Stekelenburg not good enough: Three things we learned about Everton in draw v Manchester United
By Dominic Toner
Football Insider analyses three talking points from Everton’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United in the Premier League.
A new goalkeeper is a priority
Maarten Stekelenburg showed against Manchester United that he is not up to the task of being Everton’s number one goalkeeper. Joel Robles is another goalkeeping option, but Ronald Koeman must strengthen this area in the January transfer window. Stekelenburg made a huge error by coming off his line for a through ball and was lobbed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 34-year-old has been guilty of several big error in recent weeks and cost his side against United. Everton need a top-class goalkeeper if they are to achieve their aim of qualifying for Europe.
Everton lack creativity
Everton did extremely well to salave a late point against United thanks to a Leighton Baines penalty, but that should not cloud a poor performance. The Toffees were awful for the majority of the game and offered very little in attack. Their striker Romelu Lukaku was isolated and had no clear opportunities during the game. Kevin Mirallas, Tom Cleverley and Yannick Bolasie were all below par and rarely troubled the United defence. Substitutes Enner Valencia and Gerard Deulofeu did offer some positivity off the bench, but Everton should be disappointed with their attacking efforts.
Gueye is a sensation
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was the best player on the pitch against United at Goodison Park. The 27-year-old has been a revelation for the Merseyside club since his summer arrival from Aston Villa and is very similar to Chelsea ace N’Golo Kante. Gueye managed to get the better of Paul Pogba and dominated the midfield battle. The Senegal international is exceptionally strong on the ball and also showed great desire going forward, drawing a foul inside in the penalty area late on. He has been a fantastic signing by Ronald Koeman and delivered another all-around display against United.
In other Everton news, Thierry Henry has told Barkley how he can become a sensation.