Everton got back to winning ways on Saturday as they defeated Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 at Goodison Park.
It was a largely dominant display by the Toffees, even despite their slender margin of victory.
The tightness of the fixture was a testament to the defensive prowess of Graham Potter’s side who may have escaped Merseyside with a point but for a piece of magic from Richarlison in the first half.
That goal for the 22-year-old came from a good bit of play seven minutes before the half-time break.
In the build up to the goal, the ball was shifted out to Lucas Digne on the left. He cut the ball back into a good area near where Richarlsion had taken up a clever position.
Richarlison was under immediate pressure from Shane Duffy who slid in to make a challenge, however the Brazilian took an excellent first touch and evaded the same.
The Everton man was then faced with an attempted challenge from Adam Webster, he therefore performed an impressive turn away from the Brighton defender.
From here, he had very little of the goal to aim at, but still managed to place a shot right through the Brighton defenders and into the bottom corner of the goal, giving keeper Matt Ryan no chance.
This game-winning piece of brilliance from Richarlison highlighted just why he is so highly ranked at Goodison Park.
His prowess is further demonstrated when he is compared to his peers from in the Premier League and across Europe.
Across the previous 12 months, there have been 42 forwards from across Europe’s top five leagues aged 23 and under who have played over 1500 minutes. From that total, only five strikers can boast more non-penalty league goals than Richarlison’s total of 12.
Broken down into non-penalty goals per 90, the Brazalian ranks inside the top 15, bettering AC Milan’s highly rated and one time Everton target Rafael Leao.
Additionally, Richarlison’s five headed goals across that 12 month period is the best return of any of those 42 aforementioned strikers.
Whilst these are impressive attacking numbers for the 22-year-old, Everton fans additional value forwards who not only boast natural attacking ability, but also exhibit courage, commitment and a strong work ethic.
Richarlison has the same in abundance, highlighted by the fact that from that same sample group of players, he ranks second for the highest number of successful defensive actions made per 90 minutes.
Therefore, not only does he produce moments of greatness in front of goal, but he is also a valuable asset to his team in the moments they are without the ball, rightfully making him a real fan favorite.
All of the above exhibits him as one the best young forwards in Europe, and therefore, it is fair to say that the £40m transfer fee paid to bring him to Goodison Park now looks a shrewd piece of business by Marcel Brands and the Everton board.
