Alex Iwobi ‘career-high’ shows Everton enthusiasm is back
Everton secured a massively crucial victory in their bid for Premier League survival yesterday as they edged a cagey contest 1-0 against Manchester United.
In a game of very little quality from either side, homegrown hero Anthony Gordon struck the only goal of the game from outside the area, with a helping hand from a large deflection off Red Devils captain Harry Maguire.
The Toffees had over an hour to hold onto their lead, something they failed to do against Burnley in midweek, but the passionate Goodison Park crowd roared them over the line.
While Gordon will receive plenty of praise, there was another player who unexpectedly shone in the Merseyside sun as Frank Lampard’s men took a huge step towards safety.
Naturally a winger, Alex Iwobi has been asked to play a central midfield role in the past couple of games and yesterday was a career-best game for the Nigerian in two aspects.
The 25-year-old covered more distance and made more sprints against United than he has in any game in his career, according to Sky Sports statistician Matt Cheetham.
He also mentioned that Everton out-sprinted their opponents by a bigger margin than they have managed all season which is a huge lift for Lampard.
The entire team put a huge shift in yesterday and it seems like Lampard has finally unlocked the desire within them to win and get themselves out of trouble.
At the bottom of any league, the quality of players becomes less significant and the desire of each individual is tested to the extreme.
It had looked like the Toffees had little to no desire to stay in the top division for some time but that all changed yesterday thanks to relentless running and a loud Goodison Park.
If they perform like that in every home game, they should be safe from the dreaded drop regardless of what they do on their travels.
In other Everton news, Merseyside police are investigating an incident during yesterday’s match involving Cristiano Ronaldo.
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