Michael Keane made an impact on both ends of the pitch.
2. Strength at the heart of defence
Michael Keane’s towering header was the second goal he’s scored this season, a pleasing addition to a very strong campaign thus far for the English centre-back. At times in his Everton career he’s looked short on confidence, but he’s now playing with an arrogance that is thrilling to see and has improved his game no end.
In the Carabao Cup against West Ham, he assisted Dominic Calvert-Lewin with a libero-like ball over the top, and against Liverpool he gave up no space in the Everton box while retaining a threat in the final third. His partnership with Yerry Mina has come on leaps and bounds and the pair seem to have developed the ability to communicate well despite the language barrier.
The funny thing is that neither are Everton’s first-choice centre-back. That honour belongs to Mason Holgate, a player who enjoyed a phenomenal 2019/20 – despite collective underperformance – and has been unable to feature so far in this campaign through injury.
Alongside these three, Everton have new signing Ben Godfrey, who came on for the injured Seamus Coleman at right back to perform strongly against Liverpool, as well as promising youngster Jarrad Branthwaite. A weakness for Everton has become a strength – centre-back is a competitive position.