Everton could have emerged from their Premier League stalemate with Arsenal a happier side after tenacious defending frustrated the Gunners throughout the afternoon.
Mikel Arteta’s men will only rally a big opportunity As a result, Sean Dyche’s visitors deliberately dropped deep to get a share of the action, with Arsenal enjoying a whopping 77% of possession.
As such, Everton’s defenders certainly earned praise at the final whistle, with the likes of James Tarkovsky struggling to stop stars like Kai Havertz throughout the 90 minutes.
How Everton’s defense performed at the Emirates Stadium
The aforementioned Toffees captain led by example alongside his centre-back partner Jarrad Branthwaite at the Emirates Stadium as the former Burnley man managed to win four duels He also made seven clearances to keep the team’s clean sheet.
Branthwaite also made the most of his 6-foot-5 frame, winning three duels, while Jordan Pickford had to be on his toes at all times, making five saves in total, which allowed Bukayo Saka ( Bukayo Saka) and other faces trying to beat 30 people are constantly frustrated. -age.
While Pickford rightfully earned plenty of plaudits for some excellent stops at the final whistle, Ashley Young also performed well at the back to ensure a draw, with the former Aston Villa man winning A brilliant game in which seven duels regularly stopped Gabriel Martinelli’s attacks.
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Everton’s own Alexander-Arnold
Young’s performances this season haven’t just been in north London. Taking on the role of an attacking threat for a side threatened with relegation this season, the 39-year-old has looked back over the years as a replacement for Liverpool’s talented Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Young has often been deployed as a winger in the Premier League, but his creativity in this more forward-thinking position is still able to stand out as he now regularly features in a back four.
The top-flight veteran has amassed a huge haul so far this season Impressive 1 goal and 3 assistsThe only goal came against Wolves in a comprehensive 4-0 win in Arsenal’s previous game.
This resurgence is all the more admirable considering there were calls for Young to be sacked at Goodison Park this summer, with his lucrative £40,000-a-week wages the subject of much discussion on Merseyside.
Now, not only has he justified such a high salary, but his numbers are on par with Alexander-Arnold, FBRef reports.
Young vs Alexander-Arnold – 24/25 PL numbers | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics | ||
Games played | 13 | 14 |
Number of goals scored | 1 | 0 |
Assist | 3 | 3 |
Create the action of the shot* | 2.40 | 4.08 |
Pass attempt* | 50.23 | 76.51 |
Progressive Pass* | 5.75 | 7.46 |
Tackle* | 3.11 | 2.34 |
intercept* | 1.44 | 1.03 |
Clearance* | 3.11 | 1.28 |
FBRef statistics (* = every 90 minutes) | ||
While the Everton veteran is still understandably behind Trent in many statistics, you can see the similarities between the two in the way they advance play through their passing.
“I think he naturally focuses on his own thing. He has a great old-school temperament and he takes care of himself very modernly, but he just goes out there and does it.” – Dai Qi to Yang.
Unsurprisingly, Young has more defensive skills than the 26-year-old who has been linked with Real Madrid, averaging more tackles and clearances as seen in the table above, despite the Toffees being more active defensively than Liverpool.
It’s a drastic turn of events for the aging full-back, who will hope those fine performances continue to see him through the twilight years of his career in style.
Dyche is certainly known for getting the most out of his experienced heads and the Toffees boss is praying Young and his team-mates can continue to pull off results like the Arsenal draw and move further away from the dreaded relegation zone.
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