Everton fans will love Yerry Mina’s dark art tactics v Chelsea
Everton fans will love what man-mountain Yerry Mina did as Everton beat Chelsea 1-0 in emphatic style in their relegation crunch clash at Goodison Park.
The Blues took yet another big step towards safety at home against one of the ‘big six’ as Thomas Tuchel’s side was left stunned on Merseyside.
Columbian defender, Mina, is crucial to the way that the Toffees play and the team has suffered massively in his absence – hence their position in the table.
However, it was the dark arts that the Evertonians would have loved the most with the 27-year-old riling up the visitors.
Adam Jones told Liverpool Echo: “The Colombia international knows how to ‘play the game’. By that, I of course mean that he absolutely winds up any opponent within about five yards of him on the pitch.
“Kai Havertz was the unfortunate Chelsea man who was up against the returning centre-back on this occasion and even if he tried to give as good as he got, he couldn’t achieve it. Mina got directly under his skin throughout the 90 minutes and made absolutely sure the Germany international never left his sight.
“The striker got a booking in the second half for a particularly stark example of the defender’s work. With the ball in the hands of Pickford, the centre-back made a quick little gesture towards Havertz with his head to get right in his face.
“The Chelsea man responded by pushing his opponent to the floor and received a yellow card in the process. If the Everton star didn’t already know he had him on strings, then that moment proved it beyond doubt.”
Huge.
Mina being back fit again for Everton is absolutely crucial in their push for Premier League survival.
They still sit in the relegation zone but they have a game in hand on Burnely and Leeds who have been dragged back into the mix after their loss against Manchester City.
If Frank Lampard’s side wins that game and the other results go their way – they could put two places in the way of them and the drop zone which is why continuing this momentum is huge.
The fans at Goodison Park yesterday were brilliant. They recognise the trouble that the team are in as they sit dangerously on the cusp of being relegated for the first time in the club’s history.
The bad thing is for the Toffees is they will have to match that energy on their travels which they have found impossible to do all season long and without thousands of Scousers playing their part, the players might struggle again.
In other Everton news, Lampard has compared this under-scrutiny Everton ace to a Champions League winning star
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