Dwight McNeil secured the three points for Everton with a match-winning brace against Crystal Palace, but there was one other player who was a bit of an unsung hero on the day.
Sean Dyche has finally got a tune out of his Everton players after a grueling start to their Premier League campaign, with just one point from the opening five games prior.
It wasn’t straightforward forward, though, as Everton was chasing the game after an early goal from Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi in the first half.
Interestingly, Seamus Coleman actually ended up giving a half-time team talk that appeared to fire Dwight McNeil up in particular, as he grabbed a seven-minute brace.
Theo Walcott has since said that Everton will have to rely on McNeil to steer them clear of relegation this season.
However, there was one other Everton player who deserves a lot of credit for his performance against Crystal Palace.
Iliman Ndiaye was Everton’s real hero vs Crystal Palace
Iliman Ndiaye has only played eight games for Everton, but has already made such a big impact.
Many neutral fans will look at his two goals in eight games and think it’s average. It’s only when you watch him in games that you realise just how much he does in setting up attacks and working off the ball.
Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace was no different.
The 24-year-old had 53 touches, a passing accuracy of 91%, made one key pass, completed three dribbles, won five duels, was fouled twice, made one clearance off the line, three interceptions, blocked one shot and was fouled twice.
Of course, the clearance off the line proved crucial, as did his defensive work, in what was an incredibly well-rounded performance.
It’s no surprise Michael Keane called Ndiaye a ‘top player’ after the game.
Dwight McNeil’s performance in numbers vs Crystal Palace
Dwight McNeil grabbed his two goals, but other than that there wasn’t too much to shout about.
He had five fewer touches than Ndiaye with 48, a passing accuracy of 78%, made one key pass, successfully completed three out of his six crosses, completed one out of his three dribbles, won just two of his nine duels, lost possession 20 times and made one tackle.
Ndiaye had much more of an impact on the game overall, at both ends of the pitch.
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