Everton were disappointed to only draw against newly-promoted Leeds United on Monday night.
Everton were so poor in the first half and were probably quite fortunate to only be one goal down at the break.
But David Moyes changed the shape to a back three, and that really helped to shift the momentum in the second half.
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Thierno Barry impressed once again as he scored the equaliser with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was a difference-maker when he came on, but there was one Toffees star who really underperformed, according to Alan Myers.
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Alan Myers says Idrissa Gana Gueye looked very tired vs Leeds United
Idrissa Gana Gueye only returned from the African Cup of Nations on Friday, so it was a quick turnaround for the Senegal international.
Everton News columnist Alan Myers noticed that Gueye looked leggy, especially in the first half.
“Now, I don’t think anyone would argue against bringing back the two players that had won AFCON with Senegal, however Idrissa Gana Gueye looked leggy in the first half, a yard off the pace, and he wasn’t alone,” Myers pointed out.
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“Loose passes, mistimed tackles and a failure to get to grips with a lively Leeds attack meant that Everton were quite lucky to head into half-time just 1-0 down.”
Moyes admitted that it was tough to leave Merlin Rohl out after his brilliant performance away at Aston Villa, so Gueye is facing increased competition to retain his spot in the starting line-up.
Idrissa Gana Gueye was much improved in the second half
Like most of the Everton players, Gueye was much better in the second-half and his Sofascore statistics certainly reflect that.
- 90 minutes
- 69 touches
- 4 progressive carries
- 2 key passes
- 2 interceptions
- 1 big chance created
- 1 hit the woodwork
The AFCON winner almost won the game for the hosts late on, as he struck the crossbar with a good effort just after Thierno Barry’s equaliser.
The 36-year-old was a lot cleaner on the ball, too, as evinced by his impressive four progressive carries and two key passes.
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