Late Lukaku penalty earns Everton Europa League advantage

Romelu Lukaku became Everton’s all-time leading goalscorer in European competition with a late penalty at Goodison Park, which secured the Toffees a 2-1 first leg advantage in their Europa League encounter with Dynamo Kiev.

Roberto Martinez’s Premier League strugglers, 14/1 with Coral to claim European glory, will travel to the intimidating NSC Olimpiyskiy with a slender one-goal lead, after a fortunate spot-kick from their brilliant Belgian.

Oleg Gusev had given the visitors an early advantage after sweeping in at the front post from a corner, before Scotland international Steven Naismith capitalised on an unstoppable run from frontman Lukaku to slot home an equaliser before the break.

The in-form forward then secured victory from the spot with a lucky left-footed drive down the middle, after substitute Leon Osman’s cross was handled by Danilo Silva.

A hostile Ukrainian environment awaits Everton in the second leg, but having overturned a stuttering early start to their opening encounter and producing another emphatic European display, Martinez’s men will be confident of setting up their first European quarter-final in 30 years.

However, that fantastic feat would come as a shock and an achievement which would be set against the backdrop of a supremely awful domestic league term, with the Toffees currently faltering in 14th position, just six points above the daunting dropzone.

A shining light in the Toffees torrid season has been the recent form of their Belgian bruiser Lukaku, whose penalty earned him his seventh European goal for the club, moving ahead of Fred Pickering and Andy Gray in the all-time charts.

The Chelsea outcast impressed throughout with his outrageous show of strength leading to Naismith’s leveller in the first-half, as he powered past several helpless Kiev defenders and stretching the backline with his dangerous forward runs.