Martinez: Everton performance was perfect

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Martinez: Everton performance was perfect

The Toffees soaked up long spells of pressure from Wolfsburg before hitting the German side twice on the counter to celebrate being guaranteed Europa League progress

Everton manager Roberto Martinez basked in a "perfect" display as his side beat Wolfsburg 2-0 to top Group H in the Europa League.

A 1-1 draw between Lille and Krasnodar earlier on Thursday ensured progression for the Premier League side, irrespective of the result at the Volkswagen Arena in Germany, but the Toffees built on it in style, soaking up significant spells of pressure in between Belgium international duo Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas netting on the counterattack.
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"It was a perfect away performance," Martinez told reporters. "Our counterattacks were lethal and I thought we were outstanding.

"Big credit must also go to the back five because keeping a clean sheet here is a fantastic achievement."

It was a night to remember for Everton's travelling support and Martinez thanked them for their vocal backing.

"The celebrations were incredible - there were Evertonians everywhere," he enthused. "We've had phenomenal support again."

The downside of the evening for Martinez was midfielder James McCarthy suffering a recurrence of a hamstring problem.

The Republic of Ireland international will be assessed over the next 24 hours and his manager is keen to find a lasting solution.

Martinez told the club's official website: "It's been a recurring problem with James's hamstring and we need to get to the bottom of it.

"He's such a high-intensity player that his soft tissue suffers a lot. He's a sprinter and we hope he didn't hurt himself too much. We'll assess him and see how quickly we can get him fully fit."