Jarrad Branthwaite is back as he set Everton on their way to a famous win at Newcastle United with the opening goal in this five-goal thriller. The headed effort was the first time the Blues defender had found the net in 22 months since his shot against Liverpool proved too hot to handle for Alisson Becker, on a night when the hosts secured their first Goodison Park victory in a Merseyside Derby for 13-and-a-half years – or since their 6ft 5in colossus was eight years old.

Following the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Hill Dickinson, Branthwaite insisted that his goal for the season was still to break into England’s squad for the World Cup finals. However, despite what his manager David Moyes declared in his pre-match press conference for the trip to Newcastle about the 23-year-old being just as comfortable at left-back as he is at centre-back, it seems unlikely that he is going to reinvent himself as the next Ashley Cole between now and the end of the campaign.

Going off...