Everton have gone 13 points clear of the relegation zone after beating Crystal Palace, and one player left a big impression on Carlos Alcaraz.
Everton made it four wins in the last five in the Premier League, winning 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
David Moyes can do no wrong right now, with the Toffees brilliant down in London.
Fears of relegation are now rapidly dissipating, and it is starting to look like Everton could actually push for a finish somewhere near mid-table, which was absolutely out of the question under Sean Dyche.
Moyes is doing a remarkable job considering how decimated this Everton squad is by injuries, with several individuals really stepping up recently.
And one man who’s been completely reborn under Moyes is striker Beto.
Beto’s superb stats for Everton against Crystal Palace
Beto was a man full of confidence heading into Saturday night’s game, having scored twice against Leicester City and then again against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
He’s a player who Dyche didn’t feel comfortable starting regularly, and that frustrated a lot of fans.
But Moyes has come in and had a huge impact on the striker, with injuries also paving the way for him to stake a real claim.
Beto was just amazing against Palace.
He took his goal really well, finding the little gap between goalkeeper and defender after the perfect through ball by Alcaraz.
But his whole performance was excellent and Moyes said after the game that Beto has done ‘brilliantly well’.
Beto ran his socks off for Everton as he always does and was constantly battling. Remarkably, he contested a staggering 33 duels against the Eagles, winning 16.
33 duels contested was over twice as many as the next Everton player Idrissa Gueye (16). Palace’s Marc Guehi had the second-most duels contested in the game with 17.
He also had two shots on target, and even provided four defensive actions in total.
Even Oliver Glasner admitted Crystal Palace just couldn’t handle Beto on the night.
Carlos Alcaraz sends message to Beto
Beto is a hugely popular figure with the Everton fans – and also with his teammates.
With how he plays and how he talks, he’s someone who is very easy to get behind – and it’s brilliant to see him in this kind of form as he deserves it.
Against Palace, it was the first time Everton fans got to see Beto with Carlos Alcaraz in support of him in the number 10 role – and the pair looked good together.
Alan Shearer noticed the Beto and Alcaraz partnership as he analysed the game on Match of the Day, and the duo could be set to wreak havoc moving forward.
And it’s clear Alcaraz is a Beto fan like so many others.
Beto posted on Instagram after the win, and Alcaraz provided a verdict that many Evertonians will share right now. He wrote ‘Que jugador 🔥’, which translates to ‘What a player 🔥’.
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