Paulinho sets sights on Toffees

Paulinho turned his attention to Everton immediately after hitting our equaliser at Hull on Saturday.

The Brazilian midfielder made a goalscoring return in the 1-1 draw at the KC Stadium after spending a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Paulinho fired Danny Rose’s free-kick into the roof of the net for his third goal in the Premier League and fifth in all competitions this term – all away from home.

We ended the game with 19 attempts to Hull’s nine and 61 per cent possession, but clear-cut chances were at a premium and it stayed all-square.

Everton leapfrogged us into fifth in the Premier League after beating Villa with Liverpool also held at West Brom – the Toffees come to the Lane on Sunday.

“We know that we had a good chance to win and get an important three points at Hull,” said Paulinho. “But that’s football.

“When you travel away and go 1-0 down it’s difficult. The squad stayed strong and we scored in the second half. It’s an important point for us, but we wanted to win.

“We now have an important game against Everton. We know we have to try and win that match at home. At Hull, we just got one point but we are confident we can win next weekend.”

On a personal level, Paulinho said he was happy to be back in action. “I had a month out, it was difficult for me because I’d never had that injury before, but I’m back, Jan’s back, Younes Kaboul is back. That’s important for the squad.”