Everton’s efforts to avoid the drop this season were heroic, and this squad deserves praise for their work in achieving that goal.
They were forced to dig deep to overcome not just their relegation rivals, but the Premier League itself, and Sean Dyche can feel proud of the spirit his side showed when they needed it most.
So many stars stepped up at the vital moment during a stunning week in which they claimed three straight victories, all at Goodison Park.
However, perhaps the most unlikely hero of that period was Ashley Young, who started in two and starred all three of those matches.
Ashley Young fires upbeat dig at Jamie Carragher
Young is not the first Everton player to make an appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football in recent years, nor will he be the last, but at the tender age of 38, his career must be winding down now anyway.
He has been a true stalwart for almost every club he has played for across a glittering, trophy-laden career, and in the end came good for Everton when he was needed too despite initial worries over his quality.
And, in an effort to further endear himself to Evertonians, some of his first words on tonight’s show were to mock his co-pundit Jamie Carragher after the Toffees beat his beloved Liverpool just last month.
He noted, live on Sky Sports (18:34 pm): ‘We’ve delighted to put the points on the board. That week was fantastic. We were obviously going into it off the back of a Chelsea game that was an embarrassment to be honest. All the players felt that.
‘We talked about it in-house and we knew what we had to do. We needed to get wins on the board and we went out and done that. It wasn’t easy, had tough games but had the great victory against Liverpool which was fantastic. Jamie won’t like that.’
Carragher responded by jokingly claiming that he won’t be mentioning ‘those penalties’, referencing Everton’s controversial 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Ashley Young is on the wind-up again
In these last few weeks, we have really got a true glimpse into the personality behind the 38-year-old Premier League veteran.
And it does make sense that it would only come out as Everton crawled to safety, given fans would have hardly received his humour well whilst the team were underperforming and he was struggling.
But it all started after the Forest game, which Carragher briefly referenced after Young’s dig.
In a clash that sparked mass controversy, and provoked a hugely embarrassing tweet from the visiting side, the Tricky Trees were denied what they felt to be three clear penalties at Goodison Park because, as they suggested, the VAR was a Luton Town fan.
Inexplicable for sure, but hilarious for the Toffees, who pulled further clear of the drop zone.
And Young would use that furious reaction well, with his deadpan interview reacting to the incidents showcasing how unbothered he was.
His subsequent tweet, referencing the song ‘Cry Me A River’ by Justin Timberlake, only added fuel to the fire.
Then, once safety was assured, he made sure to reply to a random fan on X again who had suggested they were sure to be relegated.
A busy couple of weeks for the former Manchester United man.
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