Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Everton and West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park! It is a depleted fixture list this weekend, but these two sides have the chance to close the gap on the teams above them in the table today, with Everton in particular not giving up on a top-six finish just yet. Before we have a closer look at both clubs, though, let's first check out the team news...

EVERTON STARTING XI: Robles; Coleman, Williams, Jagielka, Baines; Schneiderlin, Barry, Davies; Mirallas, Lukaku, Barkley

EVERTON SUBS: Stekelenburg, Gueye, Valencia, Funes Mori, Calvert-Lewin, Lookman

West Brom are being very tardy with their team news today so let's start by having a look at Everton's side, which is spearheaded by former Baggies loanee Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian scored 17 goals for West Brom during the 2012-13 and has only gone from strength to strength since then. His strike in the defeat to Tottenham last time out saw him overtake Duncan Ferguson as Everton's highest-ever Premier League goalscorer, while it also equalled his own personal best tally for a league campaign.

Lukaku has scored three goals in six previous matches against West Brom, but all of those have come at The Hawthorns. He does have a very good record at Goodison Park in recent weeks, though, and in total he has scored 78 Premier League goals in what is still a fledgling career. Only Michael Owen (110), Robbie Fowler (106) and Wayne Rooney (86) have ever scored more Premier League goals before their 24th birthday.

There are a couple of notable changes to Everton's starting XI, with one of those seeing captain Phil Jagielka return to the side as Funes Mori drops to the bench. There is also a return for Kevin Mirallas, who interestingly replaces Idrissa Gueye in the side. It is an attacking move from Koeman, but the general assumption was that Barry would be the defensive-minded player sacrificed, with Lookman perhaps coming in.

Lookman must make do with a place on the bench, though, with Mirallas joining the front three alongside Lukaku and Barkley. Young Davies continues in midfield having worked his way into a regular starting role over the last few weeks, while Jagielka's return is the only change at the back as Coleman, Williams and Baines all keep their places in the team.

WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom; Livermore, Yacob, Fletcher; Chadli, McClean; Robson-Kanu

WEST BROM SUBS: Myhill, M Wilson, Olsson, Morrison, Brunt, Field, Rondon

Better late than never for the Baggies' team news as manager Tony Pulis also makes changes to the side that was beaten by Crystal Palace last time out. The headline news is that Salomon Rondon drops to the bench despite scoring the only goal of the game in this exact fixture last season, with Wales' Euro 2016 hero Hal Robson-Kanu given a rare chance from the start in his place.

There is also a return to the starting XI for James McClean, who replaces James Morrison to offer attacking support for Robson-Kanu and possibly to help pin the Everton full-backs back too. Nacer Chadli will be another goal threat for West Brom, although having hit the ground running following his switch from Spurs the goals have dried up a little for the midfielder.

The third change comes a little deeper in midfielder as Claudio Yacob is recalled into the side, no doubt with the intention of keeping tabs on the likes of Barkley and Davies. Yacob replaces Brunt in the starting XI, but is expected to play alongside Livermore and Fletcher in the heart of the midfield. It will be interesting to see how Pulis's side actually line up as the personnel suggests that they may try to match Everton's 4-3-3 formation.

There are no changes at the back for the Baggies today as Pulis keeps faith with his defensive unit. Gareth McAuley is part of that, and the veteran defender has already scored six goals this season, including three since his 37th birthday. Paul Scholes was the last player to score more Premier League goals above the age of 37, netting four in the 2011-12 campaign.

There are a few avenues from which West Brom can threaten, then, but Everton will go into the match fully confident that they can outscore the Baggies given the attacking talent at their disposal. The Toffees have been in very good form over the last couple of months to raise hope of a top-six finish, and a win today would see them close the gap on Manchester United to just two points.

Indeed, Everton could actually move above United in the table by the time the Red Devils are next in league action should they win their next two games, although United would then have three games in hand over Ronald Koeman's side, so there is plenty of work to do if they are to break into the top six. Victory today could be key to that, and Koeman will want to see a positive response from his side after they were beaten 3-2 by Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

In truth, that 3-2 scoreline flattered Everton a little at White Hart Lane. They were second best for the vast majority of the game and only got their second goal in stoppage time, so it was a much more comfortable defeat than the one-goal difference suggests. However, the Toffees are still in decent form and had gone nine Premier League games unbeaten before that loss to Spurs - a vast improvement on a run of just two wins in 12 before that.

Everton have not yet lost back-to-back Premier League games under Ronald Koeman, and the Dutchman has already almost matched the achievements of Roberto Martinez from the past two campaigns. A win today would see them move level with their 47-point tally from 2014-15 and 2015-16, and considering their recent home record they will be very confident of achieving that.

Everton have only lost one of their last 16 home Premier League games, a run which stretches back almost a year, winning 10 and drawing five of those. They have been even more impressive in the past couple of months, though, winning four from four to keep up a 100% home league record so far in 2017. They have also kept three clean sheets in that time and scored a whopping 15 goals.

Since losing at Goodison Park to Merseyside rivals Liverpool before Christmas, Everton have won four in a row and are today looking for a fifth consecutive triumph for the first time since a club-record equalling run of seven in April 2014. The Toffees boast a better home record than the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United this season, with only Tottenham and Chelsea having conceded fewer in front of their own fans and only three teams having scored more.

A key element of Everton's season has been their ability to fight back after falling behind, with the Toffees having rescued more points from losing positions than any other side this season. West Brom are joint-second on that list, though, so while the first goal is so often crucial in games, that may not necessarily be the case this afternoon if past form over the season is anything to go by.

For West Brom, the target for the rest of the season will simply be to see how high they can finish. A place in the top six is perhaps a bit too optimistic, but victory today would leave them just one point behind Everton and there is no doubt that a seventh-placed finish would be a hugely successful campaign for the Baggies. Like Everton, victory today would see West Brom equal last season's points tally with 10 games of the current campaign still to go, so it has been a lot more comfortable than many might have been expecting this term.

Indeed, the annual target of 40 points has already been achieved and while Pulis will not want the season to peter out - as results like a 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace suggest it might do - he can at least relax knowing that they are not in any danger of being dragged down into a relegation battle. Instead, Pulis can focus on trying to break the 50-point mark in the Premier League for the first time in the club's history - something 10 points over the final 11 games would achieve.

Like Everton, West Brom come into this match off the back of a defeat, but they too were in decent form prior to their loss at the hands of Crystal Palace. The Baggies have now been beaten just once in their last six Premier League outings, winning three of those, while they have not lost back-to-back top-flight games since December. On that occasion they were beaten by Manchester United and Arsenal, which is a double-header they will face again in their next two games.

It is by no means an easy run of fixtures for West Brom, then, and Pulis would surely be happy with a draw from Goodison Park today having seen his side win just one of their last seven away games, including an ongoing run of three without victory. West Brom's struggles on the road stretch further back to just two wins from their last 12 away outings, during which time they have drawn five and lost five.

Lukaku will be licking his lips at the prospect of coming up against a side who have failed to keep a single clean sheet on the road since the opening day of the season, though, with the Baggies having conceded in each of their last 12 games away from home. Home and away, only Stoke have conceded more goals in the top half than West Brom, with the Baggies not having kept as many clean sheets as you might expect from a Tony Pulis side.

Speaking of Pulis, this is his 300th Premier League match as a manager, and he is closing in on 100 wins in the top flight following previous spells with Stoke and Crystal Palace. The Welshman has done a good job wherever he has been, steering Stoke into the top flight before consolidating their position and also leading Palace away from the drop during a short stint at Selhurst Park. His previous 299 games have seen him pick up 95 wins, 87 draws and 117 defeats.

Interestingly, of the teams outside the top six in the Premier League table West Bromwich Albion have the best record against clubs placed seventh to 20th this season, which is the main reason behind their lofty league position. They have picked up 39 points from their 20 games against teams outside the top six, and will be looking to improve that record further this afternoon.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Goodison Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! Both sides come into this one off the back of a defeat, but West Brom's was a lot more surprising and disappointing. Everton boast home advantage, which has been a big plus for them so far in 2017, and we can see them continuing their 100% record here since the turn of the year. 2-0 to the Toffees!

Such a result would buck the recent trend in this fixture, with the home side failing to win any of the last seven meetings since a 2-1 triumph for Everton in January 2013. That includes three consecutive home matches without a win for Everton, drawing twice and losing once in that time - the defeat coming in the corresponding fixture last season when Rondon scored the only goal of the game.

Indeed, Everton have failed to even score in the last three home games against West Brom, and another blank this afternoon would see them go on a four-match streak against a single opponent for the first time since 1990-93 against Manchester United. West Brom, meanwhile, have not kept four consecutive clean sheets in top-flight away matches against a single opponent since a run of five versus Birmingham way back in 1925.

West Brom have still only won one of their last eight meetings with Everton, though, and their victory here last season was only their third away win over the Toffees since 1965, drawing nine and losing 15 in that time. The reverse fixture in August saw Everton come from behind to win 2-1 courtesy of goals from Mirallas and Barry.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go at Goodison! A big game in the battle for seventh place, while Everton have their sights set on a loftier goal too.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! West Brom get us underway on Merseyside!

West Brom have made a good quick start to this match and are looking to press the Everton defence high up the pitch. The visitors are getting right in the faces of the home side in the opening exchanges.

Lukaku has his first chance to run at the Baggies defence following a defensive mistake, but the Belgian tries to do a little too much and in the end has to settle for a corner.

Everton are beginning to apply their first bits of pressure here and McAuley is a little fortunate as he fails to cut out a brilliant Coleman ball that fizzes right across the face of goal. No blue shirts have gambled, though, and it is put behind for another corner at the back post.

West Brom break up the other end and Robson-Kanu tries to lift the ball into the middle for Chaldi to attack, but it is too close to Robles.

The first shot of the game comes from Everton as Lukaku chests the ball down to Barkley, but the England midfielder fires an ambitious half-volley well over the top.

The visitors are working really hard off the ball at the moment, with Pulis ensuring that they don't let up by barking instructions from the touchline. It has all been a bit scrappy so far.

UPDATE: There has been an early goal elsewhere in the Premier League, with West Ham United taking the lead against Bournemouth through Michail Antonio seconds after the Cherries had missed a penalty at the Vitality Stadium.

Everton haven't really been able to get into any sort of rhythm so far, thanks largely to West Brom's work off the ball. The visitors are very organised and Everton haven't looked like finding a way through yet.

CHANCE! Ahh, the commentator's curse. Everton create their first chance of the match and it is a big one for Lukaku too. After a spell of possession inside the West Brom half Barry smuggles the ball through to the Belgian, who only has the keeper to beat. He looks for the bottom far corner, but places his finish just past the post. Goodison was expecting the net to bulge then!

CHANCE! The Baggies respond with a chance of their own, although this one is a lot more difficult. Dawson whips a cross towards the back post which an unmarked Fletcher does well to get his head to, but it is just too high for him to cause Robles any serious problems.

This has been a good, evenly-contested opening 20 minutes to this one. West Brom are not letting Everton have anything easy, and the Toffees are going to have to battle for the win if they are to come away with victory today.

Mirallas makes a bright break into the box, cutting inside from the left before regaining possession after a pass towards Lukaku had been intercepted. Eventually the ball drops to Davies on the edge of the area, but his effort is blocked.

The visitors are more than happy to just try to prevent Everton from playing their game here, and their ambition has perhaps just been shown by Foster taking as much time as he could to restart the game from a goal kick.

Everton have enjoyed 62% of the possession in this match so far, but they have only created that one Lukaku chance of note so far.

Good defending from Barry as West Brom threatened to get into the box through Chadli. The former Tottenham man's first touch looked like it could have beaten Barry, but the Everton midfielder recovered well.

Better from Everton as Lukaku's flick around the corner finds Davies unmarked on the left side of the area. The youngster tries to hammer a cross into the middle, but it hits Dawson and goes behind.

CHANCE! Everton play the resulting corner short to Baines, who in turn whips a brilliant ball into the box. Lukaku gets his head to it, but it isn't a clean effort and he can only steer the ball wide of the target.

SAVE! Foster has his first save to make as Everton again play a corner short, with Barry exchanging passes with Mirallas before teeing up Barkley. The midfielder lines up a shot, but his eventual effort lacks power and is easy for the West Brom keeper to collect.

UPDATE: There has been another goal at the Vitality Stadium, where King has atoned for his earlier penalty miss to level things up at 1-1 against West Ham.

Decent spell of pressure from West Brom, whose best moments have come down the left flank so far today. Chaldi and McClean both deliver crosses from that area, but Everton deal with them well.

SHOT! It is all so packed in the middle of the pitch at the moment, which forces Barkley into a long-range effort. He tries to curl one into the top corner from 25 yards, but puts it over the crossbar.

SAVE! Robles is called into action at the other end as Chadli lets the ball run across his body before drilling a low strike towards the bottom corner, forcing the keeper to get down well and push it wide.

Everton finally have the breakthrough! Lukaku's attempted pass into the box bounces kindly for Barkley on the edge of the area, and his low strike is not held by Foster, who spills it into a dangerous area. Mirallas is the quickest to respond, sweeping home the rebound for a goal that Everton - and this game, in truth - needed.

That goal should force West Brom to come out of their shells a little more having spent the majority of the game so far looking to keep Everton out. Hopefully that should lead to a more open and entertaining game!

SHOT! Half a chance for West Brom to pull a goal straight back as he cuts inside from the right, only to drag his effort harmlessly wide of the near post.

PENALTY SHOUT! Everton have the chance to put the West Brom defence under more pressure with a free kick in a good crossing position, but once again they go short. The Toffees work it well for Coleman, who sneaks in behind Livermore before going down inside the area. The referee waves away the claims for a penalty, though. I've seen them given!

Everton have their second right on the stroke of half time. Lukaku is the creator this time, showing good strength to hold off one defender before threading a pass into the box for Schneiderlin. The French midfielder than takes one defender on before sweeping his finish past Foster and into the corner.

The fourth official has indicated a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this first half.

The referee brings an end to the first half at Goodison Park, then, and it is Everton who are in control of this one courtesy of two goals in the closing stages of that first half. It was a slog for much of the opening 45 minutes as the Baggies did a good job of preventing the Toffees from getting into any sort of rhythm, but those two goals have changed everything now.

The opening goal arrived with only six minutes of the first half remaining when Foster failed to keep hold of Barkley's effort, spilling it into the path of Mirallas. The Belgian had followed in well and reacted quickest to sweep the rebound home and give the game a much-needed goal.

There was nothing the West Brom keeper could do about the second goal right on the stroke of half time, though, as Lukaku threaded a pass through for Schneiderlin. The Frenchman then took it past one defender inside the area before burying his finish into the far corner for his first Everton goal.

Lukaku had earlier missed a golden chance after being played through by Barry, sliding his finish narrowly past the far post when he should have done better. It hasn't really been the Belgian's day so far, but he may get more space now that West Brom need to come out of their shells a little.

KICKOFF: Everton get us back underway for the second half, and the hosts have made a change at the break with Ramiro Funes Mori replacing Baines, who picked up a knock.

It will be interesting to see how West Brom approach this second half. It is a long way back for them to get back into the game and Pulis will not want his players to go too gung-ho, but they need to be more adventurous than they were in that first half.

Good pressure from Everton, who has started this second half on the front foot. It is a similar pattern to that of the first half so far.

SAVE! Much better from West Brom as Chadli moves the ball onto his left foot before unleashing a fierce drive towards goal. It is straight at Robles, but the keeper can't hold it and needs a defender to complete the clearance.

West Brom need to up the tempo a little here if they are to get themselves back into the match. They still seem to be in the same mindset as the first half, so it may not be much longer before we see a change or two from the visitors.

Those goals at the end of the first half have made things a lot more comfortable for Everton, as you would expect. They are playing with a bit more freedom now, and the likes of Davies are making more enterprising runs behind the defence.

As things stand, then, Everton are moving just two points behind Manchester United, and it is the Toffees who are looking the most likely to get the game's third goal too. It is hard to see a way back for the Baggies.

SHOT! Good play from Everton as Mirallas drives down the left before picking out Barkley, who twists and turns inside the area before blasting his finish into the side-netting.

Less than half an hour remaining in this match, then, and West Brom really have not shown many signs of getting back into this game. They seemed to come to Goodison Park looking for a 0-0 draw, and they haven't responded since those two Everton goals at the end of the first half.

It looks like Tony Pulis has seen enough as the game goes into a bit of a lull. Changes are imminent for the visitors!

Well, Brunt and Morrison had both stripped off on the bench, but the latter has now put his jumper back on and doesn't look likely to come on after all.

Nyom makes a rare foray forward into the Everton half, but he may not come back any time soon after slicing an attempted cross straight behind for a goal kick.

Both Brunt and Morrison have now put their tracksuits back on on the West Brom bench. It seems that Tony Pulis has had a change of mind about those subs!

EVERTON SUB: It is the hosts who make the first change of this second half as Idrissa Gueye replaces Mirallas.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the day is shown to Yacob for a single foul on Lukaku right on the edge of the penalty area. Big chance here...

...But Lukaku fires the free kick straight into the wall.

WEST BROM SUB: The Baggies do finally make a change as Chris Brunt is introduced.

WEST BROM SUB: That is swiftly followed by another change as Salomon Rondon replaces Robson-Kanu.

A chance for West Brom to set up an interesting finale here as they win a corner...

McAuley attacks it, but no-one can get a decisive touch to the ball and it runs through to safety.

WEST BROM SUB: A third and final change for the Baggies sees Yacob replaced by James Morrison.

YELLOW CARD! Barry racks up another yellow card to add to his collection, fouling Rondon to get his name in the book.

If the game wasn't already over, it is now. Everton add a third, and it is Lukaku who joins the party to maintain his record of having scored in every home games this calendar year. Barkley delivers the cross into the middle and Lukaku climbs highest to nod it past Foster.

EVERTON SUB: The hosts make their third and final change of the match as Dominic Calvert-Lewin comes on in place of Barry.

Almost a chance for Everton as Barkley's powerful drive bounces off the arm of McAuley and almost sets up Davies. The referee ignores the claims for a handball, and Davies is denied a volley from the rebound by some good defending.

YELLOW CARD! Dawson is the latest name in the book for a block on Calvert-Lewin.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.

OFF THE POST! Almost a fourth for Everton ad Gueye drives a low shot towards the bottom corner but sees it thump against the foot of the post.

The referee brings an end to the match here at Goodison, then, and it is a comfortable win over Everton as they move to within two points of sixth place. Goals from Mirallas, Schneiderlin and Lukaku did the damage as the Toffees returned to winning ways against a West Brom side who have now lost two on the bounce.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Everton ease to victory over West Brom. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!