Everton have moved into the top half of the Premier League with a 3-1 win against Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park this evening.
Goals from Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith rendered Bobby Zamora's late goal as a mere consolation as the Blues cruised past the visitors.
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Naismith, who had been recalled to the side after recovering from injury, almost played Romelu Lukaku in on 12 minutes, but the Belgian striker was unable to reach the pass across the face of goal.
Junior Hoilett wasted a good opening for the visitors when he opted to fire tamely at Tim Howard on 19 minutes, with a number of options either side of him.
Mirallas had a good chance for the Toffees when he cut inside before firing a powerful effort narrowly over the bar from 25 yards, and it was the home side who looked the most likely of breaking the deadlock.
They looked bright in the final third as Mirallas jinked inside again before playing a ball out wide to Aiden McGeady just after the half-hour mark.
The Ireland international pulled the ball back to Ross Barkley on the edge of the box, but the England international's shot was blocked.
However, Barkley was not to be denied, and the midfielder opened the scoring with a rasping left-footed effort from 25 yards moments later.
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Mirallas wanted a penalty less than two minutes into the second half, but referee Neil Swarbrick was uninterested after the winger had gone down under a challenge from Richard Dunne, but the Belgian was smiling when he doubled Everton's lead with a deflected shot.
QPR only had themselves to blame for Everton's third as the Blues profited from a poor clearance from Robert Green before McGeady clipped a ball to Naismith who made no mistake from around six yards out at the back post.
Zamora reduced the deficit late on when he tapped into an empty after Howard had palmed Jordan Mutch's effort into the QPR striker's path, but Rangers still fell to an eighth straight away defeat.
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Paul Gorst
