Everton Hands Allardyce Winning Debut Against Huddersfield
Sam Allardyce's managerial reign at Everton has got off to the best possible start thanks a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
Gylfi Sigurdsson's mini revival of late saw the 27-year-old bag the opening goal of the contest before Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured all three points late in the second half.
The Terriers, meanwhile, have seen their abject away form continue, with the loss to Everton their sixth in the last seven league trips away from Yorkshire.
Fresh from a 4-0 thumping over West Ham, Everton were surprisingly sluggish in the opening exchanges as Huddersfield enjoyed the lion's share of the possession.
An Elias Kachunga header and a blocked Wayne Rooney shot aside though, neither side was producing the goods when it mattered.
Jonas Lossl produced a routine stop from Cuco Martina following good pressure from the full-back and Calvert-Lewin before the youngster tapped Rooney's free kick wide as the hosts started to up the tempo.
A goalmouth scramble in Everton's box five minutes before the interval had Toffees' hearts in mouths before Jordan Pickford scooped the ball clear, but neither side could go into the break a goal to the good.
Allardyce and Everton had lift off just two minutes after the interval though. Aaron Lennon's mazy run infield saw the winger ping a pass into Calvert-Lewin, and the striker's deft back-heeled flick into Sigurdsson's path was a peach.
The Icelandic attacker needed no further invitation to sweep home first time and the relief around Goodison was palpable as the ball nestled into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
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Tom Ince almost levelled the score just three minutes later on the counter attack, but the forward's arrowed drive rustled the side netting instead.
Another flowing move from Everton culminated in Lossl palming Calvert-Lewin's stinging shot to safety while Mason Holgate directed a header from Sigurdsson's corner well wide seconds later.
Everton made sure of the points 16 minutes from time. Idrissa Gueye's pressing won the ball back in the middle of the park, Rooney's perfectly weighted pass found Calvert-Lewin running into space and the striker's lofted finish - albeit by a slight deflection off Zanka - looped into the Gwladys Street net.
Tommy Smith drew a simple save from Pickford as David Wagner's men sought a route back into the game, but the day belonged to Allardyce and his Blues' charges as Everton secured back-to-back wins and clean sheets for the first time this season.
