Sunday 14 September 2014 08:53, UK
Roberto Martinez was pleased to see Everton looking more like themselves as they put in an 'outstanding' display away at West Bromwich Albion.
Having opened the season with two draws and a defeat, the men from Goodison Park were eager to register a first victory of the campaign as they headed to the Midlands.
It arrived at The Hawthorns as goals from Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas – both aided by defensive errors - carried them to all three points.
A clean sheet was also most welcome for the Merseysiders, having conceded 10 times already, and Martinez believes there are plenty of positives for his side to take heading forward.
The Spaniard told Sky Sports: “I thought the performance was outstanding.
“The first three games, we showed really good signs on the ball and I think today some of the combination play and some of the attacking play was outstanding.
“But the pleasing aspect today was how well we defended. It was a real joy to see us back to our best because you have to give credit to this West Brom side, they wanted to make it a really open game, pressed us really high, and that’s why we saw such an open game and a great game of football.
“From our point of view, delighted to see the other side, the defensive intensity that we always have but unfortunately in the previous three games we couldn’t show.”
Martinez was also quick to praise record signing Lukaku, with the Belgium international breaking the deadlock in spectacular style to open his account following a permanent switch from Chelsea.
He added: “He’s a special man and a very, very special footballer.
“We worked extremely hard to get him to where I think he belongs and it’s a joy to work with him on a daily basis. He has come back with a real desire to give everything he has got.
“To get that clinical touch so early in the game shows you his focus. He didn’t need to have one or two touches on the ball, he was clinical. He was full of the quality that he has.”
Martinez’s ability to get the most of those at his disposal will be tested to the fullest over the coming weeks, but he claims to be relishing the challenge posed by a run of games in the Premier League, Europa League and Capital One Cup.
He said: “That’s the enjoyment. We’ve been looking forward to it. Since last year we have worked really hard to get into this position now.
“We start a block of three weeks and one day, seven games, three competitions. We want to be involved in Europe, we want to cope with that demand.
“We have got phenomenal fans behind us and we feel we can go into every single game with a strong squad, a big squad, and perform in a really good manner and enjoy every single game.”
