Roberto Martinez can finally breathe easy as his side has shrugged off the fear of relegation.
A win versus Newcastle could not have come at a better time for Everton as it enabled them to move northwards to the 14th position in the top division points table.
They have created quite a bit of gap between themselves and the bottom three teams now.
With 31 points, they are quite safe for the time being.
And, now that the monkey is off their back, they might well start to play with a bit of freedom and pull off a few more positive results.
The Toffees had looked a bit timid playing at home thus far this winter.
But, after beating Dynamo Kiev the other day in Europe, they sort of carried that winning spirit to the Newcastle game and put together a real clinical act.
Also, Newcastle being one man short because of the sending off of their skipper was a bit of a help for Everton.
But, even if that red card incident had not happened, the hosts were on their way having had the lead of 2-0 already.
Martinez was also of the view that the Kiev win really helped the team.
Speaking to the presenter of the official broadcaster in the presentation ceremony, Martinez said, “There was some nervous energy in the starting moments versus Kiev, but, we came back and later closed the game too with a penalty at the end. It was an ideal game in terms of gaining some confidence and the confidence that we gained there, it reflected in our play tonight. I think we were fearless. We put the foot on the gas straightaway.”
Everton has 9 more games to play in the League this season.