Chris Sutton stunned by what Dominic Calvert-Lewin did for Everton v Crystal Palace
Chris Sutton was stunned by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s skill in the build up to his opening goal for Everton against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Toffees striker was making his second consecutive start, with his first of the season coming in the defeat at Newcastle on Wednesday 19 October, and while he had looked slightly off the pace in midweek he was anything but at Goodison against the Eagles.
With a notable assist from Alex Iwobi the number nine produced a wonderful sequence to put his side ahead in the 11th minute, as he dispossessed Luka Milivojevic in midfield and broke towards the box where the Nigeria international found him, before he produced a Dennis Bergkamp-esque touch past Marc Guehi and slotted into the far corner.
Speaking live on BT Sport Score on Saturday afternoon (22 October, 3.12pm) Darren Ambrose was summing up the opening goal, saying: “It’s a great touch round the centre-half, and a good finish into the far corner.
“I think that’s poor defending from Guehi, he doesn’t need to dive in like that. It’s a great touch around him but I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
Sutton was clear though that it was more about top play from the Toffees man and added: “It’s an unbelievable touch isn’t it from Calvert-Lewin.”
Top quality
It was a fantastic all round performance from Everton and exactly what Frank Lampard would have been hoping for after a disappointing run of three defeats.
The Toffees did enough to get at least one result against those teams who were always going to be tough to beat, but having been unable to pick up a point he would have wanted a response from his players, and he certainly got one.
The entire team were good, and it bodes well for the club’s chances this season that they look like they have got a strong display in them against sides around them and below them.
But the long-term prospects have surely taken a major boost as the Calvert-Lewin of old made arguably his first all-round appearance in the best part of a year.
The striker has endured endless bad luck in that time, picking up repeated injuries, and while there have been flashes of his quality, he hasn’t managed an outing like this for some months, much less from the start.
Clearly Palace at home brings something out of him, as it was his diving heading against the same opponents that completed a 3-2 comeback win, and cemented Premier League safety, on 19 May.
He picked up where he left off with that goal and if he can stay fit he will be a major new element to this Everton team going forward.