Everton got their 2020/21 campaign off to a winning start with a rare away victory at a top six club.
Tottenham Hotspur were the victims of a second-half Dominic Calvert-Lewin header which sealed the three points in London, but it was a South American connection that has Evertonians purring ahead of next week.
The signing of James Rodríguez is something of a coup for the club, and is exactly the sort of addition Everton fans hoped the club could make when Carlo Ancelotti was appointed - the opportunity to play under the Italian again clearly one too good to turn down for the Colombian.
His link-up with Richarlison on the opposite side of the pitch made for excellent viewing as Everton set up in something of a new-look 4-3-3. The Brazilian may not have been man of the match, owing to a handful of gilt-edged opportunities missed, but he was their most influential.
Spurs simply could not handle the 23-year-old. As per WhoScored.com, Richarlison completed each of his ten dribbles, won the most fouls, made the most ball recoveries and made the most tackles of any player – he was everywhere.
A first half opportunity where his lightning speed helped him latch onto a loose Ben Davies cross-field ball saw him scuff the shot wide, after rounding Hugo Lloris, but the Toffees should take huge encouragement.
Throughout the game, Richarlison worked incessantly, covering the entirety of the left flank, frequently on the receiving end of diagonal switches from Rodríguez. He found acres of space behind Matt Doherty and exploited it brilliantly. It is an incredibly rare occasion when an individual manages to complete more recoveries, more shots and more tackles than any other player in a single game, but Richarlison achieved just that.
Despite the difficulties of adapting to life in England, Richarlison has consistently been one of Everton’s hardest workers. He has honed various aspects of his game, undeterred by suggestions that he can be rash with his decision-making or chooses the wrong option on one too many occasions.
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian made the most pressures of any Everton player last season, closing down his opponents on 709 occasions, according to FBRef.com. Likewise, he was joint-highest for successful tackles last year too. On the pitch he is a forward, but his statistics indicate he is Everton’s best all-rounder.
To turn in a performance of that standard in the first week of the season shows incredible dedication to the fitness and dietary regimes the club provide the players with. It may be a prerequisite for the job, but Richarlison’s effort time and again goes above the call of duty.
He may not have been on the scoresheet against Spurs but as he has so amply proved over the past two seasons, the goals will come.
Already the fifth-highest scoring Brazilian in Premier League history, he is rapidly climbing the rankings.
Beginning the season in such blistering fashion only bodes well for Everton in the weeks to come as the team become more and more confident.
