THE plaudits at Everton FC tend to go to Marouane Fellaini these days. Or David Moyes, or Steven Pienaar, or Nikica Jelavic. Blues fans have plenty of heroes to hang their hat on at the moment.
At West Bromwich Albion, though, we saw the importance of a player whose contribution is often overlooked. Darron Gibson’s exit from the game, 20 minutes in, was as vital as it was unwelcome for Moyes’ side.
With the Irishman pulling the strings in midfield, Everton had bossed the opening exchanges against Steve Clarke’s confident, well-drilled Baggies side.
The former Manchester United man’s reputation is for flashy long-distance strikes, but it is his simple, accurate passing and his subtle positional awareness which really gets Everton playing.
Always available to receive the ball from his defenders, and always on hand to pick up loose balls dropping in central areas, and never shy of the physical battle, Gibson had ensured the visitors spent the early stages of this game on the front foot. Phil Neville, in particular, saw plenty of the ball as it was worked smartly through midfield and out to the flanks.
A thigh injury soon curtailed that scheme. Gibson’s fitness will be assessed at Finch Farm this week. The hope is that the muscle damage is minimal. Everton have two weeks until their next Premier League match against Newcastle. They would love to welcome him back for that.
Once he had departed at The Hawthorns, the Blues’ game-plan began to unravel. Neither Neville nor Leon Osman enjoyed the best of afternoons, as they struggled in the face of the muscularity of Youssouf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob, Albion’s excellent central midfield pairing.
With Fellaini also struggling to replicate his early-season form, and frustrated by referee Jon Moss consistently ruling against him in aerial duels, Everton struggled to find any kind of rhythm. Jelavic is a striker who has made a living from converting half chances; here he didn’t even get that.
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