One of the surprise results of last weekend's football was no doubt at St Mary's, where a Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley inspired performance gave Everton an impressive 3-0 win at a ground they haven't won at since 2002.

But one of the big factors of the Toffees' counter attacking win was the pace, power and class of Ross Barkley. The midfielder put in a superb display and showed some more glimpses of his vast potential.

And when he plays like he did down on the South Coast, it really is something special. Barkley has fantastic physical attributes, he is well built standing over six feet tall, he is strong and has great pace, with and without the ball at his feet.

But when he has the ball at his feet he has the ability to go in both directions and technically he is very well equipped, it's a frightening combination for opposition teams to deal with.

It's just a bit of maturity and nous that the England man needs to add to his game and on Saturday, he showed that he is improving in that area. When he showed superb vision, ignoring the easy pass out wide and instead choosing to drive at the defence and slipping Lukaku in, who doubled Roberto Martinez's men's lead.

Then Barkley capped a fine display with a goal that he fully deserved. It was a trademark Barkley goal; he got the ball and cut inside, before whipping and snapping a fierce curling effort past Maarten Steklenburg to seal the 3-0 victory.

Of course Barkley has had his moments before, a fine free-kick at Swansea comes to mind, or a brilliant dipping effort that beat Joe Hart against Man City - but these moments have been too far and between for a player of Barkley's ability. And it is the frequency of these moments of magic that need to change for Barkley, and if the first couple of games of this season is anything to go by he is addressing that issue.

He scored last week in the 2-2 draw with Watford and has already matched last season's goal tally by mid-August, something which wouldn't have gone unnoticed by England boss Roy Hodgson, who was in the crowd at St Mary's.

Hodgson gave Barkley all three appearances at last summer's World Cup, and this performance does indeed offer new hope that Barkley can get to the very top of the game.

Toffees boss Martinez does deserve huge credit here however as he has kept faith in his young midfielder. He said: "Ross is a phenomenal footballer.

"He's taken a real learning curve from the last campaign, he's got a very important role and he's someone who is a joy to work with. That personality and maturity will make him one of the best players in the league."

But those words are certainly meant by the Spaniard. After all, he has given Barkley the crucial number ten role where his influence can be felt on the team, as he can get on the ball and cause greater problems here, opposed to the deeper position he has played in the past.

Against the Saints that statistics reflected this completely as Barkley, with 74 touches, had more than any of his team mates and his 46 passes was also a team high - with 32 in the final third - as he progresses the team forward, and his partnership with Lukaku looks very promising indeed for Everton.

Barkley has got criticism in his time so far, but it is the nature of his role in the team. He will frustrate at times, but patience is key with Barkley as there will be some and ups and down this season.

But if Everton remain patient with Barkley, the early signs are they will get their rewards.

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