Everton picked up a valuable point on the road against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
Sean Dyche’s men had to withstand a lot of Arsenal pressure but they remained resolute defensively, thanks to a number of exceptional performances.
Jordan Pickford was praised by Arsenal fans for his performance, making five key saves to keep the scores level.
Ashley Young continued his impressive form with a rock-solid display to keep the jet-heeled Gabriel Martinelli quiet.
Jarrad Branthwaite’s return to the side has really given Everton a lift and he revealed post-match what Dyche told his players at half-time which really helped.
Sean Dyche manager of Everton gestures during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Everton FC at Emirates Stadium on December 14, 2024 i...
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Sean Dyche spoke about keeping the ball better at half-time
Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite revealed what Dyche told his players at half-time which really seemed to help keep Arsenal at bay in the second period.
Asked what the message was at half-time, Branthwaite replied: “Yeah, I think yeah you know we’d like to keep the ball a bit better.
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“I think that’s one thing we said at half-time that when we get the ball we need to keep it a bit better and make more use of it and try and get us up the pitch because if we give the ball away they’re just wave after wave and that was what happened in the second half.
“They were pushing and we were just trying to hang on and we done that. I think when Broja came on, he got us up the pitch a bit more, which Dom (Calvert-Lewin) did in the first half for us.
“So yeah, I think every player is crucial for us, even the ones that come off the bench.”
Armando Broja should start vs Chelsea
Dominic Calvert-Lewin got the nod to start once again despite Everton fans urging Dyche to drop him to the bench in recent weeks.
The out-of-form striker had just 17 touches of the ball in 66 minutes and yet when Armando Broja replaced him, the Albania international managed 15.
As Branthwaite alluded to, Broja was able to get Everton up the pitch a lot more and won seven of his duels, compared to Calvert-Lewin’s three.
The Chelsea loanee also completed three successful dribbles compared to Calvert-Lewin’s one, so clearly he made much more of an impact in significantly less time.
Broja should be awarded a start against Chelsea next weekend.
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