Everton cruised past Queens Park Rangers in the Monday night football to move back into the top half of the League and leave their opponents winless on the road this season, with a 3-1 victory.
This game took a while to get going and the two highlights of the first half were Everton's first two goals. The first arrived just after the half hour mark, when Ross Barkley played a nice one-two with Romelu Lukaku just inside the QPR half, before driving to within 25 yards of goal. Barkley then released a powerful left foot shot from twenty-yards and, thanks to a small knick from Mauricio Isla, flew into Robert Green's top right corner.
Then, with just two minutes left in the first half, the Toffees doubled their lead. A costless-kick was awarded on the right side twenty-five yards out. Kevin Mirallas took it on and saw the ball take a huge deflection off Eduardo Vargas' head, completely wrong footing his goalkeeper and sending the ball into the bottom left corner.
Just eight minutes into the second half and Everton more or less wrapped things up by scoring a third, which was again aided by a deflection. Green mis-kicked a clearance in the air, which Richard Dunne could only swipe straight to Mirallas. The Belgian found Aiden McGeady on the right, who then proceeded to the byline, before dinking to the back post where Steven Naismith headed back across goal. However Green had actually got a hand to it, but he pushed it onto Nedum Onuoha's head and the ball fell into the back of the net.
QPR did not manage a clear cut chance until the 65th minute when Isla got in the box down the right and pulled back for Jordan Mutch on the edge of the box who first time right footed fired just over. However, they did manage a consolation through substitute Bobby Zamora just ten minutes from time. Junior Hoilett passed the ball into the middle of the box to Mutch who hit low drive which Tim Howard saved, but he could only push to the feet of Zamora and the veteran forward was left with a six yard tap in.
There was no Rangers revival in the closing stages, as another sub, Samuel Eto'o, nearly made it four for Everton. With the last kick off the game, his shot hit the base of the post from the edge of the box - before the full-time whistle brought Roberto Martinez' side a deserved victory.
Player ratings:
| Everton | QPR | ||
  |  |  |  |
| Howard | 6 | Green | 6 |
| Coleman | 7 | Isla | 6 |
| Jagielka | 6 | Dunne | 5 |
| Distin | 6 | Onuoha | 5 |
| Baines | 7 | Yun | 5 |
| Mirallas | 7 | Phillips | 5 |
| Besic | 7 | Fer | 5 |
| Barkley | 8 | Barton | 6 |
| Naismith | 7 | Mutch | 6 |
| McGeady | 7 | Hoilett | 6 |
| Lukaku | 6 | Vargas | 6 |
| Substitutes | |||
| Eto'o | 6 | Zamora | 7 |
| Pienaar | 6 | Kranjcar | 6 |
| NA | NA | NA | NA |