Everton 3 Leeds 0: Five ways Toffees lifted the Goodison gloom

New loan signing shows how important he can be

3. Van De Beek shows his class

There is no doubt Van De Beek is a classy footballer and we witnessed at Goodison Park why he was very sought after when Ajax granted onlookers a fee to work with back in the summer of 2019. Manchester United thought enough of the Dutch international to pay up to £40 million pounds for his services.

Since then, and especially because United went and got Bruno Fernandes in the next transfer window, he has been constantly warming the bench at Old Trafford.

Fortunately for Everton fans one of the first tasks Lampard undertook when he knew he had the job was to call Van De Beek and insist he join Everton on loan until the end of the season.

Everton fans got to see against Leeds how crucial that phone call could turn out to be. As you can see below he produced a man of the match performance:

Van De Beek produced a calm, quality and assured performance alongside Allan in the Everton midfield. He never stayed still and one would almost had thought Mikel Arteta had strolled back in his prime such was the level of his passing and control of the game.

Earlier in the week we reported how important pivoting around Leeds press would be and thankfully Lampard thought the same by picking Van De Beek. From the kick off he was prompting play, passing to every Everton player in the first few minutes and being instrumental in the first Everton goal for Coleman.

It is exactly the type of midfield performance Evertonians had been missing since Arteta left over a decade ago. In the style of a Cesc Fabregas or David Silva, Van De Beek does not have one role. He passes smoothly and often positively forward, covers others if they go beyond, loves to get in to the opposition’s penalty box and can put a tackle in too.

It was a crucial link that enabled Everton to keep the pressure on Leeds throughout the first half and even when Leeds got some territorial advantage in the second half, Van De Beek would with such comfort put Everton into attacking situations with simple and progressive passes.

Van De Beek’s link up for the first goal shows the work Lampard has done in two weeks to integrate his new signings and also change the style of Everton’s play. It is no longer rigid, players are fluid, always moving and looking for someone in a better position.

There should be no danger of Van De Beek losing his place for the rest of the season, that is how good he was today. All of his teammates enjoyed playing with him, you could just tell the classy and silky Dutchman will be crucial for Everton’s survival.

As Manchester United slipped to another disappointing result at home to Southampton, it is ironic the same opponent awaits Everton next week. Another display of this level and United will have plenty of suitors in the summer for Van De Beek, including Lampard and Everton no doubt!