Only three league fixtures again due to quite meaningless friendly internationals. Our return from these three fixtures was an under par four out of nine. We registered a comfortable 4-0 win against struggling Fulham, where again Luis Suarez came up trumps with a couple of goals.
However it was in the games against the so-called big teams that we struggled in one and grabbed a late equaliser for a point in the other. With massive away games coming up against Tottenham Hotspur, Man City and Chelsea in December we really need to be looking for a decent return of points against our closest rivals if we are to have any realistic thoughts of a top four finish.
The 2-0 defeat to Arsenal was very disappointing in that we were in truth we were totally outplayed for large parts of the game. We did have a smattering of chances and half chances but you got the feeling that if we did get a goal then Arsenal would slip into a higher gear and put daylight between us again.
As ever the Merseyside derby was a feisty, full-blooded affair with both sides really going at it and both feeling that they deserved the victory. On reflection a draw was a fair result and even though Liverpool led on two occasions, the draw was a point gained rather than two lost as Daniel Sturridge’s 89th minute headed equaliser ensured that we did not come away from Goodison Park empty handed.
Make no mistake this is one good Everton side. Roberto Martinez has not unsurprisingly got them playing a very attractive brand of football and his transfer dealings in the last hour or so of the last transfer window was absolutely brilliant. To get Romelu Lukaku on loan for a season was a masterstroke.
Anyway, we are still within touching distance of the top places but we do have a very daunting looking Christmas schedule with those tough away games. Let’s hope we can pick up some points from our main rivals and move into January, when the transfer window opens, still in the top four.