Ronald Koeman would not say it directly but he had no need. For 90 difficult minutes, it had become apparent that Romelu Lukaku’s confidence has now become a key issue.
There has been so much talk about Lukaku’s future recently that his form has been almost overlooked. But now that he is staying at Goodison for at least a year, the spotlight is back on the part of his game — scoring goals — that saw him linked with Europe’s top sides.
The Belgian has not scored for Everton since trampling over Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final on March 12.