15 May 2016
Everton put three past relegated Norwich

Everton responded to the sacking of manager Roberto Martinez with victory over relegated Norwich to end a poor season on a more positive note.

Midfielder James McCarthy's sublime 20-yard finish, following Kieran Dowell's run, put the Toffees on their way to a sixth home league win of the season.

Leighton Baines' penalty made it 2-0 after Romelu Lukaku was fouled by Robbie Brady before Kevin Mirallas tapped home the third.

Norwich finish 19th in the table.

Reaction from Goodison Park and all of Sunday's Premier League games

Relive the action from Goodison Park

What next for Everton?

Former Everton defender David Unsworth, assisted by one-time Goodison manager Joe Royle, took temporary charge, with Martinez having been dismissed after a run of one win in 10 Premier League games.

The season had started with talk of silverware. It ends with the club managerless, a bottom-half finish in the table, and Goodison Park's trophy cabinet gathering dust.

Major shareholder Farhad Moshiri must find someone capable of ending the club's 21-year trophy drought, and former Ajax boss Frank de Boer and Southampton manager Ronald Koeman have been linked with the job.

Whoever takes over will find a squad full of potential, with teenage midfielders Kieran Dowell, 18, Tom Davies, 17, and defender Jonjoe Kenny, 19, all playing a role in a rare Everton home victory.

It was Dowell's powerful run which led to McCarthy breaking the deadlock from distance. And Dowell, Davies and Kenny were all involved in the build-up which led to Mirallas tapping home the third goal.

Summer of change

As they seek a new manager, Everton said farewell to long-serving goalkeeper Tim Howard, who is joining Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer on 1 July.

The 37-year-old was rarely troubled as his 414th and final Toffees appearance ended with a clean sheet, with the hosts dominating for long periods.

Striker Arouna Kone's future looks anything but certain while forward Oumar Niasse, signed in a £13.5m deal from Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow three months ago, has yet to deliver and was arrested in the build-up to this match.

In terms of points, Everton end the season closer to the relegation zone than the top eight. Whoever is appointed the next manager, a big summer of change lies ahead.

Neil key to Norwich bouncing back

Norwich are heading back to the Championship after losing five of their final six top-flight games.

This performance was as poor as any they have produced all season and will not have filled their travelling fans with much confidence about making an immediate return to the Premier League.

Their manager Alex Neil wanted a performance to reward the fans for their backing. His demands fell on deaf ears.

Still, Norwich could do worse than take a leaf out of Burnley's book and keep faith with Neil for next season. Last season, the Clarets did the same with Sean Dyche after suffering relegation and are now planning a return to the top level.

What they said

Everton joint-interim manager David Unsworth: "If there was a script and I could have written it, it would have been exactly what happened today. I thought we were fantastic.

"I'm very proud. I was delighted the team put that performance in and got the win. Even more so that we got the clean sheet for Tim [Howard].

"It was a fitting ovation for Tim on the pitch. The players have done the same in the dressing room as well, which was a lovely touch."

Everton's departing goalkeeper Tim Howard: "This is a place I love, it is hard to leave. I grew up here, my best friends are here, there have been so many highs.

"I was fighting back the tears at the end. This will always be my home. I love this football club."

Norwich City manager Alex Neil: "I think the first goal summed up our season.

"We had a good break down the right and we put a great ball into Cameron [Jerome] who had a header the keeper collected comfortably, and then within 20 seconds the ball was in our net.

"There were about three or four occasions when we could have stopped it, but defensively we didn't get back quick enough and stop the shot at goal.

"I will now do everything in my power to make sure we're as strong as we can be for next season."

The stats you need to know

  • Tim Howard made his 399th and final Premier League appearance.
  • Norwich City finish with five clean sheets - the lowest total in the top division this season.
  • Leighton Baines has scored 16 of his 17 penalties in the Premier League.
  • Kevin Mirallas has scored two goals in his past three Premier League appearances, as many as he managed in his previous 24.
  • The Toffees finished the campaign with their first clean sheet in six games, after conceding 12 goals in total in their previous five fixtures.
  • In their final 10 Premier League away games, Norwich scored just two goals.
  • Line-ups
  • Match Stats
  • Live Text

Line-ups

Everton

  • 24Howard
  • 38PenningtonSubstituted forKennyat 29'minutes
  • 5Stones
  • 6Jagielka
  • 3Baines
  • 16McCarthySubstituted forLennonat 53'minutes
  • 18Barry
  • 51DowellSubstituted forBarkleyat 69'minutes
  • 41Davies
  • 11Mirallas
  • 10Lukaku

Substitutes

  • 1Robles
  • 12Lennon
  • 15Cleverley
  • 20Barkley
  • 21Osman
  • 33Connolly
  • 43Kenny

Norwich

  • 1Ruddy
  • 25Pinto
  • 5Martin
  • 24BennettSubstituted forBassongat 50'minutes
  • 23OlssonSubstituted forBradyat 10'minutes
  • 22Redmond
  • 28O'Neil
  • 18Dorrans
  • 16JarvisSubstituted forHoolahanat 71'minutes
  • 7Naismith
  • 10Jerome

Substitutes

  • 2Whittaker
  • 6Bassong
  • 12Brady
  • 13Rudd
  • 14Hoolahan
  • 20Andreu
  • 32Odjidja-Ofoe
Referee:
Lee Mason
Attendance:
36,691

Match Stats

Home TeamEvertonAway TeamNorwich
Possession
Home46%
Away54%
Shots
Home15
Away10
Shots on Target
Home8
Away2
Corners
Home4
Away11
Fouls
Home7
Away11

Live Text

Match ends, Everton 3, Norwich City 0.

Full Time

Second Half ends, Everton 3, Norwich City 0.
Hand ball by Romelu Lukaku (Everton).
Attempt missed. Aaron Lennon (Everton) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Kevin Mirallas.
Attempt blocked. Jonjoe Kenny (Everton) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Aaron Lennon.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Jonjoe Kenny.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Gareth Barry.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by John Stones.
Foul by Ivo Pinto (Norwich City).
Leighton Baines (Everton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Offside, Norwich City. Robbie Brady tries a through ball, but Steven Naismith is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Sebastien Bassong (Norwich City) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Nathan Redmond with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Leighton Baines.
Attempt saved. Ross Barkley (Everton) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Tim Howard.

Substitution

Substitution, Norwich City. Wes Hoolahan replaces Matthew Jarvis.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Jonjoe Kenny.

Substitution

Substitution, Everton. Ross Barkley replaces Kieran Dowell.
Corner, Everton. Conceded by Robbie Brady.
Attempt missed. Cameron Jerome (Norwich City) header from the left side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Nathan Redmond with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Jonjoe Kenny.
Attempt saved. Robbie Brady (Norwich City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Matthew Jarvis with a cross.
Steven Naismith (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kieran Dowell (Everton).
Attempt missed. Leighton Baines (Everton) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left from a direct free kick.
Foul by Gary O'Neil (Norwich City).
Gareth Barry (Everton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Gary O'Neil (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Davies (Everton).

Substitution

Substitution, Everton. Aaron Lennon replaces James McCarthy.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Cameron Jerome (Norwich City) because of an injury.
Delay in match Leighton Baines (Everton) because of an injury.
Foul by Cameron Jerome (Norwich City).
Phil Jagielka (Everton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cameron Jerome (Norwich City).
Leighton Baines (Everton) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Substitution

Substitution, Norwich City. Sebastien Bassong replaces Ryan Bennett.

Goal!

Goal! Everton 3, Norwich City 0. Kevin Mirallas (Everton) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
Foul by Matthew Jarvis (Norwich City).
James McCarthy (Everton) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Second Half

Second Half begins Everton 2, Norwich City 0.

Half Time

First Half ends, Everton 2, Norwich City 0.
Foul by Ryan Bennett (Norwich City).
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Goal!

Goal! Everton 2, Norwich City 0. Leighton Baines (Everton) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty conceded by Robbie Brady (Norwich City) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Everton. Romelu Lukaku draws a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt blocked. Leighton Baines (Everton) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Russell Martin (Norwich City).
Kevin Mirallas (Everton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Matthew Jarvis (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Cameron Jerome.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Kevin Mirallas.
Attempt blocked. Steven Naismith (Norwich City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nathan Redmond with a cross.
Attempt missed. Russell Martin (Norwich City) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Nathan Redmond with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Kevin Mirallas.
Foul by Nathan Redmond (Norwich City).
Tom Davies (Everton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Nathan Redmond (Norwich City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Matthew Jarvis.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Jonjoe Kenny.
Foul by Gareth Barry (Everton).
Steven Naismith (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
goal