Everton's Romelu Lukaku back in the goals with a hat-trick

Britain Football Soccer - Sunderland v Everton - Premier League - Stadium of Light - 12/9/16 Everton's Romelu Lukaku scores their first goal Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Romelu Lukaku ended his longest goal drought in English football with an 11-minute hat-trick that shattered Sunderland and moved Everton to third in the Premier league table.

He had not scored a league goal in 13 matches covering more than 15 hours but, after squandering a couple of earlier chances, he was unstoppable, meeting pinpoint crosses at the far post from the right and then left in the 60th and 68th minutes.

Three minutes later the Belgium international latched on to Kevin Mirallas's through ball to slot the ball past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for his third career hat-trick, much to the despair of Sunderland's former Everton manager David Moyes.

Everton's current boss Ronald Koeman deserved some of the credit for replacing Ross Barkley with Gerard Deulofeu at halftime, which gave the visitors the width to supply Lukaku and post their most impressive start to a season for 10 years.