I saw Vitaliy Mykolenko dominate Chelsea but his Everton teammate was even better

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Everton were once again unstoppable in front of a Goodison Park in full voice, with the home support roaring their team to a hugely important 2-0 win over Chelsea.

Going into the game, the Toffees had won just their second home game of the season, blowing away Newcastle United in midweek. And with that result, belief had soared back into a fanbase who truly thought that today marked the opportunity for another scalp.

After a tame first half in which neither side seemed interested in taking control, it was again a second-half strike that kickstarted a monumental result at the Old Lady.

With Dwight McNeil slipping in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, his close-range strike fell to Abdoulaye Doucoure who hammered in the opener. Lewis Dobbin would add the final nail in the coffin, lasering in from the edge of the area in added time.

However, whilst all of those mentioned impressed, there was one true standout who has already garnered media praise.

Vitaliy Mykolenko dominated their opposition, and silenced his opposite men with seven tackles, six clearances and two blocks, via Sofascore.

And yet, whilst I witnessed yet another masterclass from the Ukraine international at full-back, it was Jarrad Branthwaite who I felt truly dominated.

How did Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite play vs Chelsea?

It is truly tough to quantify just how important the 21-year-old defender has become for Sean Dyche.

Having enjoyed a fine loan spell with PSV Eindhoven, many expected him to come in and enjoy some additional first-team minutes with the Toffees.

However, he has more than exceeded expectations, slotting in beside James Tarkowski to cement his place at the pinnacle of Everton’s assets who they will be desperate to keep.

Today only reinforced that, with the defender making three clearances, three interceptions and four tackles, many of which came at key moments in the clash, via Sofascore.

Then, on top of that, having won seven of the nine duels he competed in, his 75% success rate earned the praise handed to him by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig: ‘Jarrad Branthwaite won 20 out of 24 duels in his last three Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, Newcastle & Chelsea. An absolute wall.’

With Mykolenko continuing to shine against all the odds, his rebirth is somehow being upstaged by the emergence of Branthwaite. Regardless, these two truly are the future of a solid side ready to make serious strides with Dyche.