Jamie Carragher says 31-year-old Everton player is ‘the best’ in the Premier League at one thing 

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James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite have recently struck up an excellent partnership for Everton.

The duo have helped the Toffees to the second-most Premier League clean sheets and one of the best defensive records in the top flight.

It’s clear that if Everton do manage to avoid relegation, their ability to keep the ball out of their net will be the main reason.

Sean Dyche’s men failed to register their ninth shutout of the campaign during their 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.

A towering Amadou Onana header cancelled out Jordan Ayew’s smart finish. The result pulls Dyche’s side above Luton Town and out of the relegation zone.

Talking on Monday Night Football before the game, Jamie Carragher highlighted Tarkowski’s importance at Goodison Park.

Everton: Jamie Carragher pinpoints James Tarkowski importance

Onana’s goal was the 14th set-piece goal that the Toffees scored during the 2023/24 season, the second-highest in the Premier League.

Tarkowski has always been a threat from dead-ball situations, and Carragher has suggested the 31-year-old’s skills from set-pieces are the best in the top flight.

“I think he is the best from the Premier League at set pieces,” he said on Monday Night Football.

“Every time, he seems to get his head on it first. That can’t just be about positioning, it can’t be.

“His actual power to hold people off, being in the right position, of course, but he just seems like a magnet in the box.”

How important are set pieces?

Everton’s set-piece record is mightily impressive and could be one of the main reasons the Toffees maintain their Premier League status.

Any successful team near the top of the league will have an excellent record from dead balls; Arsenal are the perfect example.

“Our set-plays were good; our efforts on goal were good; the quality of balls into the box and final third were good,” Dyche told Everton’s official website after the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

“These are all important stats over a season’s work, so I’m very pleased in many different ways today.”

Despite the Toffees’ set-play success, Everton are still waiting on their first win of 2024, and the sooner it comes, the better.

Brighton and out-of-form West Ham United are to come, and anything less than four points will be a disappointment for Dyche’s men.