Everton put in a comprehensive display as they brushed aside Brentford, with the performance far more comfortable than the 1-0 scoreline suggests.
The fact that two of Sean Dyche’s players made it into Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week should emphasise this, with the former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United striker focusing on a midfielder and a defender.
The latter is of far more interest to us, though, given it is refreshing to see this stalwart finally given the praise his consistency deserves.
Alan Shearer left stunned by the performance of two Everton players
Writing for the Premier League, Shearer would actually put two Everton players in his Team of the Week as the Toffees cruised to survival.
With Idrissa Gana Gueye an obvious inclusion, given his goal was the match-winner to go alongside his stunningly workmanlike display, James Tarkowski was not expected to make an appearance.
After all, the 31-year-old so often goes under the radar in the mainstream media, despite being not just one of Everton’s, but one of England’s best centre-backs.
Shearer sought to give the defender his flowers, as he wrote: ‘Nothing got past him. He was the main man in a brick wall that allowed Everton to register a third consecutive clean sheet.’
James Tarkowski remains Everton’s unsung hero
In recent memory, I cannot think of many signings that Everton have made which has been better value for money than Tarkowski.
Brought in during Frank Lampard’s tenure in the summer of 2022, his acquisition was actually announced before the window had even opened and thus went largely under the radar.
A free transfer, snagged from relegated Burnley, it would only take approximately eight months before he and Dwight McNeil were reunited with Dyche at Goodison Park as he took charge.
Well, he would only go from strength to strength upon getting his old boss back in charge, scoring the winner on his debut against title-chasing Arsenal and playing every minute of every single game that year.
And despite a slight downturn in form for a short period this season, he has arguably reached new levels of importance at the back alongside Jarrad Branthwaite.
Just in front of Jordan Pickford, this trio have been imperative in keeping 12 clean sheets and conceding just 48 league goals. Only Arsenal have more of the former, and only the top three have conceded less than the latter figure.
Meanwhile, Tarkowski has posted 1.6 tackles, 4.9 clearances and five ball recoveries per game, via Sofascore.
He is Everton’s unsung hero, and has to be one of their best pieces of business for a long, long time.s