Iliman Ndiaye #10 of Everton F.C. is challenged by Cole Palmer #20 of Chelsea FC during the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, on December 22, 2024
Iliman Ndiaye is challenged by Cole Palmer during the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on Sunday (Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Friedkin Group will be learning more about Everton by the week. But if they are tuned into social media, they may already have picked up on the online debate that rages about Iliman Ndiaye and exactly what is his best position.
But be it No.10, left-wing or right-wing, what is clear is that whatever role the Senegalese is handed by Sean Dyche, he is now one of the first names on the manager’s team-sheet.
This was arguably Ndiaye’s best game in a Blues shirt. Time after time he took the fight to Chelsea, who by the end resorted to tactical fouls to stop him. Much to the annoyance of the home crowd, only one was punished with a yellow card.
But Ndiaye so nearly had the last laugh when he looked set to gleefully gobble up the rebound after Robert Sanchez kept out hard-working substitute Jesper Lindstrom's cross-shot. Unfortunately, Tosin Adarabioyo read Ndiaye’s intentions and bravely threw his body in the way to preserve the point that both teams deserved for their endeavours in difficult, wet and windy conditions.
As Phil Jagielka said in his exclusive interview with the ECHO this week, Ndiaye does need to add more goals to his game. But if the Friedkin takeover has brought an end to Farhad Moshiri's reign, which was characterised by reckless spending in its early years, then it appears Everton have unearthed a £15m bargain in one of the final deals the British-Iranian businessman sanctioned before his departure.
Mykolenko deserves every credit
That’s now five clean sheets in six games, or seven in 10 if you want to go back further, for the Blues. That is clearly a result of collective hard work on the training field. But it’s an impressive return made possible by the improved form of individuals, too.
By their own high standards, Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski struggled at times in the opening stages of the campaign. There was context behind that, with Pickford unable to enjoy a true break after his heroics with England at Euro 2024, and Tarkowski troubled by injury problems for the first time in his Goodison career that left him unable to train.
But Tarkowski was back to his best after the break here after the lively Nicolas Jackson, a one-time Everton target, caused the stand-in skipper and centre-back partner Jarrad Branthwaite problems in the opening period.
And it was the former Burnley man’s thunderous tackle on Enzo Fernandez that set the tone for the Blues' rousing second-half display after Pickford, who has been playing superbly for a number of weeks now, had made some crucial saves before half-time.
Branthwaite, too, is approaching top form after a summer and early season curtailed by injuries.
But perhaps most promisingly was the display produced by Vitalii Mykolenko. As club captain Seamus Coleman pointed out in his programme notes, the Ukrainian is still living with the harsh reality of his country being at war.
Only Mykolenko will be able to tell you if that has impacted his performances this season, but the well-liked left-back has now kept Bukayo Saka and Pedro Neto quiet in the space of a week and deserves the credit that will come his way.
And special mention also to veteran right-back Ashley Young, who once again impressed, this time up against Jadon Sancho, before injury ended his afternoon.
Infuriating officials and moronic chanting
Another thing The Friedkin Group will have to get used to is the standard of officiating in the Premier League.
Referee Chris Kavanagh and his assistants tested the patience of every Evertonian with a series of decisions that left them shaking their head in frustration. Little wonder, then, the officials were greeted by boos as they walked off the pitch at half-time.
While the Blues could not have too many complaints about the four bookings they were handed, it seemed inexplicable that it took Kavanagh until the 82nd minute finally to caution a Chelsea player after Axel Disasi brought down Ndiaye.
Another gripe: the moronic chanting from the away end. It took less than 60 seconds for some Chelsea supporters to wheel out the ‘Feed the Scousers’ song.
As has become the classy response at Goodison Park, the Everton Supporting Foodbanks logo was flashed up on the big screens.
That didn’t stop some travelling fans then launching into a round of ‘Sign-on’, which led one member of the press pack to ask, ‘is that the only song that they’ve got?’. It’s a tired one at that.