After seeing their team lose 1-0 away at Leeds United on the opening weekend of the Premier League, the worry in the air among Everton supporters would have been whether their side would start their new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with another bleak defeat.
They didn’t need to be so anxious after all, as their determined Toffees side put the loss in West Yorkshire to one side and delivered a confident performance in front of their adoring home masses that culminated in a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls aren’t pushovers by any stretch of the imagination, but with the quality of Jack Grealish on full display throughout, Everton must have felt content that their first three points of the long campaign were going to be collected.
Grealish's standout display in numbers
The former Aston Villa attacking midfielder had been put through the wringer at Manchester City, but the enigmatic Englishman thankfully let his football do the talking, donning his new Everton blue on his spectacular home debut.
The vibrant Toffees number 18 put it on a plate for Iliman Ndiaye to score the opener after a well-orchestrated counter-attack deep into the first 45 minutes, while his second assist of the day would see the entertaining 29-year-old lay it off for James Garner to thump home the decisive match-clinching strike.
Away from those goal involvements, Grealish – who was deployed down the left wing by Moyes – would attempt five dribbles when bursting forward into space, with one effort also fired at Bart Verbruggen’s busy goal to try and make the win even more emphatic.
The former Villa hero will hope he only gets better with time, too, having previously notched up a sublime six goals and ten assists at the intimidating level during his final swansong campaign in the West Midlands.
He wasn’t the only new signing to leave a fantastic first impression on the hardened Merseyside faithful, however, with one of his midfield teammates also impressing enough to be seen as a potential new Ross Barkley for David Moyes’ men.
Moyes' next Barkley
The Toffees needed to replace Abdoulaye Doucoure effectively this summer, with a real lack of midfielders at the Scotsman’s disposal who can slot into a number 10 role.
Thankfully, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall seamlessly announced himself to the Everton masses as a worthwhile Doucoure replacement against the Seagulls – after also playing in the role behind the main striker against the Whites – with the creative playmaker possessing the potential to be Moyes’ new Barkley down the line.
While he did regularly line up as a traditional midfield option for Leicester City, it’s clear from his career numbers to date that the 26-year-old excels in a further forward position, having accumulated a healthy 35 goals and 41 assists across 306 games. To add context, Barkley has a heftier 66 goals and 52 assists, albeit from a larger stretch of games at 444 clashes.
Dewsbury-Hall would have been hoping he could add to his glittering numbers on Sunday, but despite his best efforts, getting off the mark at his new side would unfortunately evade him.
Minutes played
90
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
59
Accurate passes
33/37 (89%)
Key passes
3
Big chances created
1
Successful dribbles
1/1
Total duels won
5/10
Indeed, looking at the table above, Dewsbury-Hall was especially unlucky not to join Grealish in picking up an assist, with only three passes being misplaced across his stylish 90-minute outing.
Moyes, watching on from the dug-out, will arguably want more from his new recruit moving forward; however, when trying to catch out the opposition goalkeeper with a shot or two, with Dewsbury-Hall still managing to pick up a reasonable five goals for Chelsea, despite his spell at Stamford Bridge being fraught with bumps.
That will come with time, however, as the Toffees’ number 22 grows more confident in his fresh surroundings.
But, his overall energy and application will have pleased the Scotsman nonetheless, with those qualities, and his ability to drive with the ball in central areas evoking memories of a fresh-faced Barkley at Goodison Park.
Dewsbury-Hall’s positive display wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Liverpool Echo, with journalist Chris Beesley gifting the 29-year-old a high 7/10 post-match rating, stating that he brings “fresh scope” to a role once frequently filled by Doucoure.
He did accidentally put Everton in a spot of bother during the game when gifting Brighton a penalty, but it was a largely promising display from a midfielder who has had his fair share of doubters in recent years, much like Grealish.
If Moyes can get the very best out of the midfield pairing across a full season, expect the Toffees to pick up more and more assured wins on their own turf.
