Yesterday morning, in Liverpool city centre the day after the Grand National, many punters, both Scouse and Irish, gingerly touched sore heads. In the afternoon, at Goodison Park, there was more scratching of heads at how Jô suddenly seems to have become the world-class striker that he was reputed to be last year.

At Manchester City, Jô had long drifted to the margins, a £19 million dud from CSKA Moscow. Only when David Moyes, the Everton manager, needed to strengthen his injuryravaged forward line — and presumably spotted something in the listless Brazilian — was the tale of woe terminated.

And how. Jô scored twice against a weak and woeful Wigan Athletic yesterday to take his tally to five goals in seven matches since he left the City of Manchester Stadium on loan until the end of the season. Lively, interested and predatory throughout, his partnership with Marouane Fellaini, the towering Belgian, is blooming. Forgive them their bad-hair looks. Both appear as if they have stuck a finger in an electric socket. Opponents, though, do not mock them; instead, as Wigan, they end up lauding them as one of the most feared pairings in the Barclays Premier League.

Will Jô return to City at the end of the campaign? Can Everton afford him? Moyes was noncommittal. “Jô has done really well for us and he’s getting better with every game,” he said. “We didn’t have any strikers in January but I knew of Jô and knew that he’d go well once he got a bit of confidence and a few goals. He’s also doing fine in training and I just hope he’s enjoying it all as well.”

Until losing 2-1 against Portsmouth at Fratton Park two weeks ago, Everton had been in rude health. They had succumbed only once in 18 matches in all competitions — against Manchester United at Old Trafford and that to a solitary penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo. A possible place in the Champions League next season had beckoned.

Perhaps not now. They will have to settle for a spot in the new Europa League. Yet to judge from the demolition of Wigan, they will not be out of their depth in the competition.

“We’ve got a real foothold for the European place,” Moyes said. “It’s ours to throw away.”

After a lethargic opening, Jô set the ball rolling. Phil Dowd, the referee, played a good advantage, after Emmerson Boyce had fouled Fellaini, and the ball reached Jô via Fellaini and Leon Osman. Bang. Chris Kirkland hardly saw the angled shot.

If Kirkland could do little about that, he was partly culpable for two of the three goals in a frantic 13-minute spell early in the second half. After Fellaini’s nicely struck half-volley, from a cross by Tony Hibbert, had squeezed in at the far post, Kirkland could only parry a drive by Fellaini for Jô to caress in the rebound. He then half-stopped another effort by Fellaini and Osman followed up.

Wigan went down with barely a whimper as Everton racked up an impressive list of statistics. It was their biggest win of the season, their seventh successive home win in all competitions — achieved for the first time since 1995 — and stretched their unbeaten run at Goodison to 11 games.

For lovers of the seriously obscure, it was the seventh time out of seven that Everton had won at home on the Sunday after a Grand National. Add 2009 to 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008 and drink to that, too.

Everton (4-4-2): T Howard 6 - A Hibbert 6, P Jagielka 6, J Lescott 6, L Baines 5 - L Osman 7, T Cahill 5, P Neville 5, S Pienaar 6 - Jô 7, M Fellaini 8. Substitutes: J Rodwell 5 (for Cahill, 64min), D Gosling 5 (for Pienaar, 70), L Saha 5 (for Fellaini, 70). Not used: C Nash, A van der Meyde, S Castillo, L Jacobsen. Next: Aston Villa (a).

Wigan (4-1-4-1): C Kirkland 3 - M Melchiot 4, E Boyce 3, T Bramble 3, M Figueroa 4 - M Brown 3 - A Valencia 3, P Scharner 5, B Watson 4, C N’Zogbia 3 - Mido 4. Substitutes: H Rodallega 4 (for Brown, 46min), D de Ridder 4 (for Valencia, 70). Not used: R Kingson, E Edman, A Sibierski, J Koumas, O Kapo. Next: Arsenal (h).

Referee: P Dowd Attendance: 34,427

Zaki still missing in action

Amr Zaki, the Egypt striker, may have played his last game for Wigan Athletic (Russell Kempson writes). He has not been seen at the Barclays Premier League club since playing for his country in a World Cup qualifying match against Zambia nine days ago, during which he was believed to have sustained a hamstring injury. “Has he played his last game for us? Who knows?” Steve Bruce, the Wigan manager, said yesterday. “I’ve had contact with his agent but it is staggering what is going on and he is showing the utmost disrespect to his team-mates. I don’t know where he is. Maybe in Egypt. If we’re not careful, the lunatics will soon be running the asylum and then we’ll all be in trouble.”