Michael Keane spoils Sean Dyche’s Everton return amid remarkable reveal
Michael Keane is continuing his resurgence at Everton after performing brilliantly in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Goals from Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, plus a Nikola Milenkovic own goal, gave Everton a comfortable win over Forest and moved them up to fifth in the table.
The result means Everton have kept their third clean sheet in four matches, and Moyes’ side are quickly becoming one of the most resolute teams in the Premier League.
Keane has been central to the rapid rise up the table, and he was immovable against Forest at Hill Dickinson Stadium as some remarkable stats from the game show.
Michael Keane excels for Everton once again
The 32-year-old has been under intense scrutiny for his lapses in concentration over the years, but he has been a man rejuvenated under Moyes’ stewardship.
Keane missed the win over Bournemouth with an injury, but his return to the starting lineup couldn’t have gone better.
According to Sofascore, Keane won 100 per cent of his ground duels and 67 per cent of his aerial duels.
| Stat | Keane |
| Clearances | 13 |
| Ground duels won | 2/2 |
| Aerial duels won | 6/9 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
In the opposition box, Keane has been a massive threat from set-pieces, having scored two Premier League goals already.
Everton defender Keane has been given his plaudits this season, and his performance against Forest was symptomatic of how he has performed for the Toffees in recent months.
The 32-year-old was confident on the ball, registering a pass accuracy of 88 per cent, and it has become a trait of his that has massively improved.
Everton have certainly adapted well to life at their new stadium, and it never looked like they would walk away from Saturday’s match with anything other than three points.
A large part of that is also down to James Tarkowski, who once again showed why he is the undisputed captain with his leadership in defence.
James Tarkowski also showing his quality for Everton under David Moyes
Sean Dyche’s reunion with Everton didn’t end well for his side, and that was also down to Tarkowski’s influence.
The 33-year-old made a crucial block from Nicolas Dominguez’s shot to preserve Everton’s clean sheet.
The Toffees have struck gold with two experienced leaders in defence, something that few teams in the top flight have.
As fans start to believe they can compete for a European spot, the availability of both centre-backs is of paramount importance to their ambitions.
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