Alan Shearer names Everton trio in his Premier League team of the week after 5-1 win v Brighton
Alan Shearer has named Everton trio James Tarkowski, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil in his Premier League team of the week after their 5-1 win over Brighton on Monday [8 May].
The Toffees produced a superb counter-attacking display to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone with a stunning victory at the Amex Stadium.
Two goals each from Doucoure and McNeil sandwiched in between a Jason Steele own-goal meant Everton now sit just two points away from the drop zone with three games of the season to go.
As well as Everton’s superb attacking display, it was their impressive defending which also contributed to their most dominant victory of the campaign and it was enough to get Tarkowski, two-goal heroes Doucoure and McNeil who Shearer described as “simply unplayable” in the former Newcastle striker’s team of the week [9 May].
Big performance
Monday’s 5-1 win over Brighton was totally unexpected given the Toffees’ struggles to score goals and the Seagull’s tremendous form in the Premier League as they battle it out for a European place.
From Jordan Pickford right down to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, every single Everton player held their own in what was an assured, dominant and classy attacking and defensive display to fend off one of the Premier League’s most exciting teams.
Everton have struggled massively away from home to gain three points with Monday’s win only their second all season, and to win the way they did against Roberto De Zerbi’s men will have certainly sent shockwaves to their relegation rivals, especially the two sides below them in Leeds United and Leicester City.
Tarkowski, Doucoure and McNeil are well deserving of their inclusion in Shearer’s Team of the Week as they rose up and stood up to the challenge of taking Everton out of the relegation picture for now when they desperately needed it.
However, the Blues certainly can’t afford to rest on their laurels, especially with league leaders Manchester City coming to town on Sunday [14 May]. They’ve got to match those performance levels and more if they are to claim another huge surprise.