Everton fans will love what James Tarkowski has just done, it puts Virgil van Dijk to shame
James Tarkowski has just made Virgil van Dijk look silly with something he achieved for Everton during their win at the weekend.
The Toffees beat Fulham 2-0 on Saturday as they snapped their three-match winless run in the Premier League, with goals from Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane securing the three points.
Tarkowski started alongside Keane in the Everton backline, as they notched a valuable third clean sheet of the league season as part of the victory.
The duo’s typically solid display will have delighted David Moyes, and Tarkowski was even able to reach a very impressive feat during the game.
James Tarkowski surpasses Virgil van Dijk for aerial duels
Tarkowski recently signed a new contract at Everton, and he certainly didn’t shy away from sharing his aspirations after the new deal was announced.
The 32-year-old revealed that he hopes to help lead the club back into European football within the next couple of years, something which is a lofty, but fairly achievable target for the Merseysiders.
The former Burnley star has played every single minute of the league campaign so far in 2025-26, and during Saturday’s win, he climbed to the top of the Premier League charts for this particular stat.
Tarkowski won all six of his aerial duels during the victory over Fulham, which now stands his total at 49 for the league season, the highest of any player in the division, according to Squawka via their X account.
His exploits at the weekend even lifted him above Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk for the current campaign, while no Premier League player has won more aerial challenges than Tarkowski’s 570 since the start of 2021-22.
Van Dijk is constantly hailed by Liverpool fans for his imperious style and his eye-catching physical presence, so the Toffees faithful will surely be ecstatic to see that one of their own heroes has now put the captain of their bitter rivals to shame.
James Tarkowski has won 72% of his aerial duels for Everton this season
Everton are eyeing up a move for Charlie Cresswell in January, but the youngster may not even get into the starting XI ahead of Tarkowski, given his current form.
The veteran has been superb for his team as expected so far this season, and his aerial prowess can be further underlined by the fact that he has won a staggering 72.7 per cent of his duels in the air, according to FBref.
| Player | Aerial Duels Won | Percentage | |
| 1 | James Tarkowski | 48 | 72.7% |
| 2 | Tim Iroegbunam | 6 | 66.7% |
| 3 | Merlin Rohl | 5 | 62.5% |
| 4 | Idrissa Gueye | 8 | 61.5% |
| 5 | Jake O’Brien | 30 | 60% |
He is the only Everton player with over three league appearances this season to have broken past the 70 per cent threshold, with Tim Iroegbunam his closest challenger at 66 per cent.
Even his centre-back partner Keane has emerged victorious from less than 60 per cent of his aerial battles.
Throw in the fact that Tarkowski also regularly pops up with important goals for his team, and he must surely go down as one of the Toffees’ best signings in recent years.
He is a top-quality box defender in the Premier League, and his latest ascension past Van Dijk is further evidence of that.
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