There was a certain synchronicity in Everton’s first Goodison Park outing since the retirement of Steven Pienaar heralding the return to action of the South African’s former left-sided ally, Leighton Baines.
And here was confirmation that, while Pienaar’s 35-year-old legs can no longer withstand the rigours of top-level football, Baines, two years his ex-teammate's junior, has plenty of reserves in the tank yet.
Baines’ performance in Saturday’s victory over Brighton & Hove Albion demonstrated exactly why Sam Allarydce was so enthused by the prospect of being able to select the left-back for the first time, having been deprived of Baines’ services since taking over as boss back in November.