Following Everton’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League’s opening fixture, discussions among supporters have centred on the maturity demonstrated by Hayden Hackney and Harrison Armstrong in the centre of midfield under David Moyes.
The pair, who had accumulated just 16 top-flight appearances previously – all belonging to Armstrong – looked entirely comfortable as a seasoned Premier League partnership in the middle of the park.
The catalyst for Everton’s commanding display, however, was the industry and dynamism of their wide players. Through the youthful energy of new permanent acquisition Tyrique George and the elusive skill of Senegalese international Iliman Ndiaye, the club constantly posed problems for Palace even during periods when they had less territorial advantage.
Former Everton striker Wayne Rooney, speaking on Match of the Day, praised the side’s refreshed and energetic approach. Rooney expressed his approval of Everton’s summer recruitment and noted that the signings of Hackney and Armstrong brought something different to Moyes’ side, which appeared younger and more energetic, marking a positive beginning.
Jack Grealish made a significant impact during his temporary stint from Manchester City last term, and chief executive Angus Kinnear has acknowledged that talks remain ongoing with the 30-year-old, despite a anticipated permanent deal not yet coming to fruition.
However, given this display – and should Ndiaye remain despite transfer interest – is Grealish truly necessary?
George exudes confidence
Despite not recording a goal or assist during his temporary stint from Chelsea at the end of last season, George demonstrated sufficient potential for Everton to make the move permanent for an initial fee below the agreed flat £25m buy option.
On the strength of this display, that decision may prove to be an excellent piece of business. George attempted five efforts against Palace, his personal record for a single Premier League match.
Three of those five attempts came from outside the penalty area, with the 20-year-old clearly growing in confidence after scoring in the 3-1 pre-season victory over Newcastle United.
He was certainly prominent on Saturday, with his two successful dribbles the highest of any participant in the match, while seven touches inside Palace’s area demonstrated increased threat in the attacking zone.
Significantly, despite Ndiaye’s well-known trickery on the opposite flank, Everton’s attacks heavily favoured the left side. Almost half – 45.7% – of their forward moves came down George’s side, where the England Under-21 international combined effectively with scorer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Moyes was characteristically understated in his post-match assessment, framing his approval of George’s and Armstrong’s contributions more as a challenge.
The manager told reporters that senior players stepping up was encouraging given their current absentees, noting the absence of Jimmy Garner and Christian Norgaard meant they were operating with a very young and inexperienced side. He highlighted Pickford’s crucial stop which could have altered the game’s trajectory, suggesting younger players might not have coped with chasing the match. Once they secured the opening goal, they could play with greater composure.
While protecting younger players is understandable, George took initiative during only his second career start for the club.
A moment at 0-0 encapsulated his endeavour when he twisted past Daniel Munoz in his own half before surviving a challenge from Adam Wharton.
After a quick exchange with Armstrong, George quickly found Dewsbury-Hall, allowing the number 8 to slip in Merlin Rohl and create an early opening for Ndiaye.
This offered a glimpse of things to come – George repeatedly drove his side forward, his positivity and quick thinking making him a persistent threat against one of last season’s finest right-backs in Munoz, who was substituted after 55 minutes of discomfort.
Ndiaye is irreplaceable
Having consistently turned down new contract proposals, speculation linking him with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal earlier in the summer left supporters anxious about the prospect of losing Iliman Ndiaye.
However, the 26-year-old reportedly chose the riches on offer in the emerging Middle-Eastern league in favour of remaining in the Premier League for another campaign – hopefully at Everton.
Against Palace, Ndiaye reminded everyone why his importance to Moyes’ side would be nearly impossible to replicate. While one might argue the left-sided bias in attacks suggested a reduced role for Ndiaye as the main threat, the reality is that Ndiaye can perform the duties of several players on the right.
The resolve in his combative display – a pure distillation of aggressive determination – should leave nobody in doubt about his commitment should he remain at Everton beyond the summer transfer window’s conclusion.
Ndiaye was omnipresent, as much as any winger can be. The Senegalese concluded last season primarily playing on the left, but here he was restored to the right in a performance that showcased his ability to influence matches regardless of his position.
Ndiaye’s touchmap against Palace proved particularly illuminating. The number 10 continually tracked back – no player on the pitch made more than his four tackles – only to wriggle free from opponents repeatedly to release teammates further upfield.
Yet in the attacking third, Ndiaye was unleashed on Palace’s unfamiliar backline. Diagonal runs across the penalty area featured prominently, enabling the Senegalese to find better angles to shoot on his preferred right foot, and he never stopped pressing after losing possession.
No other player on the pitch could match the 15 duels Ndiaye contested, with improved newcomer Thierno Barry the next closest, but the winger also made eight recoveries, produced a match-high three chances and completed 10 passes that broke defensive lines.
In short, Ndiaye was Everton’s heartbeat once more, delivering a tenacious performance befitting any of the manager’s finest sides. So frequently, attacks originated with Ndiaye in Everton’s own half before his mesmeric dribbling opened up space for teammates on the opposite flank, where Barry ran the channels effectively and Dewsbury-Hall combined with George to cause chaos.
Ndiaye’s exquisite cross following a quick-thinking pass from Hackney provided the assist for Barry’s goal to make it 2-0, but he was equally threatening as a penalty-box presence in his own right.
His nine touches inside Palace’s area were the most either side managed, and the quality of his two on-target efforts inside the box – both difficult chances to convert – transformed opportunities worth a combined 0.24 expected goals into 0.54 expected goals on target.
If George was heavily involved, it was because he is learning from one of the finest at making his presence felt from the flank.
A sign of things to come?
Although a two-goal victory provided an accurate reflection of the match visually – Everton largely maintaining control – it’s worth noting that superior sides might have punished them on Saturday, particularly during the opening period.
Palace created four clear-cut opportunities, all but one in the first half and two falling to Jean-Philippe Mateta. Pickford has rightly been credited for a remarkable stop against Eddie Nketiah early on, but had Mateta converted those chances – as he frequently does – the match would have taken on a very different appearance.
In the end, though, Everton managed the contest astutely and maximised their resilience in the early stages. After Dewsbury-Hall’s opener gave them a half-time lead, the side went on to control the 15 minutes after the interval: enjoying 65% of possession, making seven entries into the penalty area, four open-play crosses, six attempts and three recoveries in the attacking third, with Barry heading home to extend their advantage in the 53rd minute.
The following quarter-hour shifted dramatically in style, but little changed regarding which side posed greater danger. As Moyes delayed his substitutions, Everton retreated and saw just 26% of possession but managed the same number of shots as Palace and continued to look threatening.
During that spell, the side played 76.5% of their passes forward and 17.6% long. During the previous 15 minutes, those figures had been 66.3% and 8.4% respectively.
It was a test of adaptability that Moyes’ side passed impressively. The reason they succeeded was that this represented a far more cohesive attacking performance than anything witnessed towards the conclusion of the previous campaign.
Everton’s overall expected goals figure of 1.12 is somewhat misleading because they didn’t need to continually push players forward after establishing their lead with goals either side of the interval.
Palace accumulated a superior 1.96 expected goals, but this resulted from Everton conceding some careless early chances which they ultimately survived. Their only genuine opportunity of note in the second half was Jorgen Strand Larsen’s stoppage-time header, directed straight at Pickford when the outcome was already decided.
The principal distinction between Everton’s attacking play on Saturday and some of the disappointing showings before the summer was the presence of recognisable patterns and movements.
Examining the side’s average positioning, Everton essentially operated with a front four – Dewsbury-Hall pushing high alongside Barry with Ndiaye especially narrow on the right.
This created numerous opportunities for players to combine, and positioned Ndiaye more effectively to shoot or play dangerous passes – while also giving him greater space on the outside when looking to deliver a cross on his right foot as he did for Barry’s goal.
It was a more adventurous approach that reflected the fearlessness of youth in this Everton side, and a tempo of attack that seasoned options like Grealish could not provide as readily.
It is a foundation to build upon – and, with appropriate additions to increase Moyes’ choices, it could prove a promising indication of further progress from a group that should only grow stronger with experience.