Young Boys 1 Everton 4 - Five Thoughts

Cherish Romelu Luaku

After a couple of ill-advised media interviews Lukaku let his boots - and head - do the talking with a superb individual display culminating in the perfect hat-trick - left foot, right foot, header. Thursday's performance was everything we have grown to love about the Belgian forward; power, pace, composure, and razor sharp finishing .

Whenever an article is written about Lukaku his age is brought up, but that is because it is relevant - he is still only 21! Yet since the start of the 2012/13 season, only Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie and Sergio Aguero have scored more Premier League goals. He is also just the fourth player in Everton's history to score a hat-trick in Europe after Yakubu, Alan Ball and Andy Gray.

Yet his tender age means he is not perfect and will make mistakes. His 'hand-over-mouth' gesture at the final whistle suggests he has already learnt a lesson about the perils of speaking to the media.

The harsh reality is though that Lukaku's career trajectory is on such a steep upward curve that the day may well come where he will outgrow Everton, meaning we should cherish and enjoy his enormous talent while we can.

Barry back to his best - now McCarthy's back

It is ironic that after his best performance for a while, Gareth Barry will miss Everton's next game through suspension. Roberto Martinez's loyalty to the veteran midfielder has infuriated a number of supporters this season, with the former Man City man struggling to replicate the standard of his performances last season. However, with James McCarthy back to full fitness alongside him Barry looked much more comfortable, even showing a rare bit of attacking prowess with two assists.

Play Ross centrally - and keep him there

Much of the Everton squad have been suffering from 'second season syndrome' this year but none more so than Ross Barkley. His battle for form has not been helped by being played out of position, often shunted left or right to accommodate the admittedly impressive Steven Naismith.

However, Martinez switched both players at the Stade de Suisse, putting Barkley where he looks much more at home, right in the thick of the action. We started to see glimpses of what makes him so special - close control, a drop of the shoulder, a turn of pace and a driving run. The trick now is maintaining that form.

Plastic fantastic? I don't think so

The only negatives from an otherwise wonderful evening was injuries suffered by a trio of players. Bryan Oviedo and James McCarthy both had to come off, while Steven Naismith also took a knock to the knee. Young Boys' plastic pitch was a talking point before the game and there were fears the surface may cause some injuries, Martinez leaving Arouna Kone out for that reason. There is nothing to prove all three casualties were directly linked but is surely not a coincidence, especially Oviedo's that looked very much like an impact injury. Fingers crossed they are all ok.

Can they transfer their continental form back to the Premier League? And just how far can they go in Europe?

Everton's performances in Europe this season have been magnificent, in sharp contrast to their domestic troubles. They've won four of their seven games in Europe this campaign - just two short of their total in the Premier League from 25 games.

Thursday's win was much more like the confident, dynamic Everton we saw last year, which again begs the question - why can't they replicate that in the Premier League? Sunday's game against struggling Leicester represents their perfect opportunity to kick-start their league campaign and put to bed any lingering hopes of relegation.

Then, with one foot in the last-16, the players can think about having a real go at the Europa League. Their displays so far deservedly puts them among the frontrunners and I would love to see them take on one of the bigger teams remaining in the competition.