EVERTON manager David Moyes claimed he’d spent two days working with his players on how to combat the threat from Kevin Davies – but it looked like they’d wasted their time as the Wanderers warhorse led the charge of the Whites brigade at Goodison.

Moyes sounded like a man who had been at a different game when he remarked with a dead-pan expression: “The boys have done a great job on him, not let him get near the box and he never caused us a problem all day!” But on closer scrutiny it was clear the Toffees’ boss was delivering his comments with his tongue very much in his cheek.

Davies arrived on Merseyside on an 18-match scoreless streak but left a trail of destruction in his wake as Wanderers, fifth in the Premiership and looking forward to a clash with mighty Marseille in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup, showed a ruthless streak.

Davies, booked for a crunching tackle on Phil Neville as early as the first minute, started the rout with a header on 32 minutes then went on to bludgeon the Everton defence as Wanderers ran riot.

He featured in the pressure play that forced David Weir into the mistake that led to Ricardo Vaz Te setting up the second for Stelios on 75 minutes and drew Nuno Valente into conceding the penalty four minutes later from which Everton old boy Gary Speed made it three.

When Stelios doubled his tally with a superb finish 10 minutes from time Moyes’ boys looked a well-beaten side.

The scoreline might have flattered Sam Allardyce’s side but Everton were so humbled that the Goodison crowd turned nasty against on chairman Bill Kenwright.

Everton: Wright; Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Valente; Cahill, Arteta, Neville, Davies; Beattie, McFadden. Subs Osman for Hibbert 77 mins. Not used: Bent, Kroldrup, Kilbane, Turner.

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; O’Brien, Jaidi, N’Gotty, Speed; Diouf, Nolan, Faye, Okocha, Stelios; Davies. Subs Hunt for Okocha 67 mins, Vaz Te for Diouf 73 mins; Djetou for Faye 84 mins. Not used: Nakata, Walker.

Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffs).

Attendance: 34,500.