Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was praised for his display against Fulham in the Premier League.
Everton 2-0 Fulham
Gueye and Michael Keane supplemented Everton’s misfiring attack in a 2-0 win which extended Fulham’s woes on the road to a fifth successive match.
With the Toffees’ two strikers Beto and Thierno Barry scoring just one Premier League goal between them so far this season, there is an imperative for others to chip in. But in a team boasting the attacking talents of Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, it was their defensive midfielder and centre-back who made the difference.
The two teams had scored just 22 between them in 20 combined Premier League matches so the first goal was important and Gueye’s intervention, in the fourth minute of first-half added time, was even more crucial as an offside flag denied Everton on three occasions in a match they should have won more comfortably.
Gueye stabbed home his second of the campaign after Tim Iroegbunam had completely fluffed his shot in front of goal from a James Tarkowski header which rebounded off the crossbar.
After failing to score at all last season, Gueye is well on his way to beat his best return of four in an Everton shirt from 2023-24. Keane flicked home a Dewsbury-Hall corner with 10 minutes to go to banish any late anxiety. They were contributions gratefully received by boss David Moyes, whose side ended a run of one win in eight matches in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, Gueye's performance against the Cottagers was highly praised in the aftermath of the game.
Gueye was "brilliant" against Fulham
Idrissa-Gueye
After opening the scoring against Fulham, pundit Sue Smith, as per Sky Sports, said of Gueye:
"Everton had been pushing. Gueye has been brilliant, superb, he has been absolutely everywhere. Right place, right time."
Idrissa Gueye Stats vs. Fulham
Minutes Played
Goals
Assists
Passes Made (Accuracy)
Recoveries
Clearances
Interceptions
Aerial Duels Won
Times Dribbled Past
All stats are from SofaScore
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Everton Extra noted that Gueye was "very, very good" in the first half against Everton, form that continued after the half-time break. Initially alongside Iroegbunam until the 22-year-old was replaced by Merlin Rohl in the 67th minute, Gueye helped Everton limit their visitors as they maintained their impressive start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In six Premier League games at their new home, Everton have lost just once, picking up 11 points from an available 18. Everton will not play now until after the November international break, which they enter with a win that Gueye contributed heavily towards.
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