The forward netted a hat-trick in the stunning victory over the Toffees, alongside a Henri Ogunby brace and a Nabil Touaizi strike, as the young Blues ran riot in the second half.
Simmonds was naturally delighted with his return but more so with the result and display, which he hopes with inspire a winning run to the end of the season.
“It was a great performance by the team,” he told ManCity.com. “I’m happy to have helped with the goals.
“I thought we played really well throughout the whole game.
“At half-time, Gareth Taylor told us to keep doing what we were doing and that the goals would come.
“We started really well and we didn’t panic (when Everton halved the deficit from the spot). Everyone stayed focused and switched on and the goals came.”
Simmonds opened the scoring at a rain-soaked Academy Stadium, curling delightfully into the bottom corner first-time, before adding his second and third goals in the second half as City dominated.
The forward hailed the creativity of his teammates, urging them to continue their ruthlessness, and hopes to continue his own impressive form.
“It’s very important we keep focused,” he continued. “Hopefully, we can get a win on Tuesday (at Blackburn) and carry on getting three points to finish as high as we can.
“We’ve got great players throughout the whole team, who create chances all the time. It’s really good for me as an attacking player.
“I think I’m performing well and I’m happy to be contributing with the goals. Hopefully, I can keep doing so for the team.”
