Garth Crooks blown away by what Abdoulaye Doucoure in Everton 5-1 win v Brighton for BBC Sport
Everton ace Abdoulaye Doucoure “grew in stature and confidence” throughout the 5-1 win over Brighton on Monday (8 May), according to Garth Crooks.
The midfielder netted a fine brace to help his side to the extraordinary win, with Doucoure netting his first after just 35 seconds.
The stunning victory at the Amex has lifted Everton out of the relegation zone and into 17th place with just three matches remaining.
“This was a massive three points and an extraordinary performance by Everton,” Crooks wrote for BBC Sport.
“Their start couldn’t have been any better, Doucoure was the coolest man on the pitch when he tucked in his goal after only 35 seconds while his second goal was better than his first.
“The Mali international only grew in stature and confidence as the game went on after that.”
Monster display
All of the Everton players can hold their heads high after the magical performance, with the Toffes stunning just about everyone by not only defeating high-flying Brighton at home, but beating them so convincingly.
Doucoure got the ball rolling within a minute of kick-off, and that simply set the tone for the rest of the evening, with the visitors not taking their foot off the accelerator once at the Amex.
It is a fully deserved and fully needed three points for the Toffees, who have given themselves a huge confidence booster ahead of their very tricky clash with Manchester City on Sunday (14 May).
They will undoubtedly need to produce a similar performance against the league leaders, but Everton will go into the game as underdogs, just as they did against Brighton.
And that may just work in their favour, with Sean Dyche’s men now playing with so much freedom in the final third.