponents, and midfielder Tom Cleverley hit the post on his return to Vicarage Road, having signed on loan from Everton until the end of the season.

The result leaves Watford 14^th in the Premier League, winless in six and with four defeats in that time. Middlesbrough are two places below the Hornets.

Mazzarri said his side deserved more from the game, and brushed off talk of pressure growing on him as a manager after his side’s stuttering run of form.

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“I repeat we were not lucky,” he said. “We missed a bit of luck not only on the chance which hit the post but also other clear chances as well.

“It would have been very nice for Cleverley’s debut to score as well and to win because of his goal.

“Unfortunately these are small details but in football they make a big difference.

“With regards the pressure I can tell you now with a smile on my face, that I put on myself every day since I train for over 20 years, today we played very well and when a manager sees his team play very well he’s happy.”