Leeds United loanee Jack Harrison wows Sky Sports pundit with explosive start for Everton in win at Crystal Palace
Jack Harrison’s “sumptuous” assist for Vitalii Mykolenko’s early Everton opener in the 3-2 win away to Crystal Palace wowed David Phillips.
The former Welsh international, a Sky Sports pundit, reacted live on the world feed match commentary on 11 November after the on-loan Toffees winger lifted an inviting ball high across the six-yard box inside the first minute at Selhurst Park, with the defender powering a header home.
Everton started in perfect fashion with the opening goal, as Harrison continued his strong form in Sean Dyche’s line-up after recovering from the injury he arrived with from Leeds United.
Phillips said (3.02pm): “What a start this is for Everton football club. It’s a great little block from [Joachim] Andersen to start off with but Everton were able to recycle this ball.
“When it goes out to Jack Harrison all he does is just stands it up towards the far post and there is [Mykolenko] unmarked three yards away, it’s a bullet of a header, and what a great start that is for the away side.”
He went on: “[Dyche wanted them] to start on the front foot and that’s exactly what they’ve done, smashing from the kick-off, but what a sumptuous ball that was from Jack Harrison.”
Couldn’t miss
The loanee’s impact for Everton has been notable, with three assists and a goal now from just six Premier League appearances this season.
After a summer where Dyche was linked to various attacking players from Elland Road he only ended up landing one, but it definitely looks to have made a difference.
Were it not for the fact that the Toffees’ usually-dependable centre-back partnership of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite both made errors to concede goals the visitors might have been able to play out a more comfortable afternoon.
The young star conceded a penalty within minutes of Mykolenko’s opener which Eberechi Eze equalised from, and could have given away another, while the senior of the duo bizarrely left a high ball to land behind him in the second half for Odsonne Edouard to equalise a second time.
There is far more fight in this Everton side than there has been too often in recent seasons as evidenced by taking the lead three times away to Palace.
Harrison was still running hard deep into a breathless game and has already outstripped the influence of fellow on-loan winger Arnaut Danjuma, but it was his early assist that was the most important contribution.
In other Everton news, the Toffees might have the second coming of a Goodison Park star after a “prodigious” ace finally arrived for the club this week.