Goodison View: Andre Gomes was decisive to prevent early onslaught in Everton v Man City
Andre Gomes flew out of the traps on Saturday as Everton swarmed Manchester City in their FA Cup quarter-final clash before suffering a late 2-0 loss.
It was always going to be a tough encounter for the Blues up against a side 25 points clear of them in the Premier League but they offered a stern resistance to their attacks before succumbing to late goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne.
Key to the early containing task was 27-year-old Gomes who produced a monstrous start to the game in the Everton midfield.
His influence waned in the second half as City upped the intensity levels to force a winner but stats show just how involved he was throughout the match.
According to Wyscout no one was involved in more duels than Gomes on Saturday (26, level with Richarlison).
Furthermore, he competed in three more defensive duels than any other player (16).
But it was the early part of the game that really impressed us and we think if he can replicate his efforts over a longer durations and on a more consistent basis, he could surprise a few and nail down a place in the Blues midfield.
At Goodison News we have highlighted just how important Gomes was to ensuring Pep Guardiola’s side did not run rampant in the opening period at Goodison Park.
The first example below shows Gundogan bursting through midfield on one of his trademark barnstorming runs.
He points to where he wants the ball played and looks set to receive it in a dangerous position.
However Gomes shuttles across to put the stoppers on any attack.
He doesn’t just settle for getting his toe on the ball. Instead he wins it cleanly before attempting to spring an Everton counter-attack which ultimately breaks down due to a lack of bodies.
These next three images are almost identical in their sequence.
Once again a progressive forward pass is on the card for City and Gomes is the wrong side of the attacker.
However he still manages to sneak a leg in between the attacker and nip the ball to Yerry Mina.
The ball is then played back to him and he has the foresight and bravery to pick out a pass to Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Given the number of black shirts around him and the fact he was under immense pressure near his own penalty area this was a great piece of positive passing from the Portuguese international.
He also showed great awareness inside his own 18-yard box even when City did breach the defence and get to the byline.
Here Oleksandr Zinchenko is hurtling into the vast space on the edge of Everton’s area and he looks a sure-fire guarantee to get on the end of it and fashion a shooting opportunity for himself.
But Gomes is wise to this and brilliantly covers the space to clear the ball.
These were all clips from within the first 13 minutes and show just how vital he was to contain the incessant City pressure that was amounting.
Ultimately Carlo Ancelotti’s side were beaten by the better team with the better players but their performance, particularly early on, highlights just how resolute the Italian has made this team.
Gomes has not enjoyed the best of seasons and can often be considered a luxury player in the Blues midfield but on the evidence of this display he has plenty of fire in his belly.
If he can reach these levels against lesser opposition sides then we should expect our midfield to dominate more often.
In other Everton news, our view on why Blues should steer clear of 32y/o French midfielder.