Everton’s win over Ipswich Town on Saturday was as routine as they come, sailing into a two-goal lead in the first half, and seldom looking like relinquishing it.
Twice this campaign has Everton manager Sean Dyche been forced to watch his side soar into such a position of strength, only to surrender it into a loss.
Last weekend was not to be the case, as they were too streetwise, whilst the hosts just didn’t have enough.
Ipswich felt they should have had a penalty against Everton, but aside from that they seldom threatened.
Their blunted attack can be largely attributed to the stunning performance of one £30m man.
Everton player named in Premier League Team of the Week
Speaking to talkSPORT just yesterday, Gabby Agbonlahor would comb over the weekend’s Premier League action in an effort to pick out the best-performing players.
And, when deciding on his backline, one Everton star made a surprise appearance.
Naming Michael Keane, the former Aston Villa striker admitted: ‘The next defender is Michael Keane.
Since he has joined Everton, he has had a lot of negativity, some of his performances haven’t been great, but lately he stood up and he has been very good, especially Branthwaite being out, him and Tarkowski have had some decent games recently and got a great clean sheet.
‘He kept out most of the attacks from Ipswich. And the way he took his goal, I mean, that is not a defender’s goal. Do you know how hard that is? Weaker foot into the roof of the net. Great finish by Michael Keane and he deserves to be in the Team of the Week.’
Michael Keane’s performance vs Ipswich Town by numbers
The statistics from Keane’s showing at Ipswich Town certainly support Agbonlahor’s claim, with the defender not only notching their second goal of the afternoon, but also remaining rock-solid at the back too.
Within the former Burnley man, there is quite clearly an impressive footballer, but over the years he has been on the unfortunate end of too many high-profile errors.
Evidently someone who thrives off confidence, featuring regularly for an Everton outfit that has never really been settled has chequered his tenure in royal blue.
It’s no surprise that under Carlo Ancelotti, when the club seemed to be healing and moving towards real progression, he enjoyed his best football.
However, on Saturday he shone again, adding seven clearances, one block, one interception and one tackle to his goal, via Sofascore.
And that’s without mentioning his proficiency in possession too, maintaining a 90% pass accuracy, losing possession just four times, and hitting the mark with five of his six long passes.
It was a supreme performance at the back from Keane, who deserves plenty of praise for performances like this given all the scrutiny he has been under when struggling.
