Everton 1-2 Swansea City – 6 Things We Learned

Guidolin makes an instant impact at Swansea while the pressure mounts on Martinez.

By Mark Langshaw /

Not for the first time this season, Everton were derailed by injury blows and defensive errors as relegation battlers Swansea City left Goodison Park with maximum points. The Swans, with new manager Francesco Guideline at the helm, took the lead from the penalty spot in the 17th minute through Gylfi Sigurdsson, who calmly slotted home from 12 yards after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard brought down Andre Ayew in the box. The Toffees drew level moments later thanks to Gareth Barry€™s first goal in two years, the midfield veteran flicking the ball home following a Gerard Deulofeu corner. But the parity lasted less than ten minutes as Ayew capitalised on another defensive lapse from the home side and fired the Welsh outfit back in front with 34 on the clock. It was an afternoon to forget for Roberto Martinez and his faltering charges, soured further by injuries to key players Kevin Mirallas and Muhamed Besic, incidents that forced the Spaniard to make early changes and had an impact on the outcome of the game. After failing to turn up for the opening 45 minutes, Everton hit Swansea with the kitchen sink throughout the second half, but couldn€™t find a leveller in front of a frustrated home crowd. With the dust still settling from the Blues€™ latest defeat, here are six things we learned at Goodison Park.