On-loan Everton striker Neal Maupay shocks Brentford captain Christian Norgaard at Chelsea
Brentford captain Christian Norgaard couldn’t believe that on-loan Everton striker Neal Maupay was being outpaced by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez at Stamford Bridge.
Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles relayed the Dane’s post-match reaction via Twitter on Saturday (28 October) after the Bees had run out 2-0 winners against their West London neighbours, as he asked “How the hell is the keeper quicker than our striker?”.
Maupay assisted Bryan Mbeumo to add a second at the death after the Chelsea keeper had gone up for a corner, but the Spaniard managed to easily catch up with the Toffees man while sprinting back to prevent him scoring himself.
It came as part of an odd day for Maupay, whose fortunes still haven’t really rebounded from a miserable season at Goodison Park, despite returning to former side Brentford on loan.
He was also booked before even coming on as a substitute as he disrupted a Chelsea free kick while warming up on the touchline.
Slapstick
It’s easy to forget lately that Maupay is actually a pretty good player who had a decent reputation in the Premier League when Everton bought him from Brighton prior to last season.
He proved to be completely the wrong option for the Toffees as he struggled under both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche before being shipped out this summer.
The 27-year-old has only netted once in 31 Everton appearances, and still hasn’t scored since his switch to Thomas Frank’s side.
He appeared to have an opportunity to break that streak that was impossible to pass up late in added time at Stamford Bridge, as he and Mbeumo both streamed into the Chelsea half with nobody ahead of them.
But true to his recent fortunes Maupay was unable to make to the opposition box before Sanchez caught up with him and he passed it to his teammate.
The Frenchman still had an open goal in front of him at that point and could have had a shot, with the points surely safe in the 96th minute either way, but his lack of confidence showed as he didn’t back himself to find the net.
It would be a surprise to see him back at Everton next season, but he will probably need to show more out on loan to attract suitors for next summer.
In other Everton news, English clubs have contacted 777 Partners with a warning amid the takeover process.