1. Ross Barkley’s performance proved Roberto Martinez’s point
Barkley has been quiet this season and his style of play sometimes frustrates fans because he frequently loses possession when he takes on too many opponents. But Martinez is on the record as publicly endorsing Barkley’s style of play despite the risks it carries.
The Toffees boss was proven right in this game as Everton were struggling to open up Rangers in the opening half-hour because they moved the ball too slowly. Barkley came to the rescue with a key goal he created from nothing through that direct style and Everton were saved from a potentially awkward night.
2. Harry Redknapp continues the search for a winning formula on the road
Queens Park Rangers have tried a lot of formations in away games in a bid to improve their attack but they came into this game with seven failed attempts and Charlie Austin as their goalscorer away from Loftus Road.
This time they tried Eduardo Vargas as the lone centre-forward in a 4-5-1 formation with the pacy pair of Junior Hoilett and Matty Phillips looking to join from midfield when they attacked. Those wide midfielders made good runs into the box but their finishing was poor.
Vargas was also ineffective as a focal point and he tried to drop into pockets of space in between the lines to be involved in the game more, but that did not work either. Their defence is not that bad away from home but the R’s still struggle to truly affect games going forward.
3. Everton could do with high pressing at home against struggling teams
Queens Park Rangers came into this game with the worst defence in the division but Everton did not take advantage of that with high pressing in the opening stages of the game. The Toffees dropped to defend their half when QPR had possession, which allowed the struggling visitors to get comfortable.
They may have Barkley to thank for opening up the Hoops but the Toffees need to subject struggling teams to more pressure, especially in opening exchanges at Goodison Park. They have the energy in the side and the quality to punish such sides in early exchanges; they should use it more.
4. This was a difficult defeat for QPR to take
Redknapp may accept that his side lacked the quality in the final-third to win this game but a 3-1 defeat was a harsh result for Rangers given that they restricted Everton to just five shots on target.
All the goals could have been prevented with more luck for the R’s; the first goal took a slight but important deflection off the back of Mauricio Isla, Robert Green was wrong-footed for the second goal after the ball took a heavy deflection off Vargas and the last goal was supposed to be a brilliant reflex save for Green only for the ball to ricochet in from Nedum Onuoha.
5. Muhamed Besic and Barkley’s partnership promises to be a decent alternative for the Toffees.
Ideally, Martinez would have preferred to start with Gareth Barry and James McCarthy as a central midfield pair. The Toffees boss also recently ruled out a deep central midfield position as a permanent role for Barkley noting that the young midfielder would hurt teams more with his creativity and explosive power in the final-third.
McCarthy’s injury and Barry’s suspension though meant that youngsters Besic and Barkley had to start as a central midfield pair with the former assuming a more defensive role. They were not seriously tested but Besic’s tenacity and Barkley’s attack-minded style produced a decent combination.
