Enzo Fernandez truth became crystal clear during Chelsea’s draw with Everton
CHELSEA 2-2 EVERTON: The Premier League’s record signing proved he is perfect for the English top flight with a fine performance even though his side were held at home
They wore pink but it was not pretty, they did not have much of the ball but Sean Dyche did not care.
This is the type of result that will keep Everton in the Premier League, this is the type of performance that will keep Everton in the Premier League. Gutsy, obviously – with a Dyche team, that normally goes without saying – but there was also a threat on the break that has not been there on so many occasions over these past couple of dismal seasons.
This is an Everton team that, in the main, is responding to Dyche, responding to his calls for commitment, for passion, for a never-give-up attitude. And all those things were encapsulated in the way Ellis Simms forced the late goal that gave Everton such a precious point.
Simms had a forgettable first game under Dyche in the Merseyside derby but this intervention from the bench might prove to be invaluable in this season’s final reckoning. No wonder the travelling Everton fans hailed the result as though it had actually kept them in the Premier League.
It hasn’t, of course, and a fraught relegation battle still looms but the nature of this display – twice coming back against an elite team finding some momentum – bodes well for that fight. As for Chelsea and Graham Potter, they will not be too disheartened – there was nothing to jeer about here, nothing for punters to wave as evidence Potter should get the sack.
And there were one or two fine individual performances. If Enzo Fernandez wants an insight into the pressure that comes with a seven-figure price-tag, he needs to look no further than the confines of the Chelsea dressing room.