It’s been quite a ride for Everton since their appointment of decorated manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian has transformed the team from a mis-mashed, lacklustre group of players to one of the most robust, organised sides in the Premier League.

The Toffees could rise up to fourth in the league with a win over West Bromwich Albion, so we’ve had a look at some of Ancelotti’s finest days in charge so far.

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Everton – 13 September 2020

What a start to the season for Carlo’s blues. James Rodriguez dazzled on his debut, and it was almost a complete performance both defensively and going forward.

This side looked poles apart from the disorganised one which had been criticised for its lack of midfield and finished 12th just a couple of months ago.

Reinforcements Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, alongside James, transformed the team into one which looked like it could challenge at the very top of the table, beginning a swashbuckling ride at the summit for Everton early on.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin rose highest above the Spurs defence to score the only goal of the game from Lucas Digne’s free-kick to ignite his fantastic run of scoring form this season.

Jordan Pickford produced two excellent saves to deny Dele Alli and Matt Doherty, but it was the Toffees who had the majority of the chances on a successful afternoon in the capital.

Ancelotti said afterwards: “The performance of the team was brilliant. I am pleased we started the season well and we showed we can compete which is the most important message to take. We can compete with everyone if the spirit is good, if the attitude is good and the players showed this.”

Liverpool 0-2 Everton – 20 February 2021

Now this was a special one. Everton went into the game having not won at Anfield in 22 years, and having not beaten Liverpool at all for the last 11 of those.

Richarlison opened the scoring just three minutes into the contest, swiping past Alisson after James had played him in. Ancelotti’s side managed to keep the Reds at bay until Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty on 83 minutes secured the historic result.

The defence were a brick wall, as was Pickford in goal on his return from injury.

Ancelotti was delighted afterwards: “We are really happy, really pleased. After a long time Everton are able to win at Anfield, it is a good gift for our supporters. The performance was good. We were focused, worked hard and when we had the opportunities we were clinical.”

Everton 5-4 Tottenham Hotspur – 10 February 2021

What a ride. A cup game under the lights at Goodison Park, which would have undoubtedly erupted had there been fans in attendance.

After Everton had gone behind to a Davinson Sanchez header from a corner early on, Hugo Lloris spilled a Calvert-Lewin shot to allow the Toffees back into the contest.

Richarlison put them ahead just two minutes later, before a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty saw Everton go 3-1 up. Erik Lamela pulled one back in first-half stoppage time to finish off a five-goal opening period, but the main drama was still to come.

Spurs equalised in the second half after another defensive mess-up from a corner from Everton allowed Sanchez to bag his second, but the blues were ahead again not long after as Richarlison broke the Tottenham back line to make it 4-3.

Harry Kane’s diving header following yet another corner saw Spurs make it 4-4 with just seven minutes to go, sending the tie to extra time.

Seven minutes into extra time, Sigurdsson scooped the ball over the top of the Spurs defence to play Everton substitute Bernard through on goal. The Brazilian allowed the ball to bounce before lashing it past Lloris to score the goal which secured Everton’s place in the next round.

Although Everton’s defending of corners left much to be desired, Everton’s much-improved mental strength under Ancelotti shone through in their determination to knock out a determined Mourinho team.

Everton 1-0 Chelsea – 12 December 2020

Everton went into this game with their early-season form having fallen away, leaving them seemingly devoid of ideas. Ancelotti provided his team with a masterplan to change that.

The manager deployed four centre-backs in Everton’s defence for the first time, an idea which raised several eyebrows during the game, but not Ancelotti’s. His was already raised, and he knew what he was doing.

It’s a system which Everton have relied upon in several games since, especially against difficult opposition, and it works a treat.

With just 28% possession in the game, the Toffees still managed more shots on target than Frank Lampard’s side.

An Edouard Mendy mistake saw Everton gifted a penalty with 22 minutes gone, and Sigurdsson made no mistake from the spot to give his side the lead.

Mendy’s opposite number Pickford was needed at his very best to deny Chelsea a way back into the game, but only when the visitors found a way past Everton’s dogged defence.

The match was a turning point for Everton and allowed them a return of sorts to the fantastic form of early season.

“We needed this performance and the points after a difficult period,” Ancelotti said after beating his old side. “We lost a little of bit of our confidence, a bit of our attitude.

“Tonight we won for the spirit, not the quality of the play, we didn’t have the ball a lot, but we defended really well.”

Wolves 1-2 Everton – 12 January 2021

Following an injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Evertonians were unsure how Ancelotti would respond with Cenk Tosun and Richarlison struggling for form at the top end of the pitch.

The answer was, as it turned out, with no strikers.

James and Sigurdsson played as a pair of false nines, and it turned out to be a genius move by the Italian.

Alex Iwobi put Everton ahead early on in the contest, but Ruben Neves equalised soon after.

The Toffees fought back hard, and Andre Gomes whipped in a beauty of a cross for Michael Keane to nod in late in the second half. Who needs a striker anyway?

Iwobi was key to the victory. He was instructed to break down the lines of Wolves, so he danced between them.

It was another victory to set Everton well on their way to a return to their early season form and give them a boost for some key games ahead.

Ancelotti said afterwards: “We knew this would be a difficult game to play here. We had a different approach without Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.

“We played more to attack the flanks with Iwobi and Digne and it worked well because the first goal was a fantastic combination.”

A stroke of genius.

Ancelotti has provided the stability Everton very much needed following the managerial roundabout ever since David Moyes’ exit back in 2013. A drive to the top four could well be on if he can maintain the team’s form, starting with a win at West Brom this evening. The game kicks off at 6pm live on Sky Sports.

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