After throwing away seven points against AFC Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Leicester City, Saturday afternoon was The Toffees’ turn to spark a dramatic comeback of their own.
Departing to a chorus of boos at half-time – Marc Guehi had flicked fellow strugglers Crystal Palace into an early lead – Evertonexploded out of the blocks like a pedigree stallion after the interval.
And while Sean Dyche’s side have made a habit of clattering into the first available hurdle before being carted off to the glue factory, they would pip Palace by a nose this time around as the ‘outstanding’ Dwight McNeil scored two Everton goals in the blink of an eye.
With Ipswich Town, Southampton and a poor West Ham side to come in their next five Premier League outings, Dyche will be praying that Everton can build on a rare afternoon full of positives.
In addition to those much-needed three points, The Toffees were equally delighted to welcome Jarrad Branthwaite back after a spell on the sidelines.
Making his first appearance of 2024/25, Branthwaite immediately replaced Michael Keane in the XI and produced a display which proved just how far ahead he is of the other centre-halves at Dyche’s disposal.
And, speaking to talkSPORT (30 September, 6pm), ex-England international Danny Murphy mentioned Branthwaite as one of three potentially season-changing pillars in an Everton side he feels have enough quality in key areas to once again stem the tide.
Be the first to comment