Goodison Stats & Tactics: Davies shines in dull Everton win v Sheff Utd on Boxing Day
Everton have been at the heart of some fantastic matches this season but their meeting with Sheffield United on Boxing Day was not one of them.
Although the Blues won 1-0 thanks to a late Gylfi Sigurdsson goal, the game won’t exactly be remembered for anything too special.
According to stats by WhoScored, Everton had just seven shots at goal compared to Sheffield United’s 10 even though they had a greater possession stat at 56.2 per cent.
However, one player who did shine was central midfielder Tom Davies, who was handed just his fourth Premier League start of the season by manager Carlo Ancelotti ahead of kick-off at Bramall Lane.
Davies has not given us a lot to shout about this season but his display in South Yorkshire was arguably his best of the campaign and in our opinion, he was a solid shout for the man of the match award in the dull 1-0 win over the Blades despite being substituted off in the 74th minute.
Stats by WyScout show that Davies completed 91 per cent of his passes in the game, misplacing just five of the 56 he attempted.
Davies played the deep-lying midfielder role perfectly as he helped protect what has been a leaky Everton defence this season and also control possession that allowed the Toffees to push forward and launch attacks.
As you can see from the image below, Davies regularly forced the ball out wide to take advantage out of Everton’s strength on the wings.
According to stats by Wyscout, Everton have the joint-highest accuracy from headed shots at goal this season in the Premier League [44.7%]. Clearly, getting the ball out into those wide areas helps them better utilise their strength in the air.
Davies also impressive defensively.
He won three interceptions, made eight recoveries, one clearance and won three of the four aerial duels he challenged for.
The England Under-21s midfielder made three of his recoveries in the opposition’s half to help keep the Blues high up the pitch and spring attacks instantly.
But he also dropped in at the back to help out defensively when needed.
You can see from the image below in a Sheffield United attack that Everton were playing with a back-four with Davies the deepest-playing midfielder.
After a penalty shout for the Blades, the ball was still active and led to a scramble in the box. Davies managed to drop in to help the unorganised back-four and tightly mark striker David McGoldrick at the back post.
As the ball is cleared, Davies is now effectively part of a back-five, playing as a left-back and still has McGoldrick tightly marked.
Davies not only controlled possession for Everton but he also defended incredibly well in what was a tough match for Ancelotti’s men.
It was a dull, uninspiring game for large periods but to win all three points just shows how good this Everton side is at the moment.
The win saw the Toffees go up to second in the Premier League table.
More wins like that and a spot in the top-four might not be beyond their reach.
In other Everton news, the Blues could regret not adding to their squad next month.