An 11-minute hat-trick from Belgian international Romelu Lukaku game Ronald Koeman yet another victory at the start of the new season.
The Toffees are yet to be beaten this season and have started the campaign with three wins and a draw in their first 4 games.
Though the manager will be happy with the amount of hard work put in by his players, he will no be amused by the first half that England international Ross Barkley had at the Stadium of Light.
The 22-year old midfielder who made a decent start to the season was disastrous in the first half on Monday and was subbed off at half time.
This comes after he was dealt a huge blow when it was revealed that Sam Allardyce has left him out of his squad for England’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
He was one of the most exciting players in English domestic football and was an influential player at the Goodison Park before the end of the last season.
However, apart from rare pieces of brilliance, he has been a liability for his side in the final third and is set to sit with the manager to talk about his progress at the club.
This has now given rise to reports that he is unsettled at the club and that he may be up for sale next summer.
According to reports from Squawka, Ross Barkley is in no rush to sign a contract extension at the club and is ready to keep his options open.
The report revealed that the Blues offered the midfielder a handsome £100k a week contract but the England international has not yet agreed on a deal and is assessing his situation.
The 22-year old is, however, a fan favorite and it is understood that Everton are desperate to pen him down for the long-term as soon as possible.
Barkley is contracted to the club till 2018 and if he fails to extend his contract at the club, he will be sold at the end of the season and there is no shortage of clubs who are ready to pounce on him.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur are said to be interested in the midfielder for some time now and are looking at his situation closely.
However, they will have to fight it out with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, who are also reportedly interested in his signature.
At 22, Barkley has the potential to become one of the best in the world and ideally, Everton would want to keep hold of him and nurture him enough to turn him into a world class player.
But if his heart is set at a club away from the Merseyside, Everton are better off, offloading to him to potential suitors at a high price at the end of the season.
It will be interesting to see how this story pans out in months to come. Do you think Ross Barkley should stay at Everton?