David Moyes just engineered a 3-2 win for Everton over Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park, with goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Iliman Ndiaye and an own goal from Archie Gray.
Despite only having 36% of the possession in the game, Everton managed to generate 2.03 xG against Tottenham, compared to the 1.11 xG generated by Ange Postecoglou’s side.
This contrasted with the words of Darren Bent before the game, who stated that the Toffees were “fearing the goal“this season.
Everton managed to create five big chances, effectively breaking down Spurs’ lines, going back-to-front effectively and denying their shots (12 in the game), with one man in particular spearheading the attack.
Iliman Ndiaye’s numerical performance against Spurs
Ndiaye has been Everton’s star in attack this season, joining in the summer from Marseille at a fee of around £16.9m. In his time at the club so far, the 24-year-old has made 24 appearancesscoring six goals in 1949 minutes played.
Against Tottenham, Ndiaye played 81 minutesmanaging 50 touches, taking two shots (one on goal) and finishing four of his six dribble attempts in the game, often at the heart of Everton’s attacks, receiving the ball and taking it on the counter.
It was his mesmerizing strike that proved to be the spectacle-stopping moment, dribbling forward at a blistering pace and then dancing around Radu Dragusin as if he wasn’t even there.
He has also done his bit off the ball, winning seven of his 17 tackles on the ground, winning one of his three tackles in the air and two interceptions, showing the forwards’ willingness to work for their team, both on and off the ball. have an impact on the game.
Performance in numbers
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However, there was one player who was perhaps even more important and he certainly made it impossible for the new boss to drop him…
Idrissa Gueye’s performance in numbers against Spurs
Idrissa Gueye was the key in midfield, providing energy, physicality and defensive stability in the middle of the park, winning tackles for fun and breaking Everton down many times.
|
Idriss Gueye’s performance against Tottenham |
|
|---|---|
|
minute |
90 |
|
It touches |
54 |
|
Accurate passes |
35/37 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Key passes |
2 |
|
Long balls |
1/1 |
|
Won duels on the ground |
6/8 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1/1 |
|
Solving |
3 |
|
Statistics taken from Sofascore |
|
Gueye was brilliant in winning the ball in midfield, starting Everton’s counter-attacks, winning the duel (75% on the ground) and looking to play quickly forward, which explains the nature of his two assists in the game.
Whether it was laying the groundwork defensively, streamlining play (with a 95% passing accuracy) to retain possession or pushing the pace by playing through the lines, Gueye was at the heart of everything positive Everton did, earning him an impressive Match rating 8/10 according to Liverpool Echo who explained that it ‘shows that there is silk as well as steel in his game’.
Performances from both Ndiaye and Gueye, among others, gave Moyes a big win, which could be a great starting point for Everton to start climbing away from the relegation zone, now 16th in the Premier League, with next games against Brighton and Leicester City .
