Everton on the verge of qualification after thrashing Ligue 1 visitors.
Everton look set to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Europa League after breezing to a win over Lille at Goodison Park that takes Roberto Martinez’s side to the top of the group with just two matches remaining.
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Martinez sent out a strong side to face a Lille side who had held Everton to a 0-0 draw in France two weeks ago, but almost from the first whistle the hosts were on top, with visiting goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama saving brilliantly from Romelu Lukaku inside 30 seconds.
A goal always looked like it would come for Everton shortly – and when it did, a fluent team move created the opener for experienced midfielder Leon Osman at the far post. A fine flick from Romelu Lukaku freed Everton down the left flank and, when the cross came in, Osman was left unmarked to guide a shot past Enyeama and into the far corner:
Lille’s heads began to drop after they fell behind and Everton took total control of the game, with Liverpool loanee Divock Origi kept under wraps by Phil Jagielka, who then got himself in on the act at the other end when he peeled off his marker in the penalty area and guided a header beyond the helpless Enyeama:
The second half was slightly less frenetic than the first in terms of Everton pressure, with Lille looking to avoid a hammering and the hosts saving themselves for Premier League action at the weekend, but they did add gloss to the result when Scottish international Steven Naismith rounded off a glorious team move with an emphatic position: