Everton drew 3-3 with Manchester City on Monday night and there is a sense of disappointment for the Toffees – but Troy Deeney did give one player his flowers.
David Moyes’ side came so close to pulling off one of their best results of the season.
But Jeremy Doku equalised in the 96th minute to rescue a point for City – and likely end Everton’s European football pursuit.
Who was your Man of the Match as Everton settle for a point? 🤝
Everton are now four points off and three of seventh, and will need the teams above to suffer collapses in these final weeks of the season.
There were some real standouts last night for Everton, with Merlin Rohl coming in for particular praise after he was given a rare start.
Thierno Barry is also earning plaudits for his brace.
But Troy Deeney overlooked both of those players for his Team of the Week, instead choosing Vitalii Mykolenko.
Troy Deeney hails Vitalii Mykolenko
Mykolenko has drawn criticism this season, and fans have suggested that the club should be looking to upgrade on him in the summer.
Against City though, he had a decent outing against tough opposition.
In the first-half, he looked a little uncomfortable against Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki, who were doubling up at times.
But he was a lot better in the second-half and Semenyo didn’t really get any joy out of him.
Who is to blame for this? 🙄
This is becoming a real issue for Everton and costing them valuable points! 😭
He also produced a superb challenge on City substitute Omar Marmoush as he tried to breach Everton’s backline.
Selecting him for his Team of the Week, Deeney said (via BBC Sport): “People will look at Jake O’Brien because he scored, and all of the other three defenders got cards, but Mykolenko absolutely wrapped up Antoine Semenyo in his pocket and said ‘not today, sir’.
“Everything came down the other side for Manchester City in their 3-3 draw, nothing down his side. Fantastic, managed not to get booked and some big tackles in there.”
Mykolenko vs Man City by numbers
Against City, Mykolenko produced three tackles and won five of the 11 duels he contested.
He was actually the most involved player for Everton with his 47 touches being the most of any Toffees player.
He completed 18/22 (82%) passes.
| Vitalii Mykolenko vs Man City |
| Minutes played – 90 |
| Touches – 47 |
| Passes completed – 18/22 (82%) |
| Duels won – 5/11 (45%) |
| Defensive actions – 8 |
The Ukrainian was pretty much non-existent though beyond the halfway line, providing zero crosses or key passes.
But he can hold his head high for that second-half performance, and it’s just a shame that he didn’t end up on the winning side.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
