Everton returned to winning ways against Bournemouth last night as they produced a magnificent away performance on the south coast.
Jack Grealish grabbed the headlines with his second-half winner, but Everton had a number of Man of the Match-worthy performances across the pitch.
THAT is exactly how you respond after the Newcastle defeat! 💪
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Tim Iroegbunam was absolutely excellent in the middle of the park and certainly responded well to the criticism he received after the Newcastle defeat.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall earned rave reviews, too, and has been proven correct about something he said back in October.
Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is much better as a central midfielder
Back in October, Dewsbury-Hall was actually going through a tough patch and was receiving a fair bit of criticism.
Dewsbury-Hall then came out and said his best position is as a number eight, which Moyes initially seemed to ignore.
“I can play all positions in midfield, but I’d say my strongest point is probably in box-to-box, number eight,” the 27-year-old said.
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But, in recent weeks, the former Chelsea star has been deployed as a box-to-box midfielder, and it’s certainly paid off.
As evinced by his statistics below, Dewsbury-Hall was dominant in the middle of the park, showing a defensive side to his game that Toffees fans haven’t really seen.
Has Dewsbury-Hall just become Everton’s most important player? 🤔
An overview of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's stats in Everton's win over Bournemouth.
Credit: Getty Images/Alex Burstow
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David Moyes wowed by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall vs Bournemouth
Speaking post-match, Moyes heaped praise on Dewsbury-Hall’s performance in a deeper role and was pleased he was still able to impact the game going forward.
“He played really well and I thought he made a difference in the second half,” the Scotsman explained.
“The game got a little bit stretched and a little bit transitional, with both teams having a bit of a go and I thought, ‘My goodness if we’re not careful this might suit them better here.'”
STAT: Thierno Barry registered his first Everton shot on target in 10 hours vs Bournemouth.
Yes, you heard that right…
Everton striker Thierno Barry.
Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images
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Moyes continued: “So, yeah, (Kiernan) did a great job, playing a little bit deeper, but I thought he still was the one who was probably going to try and open them up with a pass.”
Perhaps even when the injured players are back, and the suspended Idrissa Gana Gueye returns, Dewsbury-Hall will continue to play in his new role.
It also allows Iliman Ndiaye a bit more room to operate in a central role.
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