Everton did not have many standout performers in Saturday’s win over Burnley, but a select few are garnering some praise.
Naturally, the goalscorer and match-winner is commanding some interest for his return to form, with Ian Wright lauding Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whilst even Vincent Kompany has been left in awe by Jarrad Branthwaite’s continued brilliance.
However, these are figures used to commanding the limelight, as stars who have, at some point during their time with the Toffees, been the club’s shining light.
It is good to see two English stars combine to win such a crucial game for the club, but there was another whose performance might go under the radar due to his status amongst Evertonians.
Sean Dyche made a bold team choice vs Burnley
Sean Dyche made a few bold calls on Saturday in what was a must-win match, with some being enforced upon him.
The absences of both Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gana Gueye meant the midfield trio picked itself, and therefore interest gathered over who he might deploy to supplement on the wings
Jack Harrison had been benched for the midweek trip to Newcastle United, and whilst Ashley Young had hardly impressed he did not let the side down by any means.
In fact, it was he who won the all-important penalty that could have changed Everton’s fortunes.
And yet, there was still a widespread grumble when his name remained in the starting lineup.
Ashley Young silenced the doubters with a solid showing
The 38-year-old has become something of a maligned figure on Merseyside since his free transfer in the summer, but that is largely through no fault of his own.
Whilst he has been reckless and a liability when deployed at full-back, Dyche’s desperation to keep him there essentially hung him out to dry when he was so obviously out of his depth.
However, when pushed further forward into right midfield, he is afforded more license to try things, safe in the knowledge that his mistakes will not be punished with goals,
So, against Burnley he was industrious and supremely helpful in aiding Seamus Coleman defensively, yet also contributed to the attack despite a few wayward crosses in the first half.
In fact, when viewing his underlying figures, combining his four tackles and three key passes perfectly sums up his impressive all-around game, as the £40k-a-week veteran silenced his doubters with a comprehensive, comfortable and professional performance.
Young also boasted a 92% pass accuracy and 63% duel success rate too, as if to further support his 7.4 rating, via Sofascore.
Again, he was far from the star of the show, but given the collective groan when he was selected again, it’s fair to say that he more than proved people wrong with a fine showing in tough circumstances.