Aside from a few minor frustrations, yesterday was a near-perfect afternoon for Everton as they brushed aside Chelsea to claim their second home win in just four days.
They were emphatic, solid, powerful and precise when they had to be, scoring two fine goals and defending with immense resilience until the final whistle brought about mass celebrations at Goodison Park.
After all, earlier in the day saw Luton Town briefly lead Manchester City, with real fears surfacing that the Toffees might be pulled back into a relegation battle after a frustrating weekend of results elsewhere.
However, fortune shone down on Merseyside, allowing a huge swing that has since seen them establish a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
And yet, there was still one disappointment from the match, with Jarrad Branthwaite handed a yellow card for a desperate lunge to halt a Chelsea attack.
Whilst the free-kick was fired straight into the keeper, that booking now means that the 21-year-old will be suspended for this Saturday’s clash with Burnley. The search for a replacement is on.
Although Sean Dyche might naturally lean towards the tried and tested, albeit with limited success, Micheal Keane, perhaps Ben Godfrey is more deserving of a chance.
How good is Ben Godfrey?
Although opportunities have been sparse for the 25-year-old under the new manager, few have forgotten just how impressive the former Norwich City man was under Carlo Ancelotti in his first season.
Signed for £20m, the centre-back was an unassuming acquisition late in the 2020 summer window.
However, he quickly became a fan favourite, with his immense physicality and penchant for a tough tackle resonating with the Goodison crowd.
Although it would mark his first Premier League start of the season, were he to be thrown in against the Clarets, besides James Tarkowski the two would surely strike up a fine partnership.
After all, during that aforementioned 2020/21 season, Godfrey would feature 31 times in the league, keeping 11 clean sheets and averaging 1.1 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and 3.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore. His pace would pair well with the resilient stoicism of the skipper.
The following campaign would then see his trademark tackle then lauded by journalist James Whaling: ‘Get me that Ben Godfrey tackle on repeat. Monster.’
With injuries having been unkind to him, perhaps Saturday marks the perfect chance to reignite an Everton career that has threatened to come to an end, and offer some true competition for a centre-back partnership that has been steady, safe and untested from within thus far.
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