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Everton go back to second in the table, having taken 13 points from their first five games. It’s their best start since 1978-79. They respond impressively to Maarten Stekelenburg’s own goal and were comfortable winners, with Gareth Barry scoring on his 600th Premier League appearance. Thanks for your company; night.

90+1 min A nice touch from Ronald Koeman, who substitutes Gareth Barry so that he can get an ovation from the crowd. Tom Cleverley replaces him.

90 min There will be two minutes of added formality.

88 min Everton play a bit of keep-ball to amuse themselves. They look a good side, and so much more solid than last season.

86 min “I want 3000 words by Monday on Everton and Liverpool being top dogs in the league once more, just like back in the day before wireless meant anything other than a radio,” writes my owner Ian Copestake.

84 min Middlesbrough make their final substitution, with Adam Clayton replacing Forshaw.

82 min Fischer’s fierce shot from 20 yards is blocked by the stretching Coleman. I think it would have otherwise inconvenienced Stekelenburg.

80 min De Roon’s high cross is punched away under pressure by Stekelenburg, and Downing’s follow-up shot hits a defender.

79 min Idrissa Gueye has had another excellent game for Everton.

77 min Bolasie mavericks past Barragan but then runs into a second defender.

76 min Boro don’t look like getting a corner, never mind scoring. I think they’ll stay up, but if they do it won’t be because of their attack.

74 min “Agree 100% with the mooted Incorrigible Mavericks rule,” says David Hopkins. “All the better if their skills have little practical application. I’m thinking of Ted McMinn dribbling past some hapless fullback, stopping, then doing it once more for a laugh.”

72 min Gerard Deulofeu replaces Kevin Mirallas for Everton.

70 min Both sides have accepted the result, and the match is drifting along increasingly aimlessly.

69 min Another Boro substitution: Viktor Fischer, the former boy wonder, replaces Gaston Ramirez.

66 min Enner Valencia comes on for his Everton debut, replacing the injured Lukaku. It looks like a precautionary substitution rather than anything more serious, although Lukaku has gone straight down the tunnel.

63 min Barkley almost frees Lukaku in the box; eventually the ball pinballs through the keeper Valdes. When Barkley plays like this, with such penetrative simplicity, you can see why so many managers get excited about him.

62 min “I’m not actually watching the game, but glad to see Bolasie involved,” says Matt Dony. “He is possibly the most entertaining player in world football. I mean, he’s obviously not in that ‘top, top player’ bracket, but the sheer unpredictability is worth the entrance fee. In that respect, he reminds me of Luis Garcia in his 2006/7 pomp. The best player in history for 10 minutes of any given match, an absolute liability for the other 80.”

Quite. There should be a quota system whereby every team has to include one incorrigible maverick in their XI. If we can clone Adel Taarabt, so much the better.

59 min Middlesbrough bring on David Nugent for Emilio Nsue.

56 min Everton are in total control of the game now, and Barkley draws a good save from Valdes with a stinging low drive. Barkley has been excellent today, possibly the best player on the pitch.

54 min Mirallas’s golden five minutes continues with a dreadful piece of control in the box after fine play from Barkley.

51 min Baines makes a virtue of a dismal pass from Mirallas, winning a corner as a result. It’s headed away by Friend.

50 min Middlesbrough, tactically speaking, weren’t really built with 3-1 deficits in mind. They are a neat, tidy side but they don’t create that many chances. This should be a comfortable second half for Everton.

49 min It looks like the third goal has been given to Lukaku. I’m not sure he touched it, mind.

46 min Peep peep! Everton begin the second half, and as things stand this will be their best start to a season since 1978-79.

Half-time reading aka ‘I think it was me who said...’

After a slow start, that was an enjoyable half of football. The worst thing Middlesbrough did was take the lead, because it woke Everton and the crowd up. See you soon for the second half.

45+2 min Gareth Barry is booked for a foul on Ramirez.

Bolasie’s inswinging cross from the right drifts past everyone and into the net. Lukaku claimed it but I don’t think he got a touch. Valdes appealed that Lukaku was offside but replays showed he was fine.

Seamus Coleman gives Everton the lead with a fine solo goal. He received Gueye’s pass just outside the area on the right, burst past a couple of defenders and finished calmly into the bottom corner with his left foot.

40 min Barrajan loafs forward promisingly, only to get giddy and hoof one miles over the bar from 25 yards.

36 min Barkley beats Ayala with a beautiful flicked nutmeg, a bit like Robbie Fowler on Steve Staunton when he scored that famous goal against Aston Villa in 1996, and then runs into the box before hitting a shot that is well blocked by a combination of Gibson and the recovering Ayala. When the ball went dead Ayala was booked for attempting to pull Barkley back after he had been turned.

34 min “You’re right about the Middlesbrough goal looking like Andy Gray’s goal at Wembley in 1984,” says Gary Naylor. “If we’re playing the same rules as 32 years ago, I look forward to plenty of tackles from behind, a few professional fouls and a shinpad-splitting challenge or two. No cards though. And a title for us next year.”

32 min A fine effort from Bolaise, who thumps a 15-yard header onto the roof of the net from Baines’s hanging cross.

28 min Barkley ruins an excellent run by blazing over the bar when Lukaku was in a better position.

26 min “Pretty sure Andy Gray never played in a World Cup final,” says Richie Segal, making a very fair point. What the hell was I thinking there?

25 min Middlesbrough might also be aggrieved with the goal against them, because Williams challenged Valdes with his studs showing. Howard Webb says it was a probably a free-kick, and he’ll be thrilled to know I agree with him.

Gareth Barry equalises for Everton. On today of all days. A corner from the left rebounded across the box, and Barry half-volleyed it calmly into the top of the net. That’s an excellent finish actually, and a rare goal to mark his 600th Premier League appearance.

23 min The BT commentators - Steve McManaman, Glenn Hoddle and Howard Webb - all think it was a fair goal. I’m not so sure. Stekelenburg was a bit weak but I’m not sure Negredo didn’t foul him.

Everton are not happy with this, and there are echoes of Andy Gray’s goal in the 1984 World Cup final. Downing hung up a deep cross towards the far post, where Stekelenburg was in the process of catching it when Negredo powered through and headed the ball into the net. Actually, I think it’s an own goal because Negredo seemed to knock Stekelenburg’s arm, which knocked the ball out of his hands and into the net.

20 min Mirallas comes inside from the left and drills a low shot that is comfortably held by Valdes. Everton have stirred after a sluggish start.

19 min A good effort from Barkley, who moves away from Forshaw and hits a wobbling left-footed shot from 25 yards that is beaten away by Valdes.

17 min It would be silly to jump to conclusions after four and a bit games, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do: Boro won’t go down this season. They look a really good, organised side.

15 min Barry, on his 600th Premier League appearance, is robbed in a dangerous area but Ramirez. He moves straight for goal but Coleman makes a good tackle on the edge of the area.

13 min Everton win their first corner, to be taken by Mirallas on the right. Jagielka mistimes his jump at the near post and shoulders it over the bar.

12 min Here’s Hubert O’Hearn. “Koeman’s knack of almost instantly shaping a club into an attractive and downright scary side, no matter what players he loses, reminds me of a wonderful line about Jack Nicklaus and his clubs (golf variety): ‘He can play with his and beat you, or he can take yours and still beat you.’”

10 min There’s not a huge amount happening right now.

6 min The overlapping Friend is fouled by Coleman on the left wing. Actually, it looks quite a soft free-kick on second glance. Ramirez curls the free-kick towards the near post, where Downing flicks a header across the face of goal and wide. Ayala almost got to it at the far post.

5 min It’s been a confident start from Boro in what sounds like a very muted atmosphere, though that might just be that somebody has pressed the wrong button in the BT bunker.

1 min Peep peep! Middlesbrough, in red, kick off from left to right. Everton are in blue.

Everton (4-2-3-1) Stekelenburg; Coleman, Williams, Jagielka, Baines; Gueye, Barry; Mirallas, Barkley, Bolasie; Lukaku.Substitutes: Joel, Deulofeu, Lennon, Cleverley, Valencia, Funes Mori, Holgate.

Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1) Valdes; Barragan, Ayala, Gibson, Friend; De Roon, Forshaw; Nsue, Ramirez, Downing; Negredo.Substitutes: Guzan, Espinosa, Clayton, Fischer, Chambers, Nugent, Traore.

Kevin de Bruyne is Pep’s Michael Laudrup, discuss

Hello. Sometimes, a player’s weakness becomes his strength as a manager: think of George Graham and Glenn Hoddle, swaggering midfielders and magnificent defensive coaches, or hard-faced centre-back Tony Mowbray preaching tiki-taka in the Midlands.

Ronald Koeman and Aitor Karanka, whose Everton and Middlesbrough sides meet at Goodison Park today, took their playing strengths with them when they went into management: both were defenders (well, nominally in Koeman’s case) and both know exactly what to do with a bank of four.

Both teams are not without attacking flair, but defence will be the key to whether their achieve their ambitions this season. Middlesbrough will be happy to stay up; Everton, who are currently the closest of the also-rans to the champions Manchester City, are aiming for Europe.

Kick off is at 5.30pm.

Rob will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not have a read of Andy Hunter on how Ronald Koeman feels the noise more than Martínez and Moyes after his strong start at Everton?

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assistant: Everton 3-1 Middlesbrough: Premier League - as it happened