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Everton vs. Arsenal: Instant reaction

Everton took apart Arsenal on Sunday and moved within a single point of fourth place with six games left to play.

Alex Livesey

Amazing. Unbelievable. Pick your words as you will because after Everton's 3-0 demolition of Arsenal on Sunday at Goodison Park, they all fit. It's a massive win for Roberto Martinez and the Toffees, not just because beating Arsenal is fun, but for the table implications.

There's still a ton of work to be done this season, including games against both the Manchester clubs, but this team seems both capable and fearless at this point. A good combination.

Steven Naismith got things started in the 14th minute, finding himself in the right place at the right time to blast the rebound from Wojciech Szczesny's save on Romelu Lukaku's shot back past the goalkeeper. Lukaku scored himself in the 34th minute to double the lead, a wonderful bit of dribbling skills, ball control and precise finishing...just what we've come to expect from the on-loan striker.

The third goal couldn't have been much sweeter as Mikel Arteta, trying to prevent Ross Barkley from putting the ball into the empty net himself, managed to score an own-goal.

The Toffees looked amazing against the Gunners. They out played them, they looked faster basically the entire match, and they took advantage of their chances scoring three goals on the day.

Naismith showed again that while he can make you want to pull your hair out at times, he's gaining a knack for showing up in big games and scoring big goals. Lukaku continued to be a beast in the attack, showing yet again why Everton need to do everything in their power to secure his services on a permanent basis. Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley were solid. The whole team was great. Any mistakes or flaws were washed over by the overall performance and result.

We'll have plenty more to say about Sunday's massive win over Arsenal, but for now enjoy this. Everton have won six league matches in a row for the first time since 2002, they've scored three goals in four straight matches, and they're one point behind Arsenal in the race for fourth place.

Oh yeah, we've got a game in hand on the Gunners.