Everton star Jack Grealish was the hero against Bournemouth on Tuesday night as his late strike downed the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium.
Everton were chasing their third league win in four games as they made the long journey down south, and with time running out, Jack Grealish’s deflected effort gave the Toffees the lead for their first ever league win in Bournemouth.
He’s been an exceptional player for David Moyes ever since his £15million loan move from Manchester City, which has coincided with Everton flying up the Premier League table.
And teammate Jake O’Brien has praised the England international for his contributions – not only in terms of his impact on Everton’s season, but his overall play and how he torments defenders.
Bournemouth v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images
Speaking on Everton’s official website, Ireland international Jake O’Brien could not stop waxing lyrical about the Birmingham-born hero.
O’Brien said: “You see the quality Jack has and he got the one that was enough for the win in the end.
“He’s a top, top player. If you put him one-v-one with anyone, you’d fancy him to come out on top.
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“He’s cut inside on one today and got the goal that won it for us today.
“I’m sure he’ll keep getting more goals and more assists for us because he has that quality.”
Everton fans will be hoping that Grealish can carry them to stardom in the next few months after his superb performance against Bournemouth, with the Toffees looking for a European spot come the end of the season.
Jake O’Brien’s words are right, the statistics don’t lie about Jack Grealish
Having played against Jack Grealish in training over the past few months, O’Brien will know better than anyone just how good the winger is with the ball.
And the statistics in comparison to other Premier League stars do not lie when it comes to his dribbling, take on and ball-carrying metrics in the Premier League.
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An overview of Jack Grealish's stats in Everton's win over Bournemouth.
Credit: Getty Images/Alex Burstow.
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Per FBREF, Grealish is in the top seven percent of players for assists per 90 minutes, while he’s also in the top three percent of players with progressive carries in the entire division.
The sensational dribbling stats don’t stop there. Grealish ranks in the top five percent of players in total carrying distance, as well as carries into the penalty area with 2.83 per 90 minutes. The other key aspect of his game is his ability to draw fouls, with 3.33 won per game in the top-flight.
It’s been a key component of Grealish’s game for some time, known all the way back to his early Aston Villa days, and it’s good to see that continuing into his move to Everton.
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