Everton star proved his importance despite Tottenham Hotspur defeat

Add as preferred source on Google

James Garner put on a solid display for Everton yesterday despite their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton headed to the English capital off the back of four back-to-back wins in the Premier League, though they were looking to redeem themselves after they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Fulham midweek.

After managing to not concede a goal since the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United last month, the Toffees found themselves 2-0 down inside 20 minutes.

The early arrival of Andre Gomes to the pitch proved to have a positive impact on Everton’s performance, but the midfielder only managed to grab a consolation goal towards the end before Everton returned to Merseyside with nothing.

There were several forgettable performances from Sean Dyche‘s side, but one player who proved his worth up and down the pitch was James Garner.

Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley claimed that Garner ‘put himself about’ at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the England U21 international picked up some impressive stats to back it up.

Garner completed 93 per cent of his attempted passes (39/42), as well as making three key passes and completing two out of two long balls. The 22-year-old also had two shots on target, as well as hitting the woodwork.

Garner also won six of his nine ground duels, as well as making four interceptions and four tackles.

Everton may have won, but Garner did a brilliant job at helping run the midfield against a very strong Tottenham side.

The former Manchester United man proved himself capable of doing quality work all over the pitch – helping out both defensively and offensively.

How important is James Garner in midfield?

Sean Dyche has played Garner on the wing on multiple occasions, but performances like he put on today shows how effective he really is in his natural position.

He has been a real asset under the Everton manager and has quickly made up for the £15 million fee they paid for him – which actually seems like a bit of a bargain now.

Garner has won the second-most tackles in the squad (43), blocked the second-most passes (14) and made the third-most key passes (22).

Everton have a really promising young player in Garner and, after a tough start, it is clear they are really starting to get the best out of him.

Garner is one of a number of young talents that Dyche seems to be really working well with, with the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko reaping the rewards of such a brilliant manager.