Everton were comprehensively beaten by Newcastle United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday evening.
There were a number of subpar performances across the pitch, with Everton fans criticising Jack Grealish, in particular.
Many have been pointing out that Grealish has been really underwhelming of late and is slowing the play down far too often.
Everton fans given a written warning about their language at the Hill Dickinson Stadium🤔
Everton fans warned over language at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Credit – @prehmuk on Twitter / X
David Moyes suggested that the Toffees really missed Idrissa Gana Gueye in the middle of the park, with Tim Iroegbunam not having his best game.
Now, a pretty damning statistic has just emerged, which shows exactly why they were thumped on their own patch.
Everton players against Newcastle United,
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images
Everton covered way less distance than Newcastle United
Of course, Newcastle have a lot of quality, and Moyes was keen to make it clear after the game that they’re a Champions League side.
But the visitors quite simply worked harder than Everton yesterday, and that’s evidenced by the distance covered statistics.
Stat Everton Newcastle United
Distance covered (Km) 111.74 116.39
Walking % 31.87 30.44
Jogging % 60.94 62.38
Sprinting % 7.19 7.19
BBC Sport
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Newcastle covered significantly more ground than the hosts, which is pretty baffling considering they had more possession too.
Perhaps that’s partly due to Gueye’s absence, as he usually dominates the midfield battle, covering nearly every blade of grass.
Tim Iroegbunam simply CANNOT start on Tuesday vs Bournemouth!
Everton v Newcastle United - Premier League
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Everton must recall Harrison Armstrong
The distance covered statistic evinces exactly why Everton must recall Harrison Armstrong from Preston in January.
Armstrong is a very athletic box-to-box midfielder, and his physicality is precisely what the Toffees missed yesterday.
If Iroegbunam can’t deliver over this festive period, Moyes will likely recall Armstrong, as he did admit it’s a consideration.
The 18-year-old would be the ideal midfielder partner to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or Merlin Rohl when he’s back from injury.
Everton are back in action on Tuesday as they take on Bournemouth on the south coast, so it’s a very quick turnaround.
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