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Sri Lanka Cricket says they ‘didn’t want to take chances’ in the wake of the security situation after the Colombo blasts

Umar Farooq27-Apr-2019

Sri Lanka Cricket has called off the Under-19 series against Pakistan following serial blasts that left over 250 people dead in Colombo last week.The Pakistan team was set to leave for Colombo on April 30, with the first game scheduled for May 3 in Galle. As things stand, the tour has been postponed indefinitely.The PCB had been monitoring the situation, and had kept the doors open for the tour.”The tour has been postponed indefinitely,” an SLC official confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “It was a decision taken by SLC, as we didn’t want to take any chances.”Zakir Khan, the PCB Director – International, said in a release: “The two boards are now working on alternate options, including the possibility of a series prior to the Pakistan U19’s tour of South Africa in June. As soon as these details are confirmed, the PCB will make a formal announcement.”Pakistan Under-19 were scheduled to play two four-day games and three one-day matches on the tour, in Galle and Hambantota.The squad led by Rohail Nazir has been training at a conditioning camp in Karachi over the last five days.The Sri Lankan board, on Sunday*, stated in a release: “SLC is working with Pakistan Cricket Board on alternate options and the new dates will be notified; once confirmed.”The team’s next assignment is a tour of South Africa in June-July, as part of their build-up to next year’s Under-19 World Cup, also in South Africa. At the previous edition in New Zealand, Pakistan were one of the losing semi-finalists.

Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe sent an email to club staff fuming over the state of facilities this past week.

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• Ratcliffe fuming over Utd facilities
• Billionaire joined ownership in 2024
• Message sent to staff

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The email was sent to club staff earlier this week, and in a memo obtained by the Athletic, Ratcliffe called the untidiness of the facilities 'a disgrace.'

  The billionaire and his company INEOS purchased a minority stake in the club earlier this year.

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  Ratcliffe drew issue with the club's IT Department, while throwing shade at the state of the club's youth side's tidiness as well saying “frankly the dressing rooms of U18s and U21s” were not better.

  The Billionaire said INEOS would not accept that level of uncleanliness, and that they should have higher expectations for themselves.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ratcliffe will have a major role in the recruiting process for the Red Devils this summer, both internally and externally, and is clearly working on improving the staff's standards at the club.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  The Red Devils are back in action this weekend against Crystal Palace. They'll look to pull off a result as they look to lock in a European competition spot in the EPL standings as the season winds down.

Premier League clubs have voted in favour of a proposal that would impose restrictions on spending on transfers, wages and agent fees.

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Sixteen clubs support cap proposalSpending would be anchored to bottom clubPremier League AGM is the next stepWHAT HAPPENED?

The proposal, which would limit spending for top clubs to an as yet unconfirmed multiple of the amount that the bottom side receives in television money, achieved more than the necessary majority of 14 votes. At the Premier League shareholders' meeting on Monday, it got the support of 16 of the 20 teams, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa those reported to have voted against it. Chelsea opted to abstain, as reported by Martyn Ziegler of .

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The idea is that stopping clubs from spending so freely will create a more competitive Premier League, rather than one that is dominated by only one or two extremely wealthy clubs. The 'anchoring' principle would put a ceiling on spending, with the Premier League already set to replace Profit & Sustainability rules in 2025 with a new squad cost control regulation that limits a club's spending on transfers, wages and agents fee to 85% of their total revenue. Backing for the spending cap came from those fearful of the advantages that the highest-earning clubs could have over others, as well as concerns about potential spending power from state-backed clubs.

WHAT THE PFA SAID

A spokesperson said in a statement: “We will obviously wait to see further details of these specific proposals, but we have always been clear that we would oppose any measure that would place a ‘hard’ cap on player wages. There is an established process in place to ensure that proposals like this, which would directly impact our members, must be properly consulted on.”

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In 2022/23, bottom club Southampton earned £104m from TV money, while Manchester City spent £619.5m, just under six times as much. Under the new proposal, clubs wouldn't be asked to reduce outlay from current levels, so spending limited to six times the TV earnings of the bottom club could work.

Bayern Munich managerial target Ralf Rangnick reportedly has 'concerns' about accepting the German giants' offer after confirming talks are ongoing.

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Tuchel leaving Bayern at end of the seasonEx-Man Utd boss Rangnick eyed as replacementAustrian manager has reservations about roleWHAT HAPPENED?

According to Austrian publication , the Austria national team boss has reservations about accepting Bayern's offer. The report claims the 65-year-old would only move to the Bavarians if he had a 'very important say' in transfers and the support staff and that may not be guaranteed there. SN add the Austrian Football Association is unlikely to stop Rangnick leaving after Euro 2024 this summer, so long as there is a compensation fee.

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Bayern have been struggling to find a replacement for Thomas Tuchel ever since the German announced he was stepping down from his managerial role at the end of the campaign. Xabi Alonso turned them down to stay at Bayer Leverkusen, former boss Julian Nagelsmann signed a new deal with the German national side, and now this Rangnick pursuit could be an unfruitful one, too.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite Rangnick – whose contract with Austria runs until 2026 – confirming talks have begun between himself and Bayern, thousands of fans have signed a petition calling for Tuchel to stay at the club next season. While the former Chelsea boss was flattered, he was focusing on trying to save their season.

He told reporters this week:  “Even though this topic is good for me when they [the fans] wish you to stay, it's not something that is a priority and it isn't allowed to be a priority. In the next 11 days it's only about football, nothing else."

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While talks with Rangnick are likely to continue, Harry Kane's Bayern side host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga before facing Real Madrid on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Both teams had got off to strong starts with the bat, but New Zealand’s spinners were the difference in a 54-run win

The Report by Varun Shetty15-Nov-2018World No. 3 New Zealand took their first step towards sealing third place in Group B with a comprehensive win over Pakistan. With India’s result against Ireland earlier on Thursday ruling both these teams out of the semi-final race before the match began, the tempo of the game was fast and free-flowing. But New Zealand’s batting might was backed up by their spinners in the middle overs, and after enduring a nervous start courtesy Javeria Khan in their defence of 144, New Zealand folded Pakistan rapidly to seal the 54-run win. Offspinner Jess Watkin took 3 for 9 in her four overs and was chiefly responsible for Pakistan’s slow combustion. Legspinner Amelia Kerr played support with 3 for 21.Javeria Khan on how women’s cricket in Pakistan can improve

On what the PCB can do: “Our grass-roots level is not that good, PCB are working on it. They are opening academies, and with the [development of the] grass-roots level we’ll get talent, we’ll get bench strength.
“And of course [playing] more matches [will help]. Because, as I said, if we play these kind of matches, we’ll get to know how we have to react in those situations. We are, every time, making the same mistakes. When we get these kind of matches more, then we’ll be able to cut these mistakes down.”
On domestic leagues: “I’m not sure about this. We’ll see how it goes. If it happens, it’s good for the girls. We always say that the leagues which countries have, like Australia, England and even Bangladesh, [that’s good for development].
“So if our girls get exposure from these kind of leagues, go there and play and we have our own league, it will help us. I would urge every country that they should consider Pakistan players, so that we grow at a better pace.”

Both teams were aggressive during the batting Powerplays, but New Zealand found more in their top order than Pakistan would in chase. They reverted to their traditional opening pair of Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine and it was rewarded instantly when the pair put on 59. Importantly, New Zealand didn’t let the rate fall even after Bates was dismissed, with No. 3 Amy Satterthwaite dropping anchor and allowing the more settled Devine to take on the attack. This was followed by another productive partnership between Satterthwaite and Katie Martin that kept the run rate hovering about 6.5 till the 18th over.Pakistan bowled tightly in pockets, but sloppy ground fielding and a dropped catches seemed to regularly make their way in and break any passage where they created pressure. Any success they would have with the ball was delayed, with four wickets falling in the last two overs, but even there, it was bittersweet. Martin and Maddy Green combined to make 18 runs off boundaries as New Zealand pushed to finish on 144.Pakistan’s response was energetic and almost mirrored those final overs from New Zealand’s innings; and they managed to do it without losing any wickets for three overs. Javeria and Ayesha Zafar stunned New Zealand with seven boundaries in the first three overs, and at 31 in three overs, Pakistan had brought the asking rate down dramatically. Javeria hit five of those fours, cashing on short balls from Devine and putting pressure on 18-year-old Kerr, manipulating the leg-side field, and even riding her luck with an inside edge to get three boundaries off the teenager’s first over.Javeria Khan hit six fours in her 36•IDI/Getty Images

But Zafar was caught off the glove first ball of the fourth over against Leigh Kasperek, and from there it became evident that any fight they showed would be a lone battle from Javeria. No. 3 Umaima Sohail looked out of sorts every ball of her five-ball innings till Lea Tahuhu burst through her defence in the next over, and Bismah Maroof fell to Watkin shortly after the Powerplay had ended. Pakistan were 52 for 3 in the seventh over, still a decent rate, but the new batsmen coming in took time to settle.This forced Javeria’s hand and Pakistan’s captain fell in the ninth over for a 23-ball 36 – caught off the glove, trying to reverse-sweep Watkin. Pakistan had made only five between her wicket and that of Maroof’s, in the span of two overs. And they made only one more over the next six balls when the fifth wicket fell for 58. This was the period where New Zealand’s spinners combined to squeeze the middle order who, to their credit, were still looking to score boundaries. It was just a case of being outdone by a quality spin attack on a highly conducive pitch. Very soon Pakistan realised they had no answers and the end parts of the innings became exhibitions in swinging across the line. Medium-pacer Hannah Rowe tucked in a nice little spell during that period and Kerr returned to take two wickets in the 18th over to bowl Pakistan out for 90 in their final group game.

أصدرت اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية، اليوم الإثنين، بيانا رسميا، بشأن نتائج البعثة المصرية المشاركة اليوم في منافسات دورة الألعاب الأولمبية باريس 2024.

وتخوض البعثة المصرية اليوم 29-7-2024، عدة منافسات في أولمبياد باريس، يعد أبرزها مباراة كرة اليد بين منتخب مصر مع الدنمارك.

طالع أيضًا | مواعيد مباريات ومواجهات المصريين اليوم في أولمبياد باريس.. أبرزها كرة اليد والسلاح

وتشارك مصر في أولمبياد باريس بـ148 لاعباً ولاعبة أساسيًا و16 لاعبًا احتياطيًا بإجمالي عدد لاعبين 164 لاعبًا في 22 رياضة، وتعد بعثة الفراعنة الأكبر في تاريخ العرب وإفريقيا.

وانطلقت فعاليات أولمبياد باريس بداية من يوم الجمعة 26 يوليو الجاري، وحتى يوم 11 أغسطس في مدينة باريس عاصمة فرنسا.

وأشار بيان اللجنة الأولمبية، إلى نتائج الألعاب التي خاضها اللاعبين واللاعبات المصريون صباح اليوم، كما توقعوا نتائج باقي الألعاب للاعبين المصريين التي تقام مساء اليوم، في واقعة مثيرة للجدل وغريبة من اللجنة الأولمبية.

توقعت اللجنة الأولمبية في بيانه خسارة كل علاء أبو القاسم (فردي سلاح السيف – 33عامًا – المصنف 24 عالميًا)، عبد الرحمن طلبة (فردي سلاح شيش – 17 عامًا – المصنف 18 عالميًا).

لكن رغم ذلك حقق عبد الرحمن طلبة الفوز على لاعب المجر وتأهل لدور الـ16 في منافسات سلاح الشيش. بيان اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية بشأن منافسات اللاعبين المصريين في أولمبياد باريس

وجاءت نتائج الفترة الصباحية كالتالي:

ندى حافظ (فردي سلاح السيف – 26 عامًا – المصنف 26 عالميًا)، تأهلت إلى الأولمبياد من بطولة إفريقيا وفازت على لاعبة أمريكا بنتيجة 15-13 وتأهلت لدور الـ16 ومن المتوقع وصولها لدور الـ8.

محمد حمزة (فردي سلاح السيف – 23 عامًا – المصنف 3 عالميًا)، تأهل إلى الأولمبياد من بطولة إفريقيا وفاز على لاعب بولندا بنتيجة 15-14، وتأهل لدور الـ16 ومن المتوقع وصوله لدور الـ8.

مروان القماش (فردي السباحة – 30 عامًا – المصنف 7:45:55 عالميًا)، تأهل عن طريق A Cut وودع منافسات 800 متر حرة بالمركز الثامن في التصفيات.

أحمد عبد العال ومحمد قوطة (Lmx2 التجديف – بدون تصنيف) تأهلا من بطولة إفريقيا، ودعا أولمبياد باريس بعد خسارة فرصة الترضية واحتلال المركز الأخير في المجموعة الأولى.

النتائج المتوقعة في منافسات الفترة المسائية:

علاء أبو القاسم (فردي سلاح السيف – 33عامًا – المصنف 24 عالميًا) تأهل إلى الأولمبياد من بطولة إفريقيا ويواجه بطل اليابان في دور الـ23، ومن المتوقع خسارته.

عبد الرحمن طلبة (فردي سلاح شيش – 17 عامًا – المصنف 18 عالميًا) تأهل إلى الأولمبياد من بطولة إفريقيا ويواجه لاعب المجر في دور الـ32، ومن المتوقع خسارته.

عمر عصر (فردي تنس الطاولة – 33 عامًا – المصنف 16 عالميًا) تأهل من بطولة إفريقيا، ويواجه بطل الإكوادور ومن المتوقع وصوله لدور الـ8.

استطاع فريق الداخلية تقليص الفارق وتسجيل الهدف الأول بشباك الزمالك، خلال المباراة التي تجمع بينهما حالياً ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع الداخلية على أرضية استاد السلام، ضمن مواجهات الأسبوع الـ 31 من عمر مباريات بطولة الدوري المصري.

وجاء هدف الداخلية في الدقيقة 65، عن طريق إيهاب سمير من ركلة جزاء سددها ببراعة، وتم احتسابها بعد لمسة يد على مهاب ياسر.

طالع أيضاً.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الزمالك والداخلية في الدوري المصري

وكان يوسف أوباما قد سجل الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 19 بعد خطأ من حارس مرمى الداخلية استغله عمر جابر وأرسل عرضية قابلها أوباما بتسديدة داخل الشباك.

وأحرز يوسف أوباما الهدف الثاني لـ الزمالك في الدقيقة 55، بعد كرة عرضية لداخل منطقة الجزاء من حمزة المثلوثي، حاول دفاع الداخلية تشتيتها لكنها وصلت إلى أوباما الذي سددها داخل المرمى. هدف الداخلية الأول أمام في الدوري المصري

Leeds United are currently on course to seal automatic promotion to the Premier League from the Championship at the second attempt under Daniel Farke.

A win over Sheffield United on Monday night will take them five points clear of the Blades in second place and seven points clear of Burnley in third.

Pascal Struijk’s heroics against Sunderland last time out ensured that the West Yorkshire outfit remained at the top of the division, as he came off the bench to strike twice late on at Elland Road.

Leeds’ form in the Championship this season is a credit to Farke, his coaching staff, and the recruitment team after the club lost several key players last summer.

Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara, who were all regular starters last term, were sold ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, and the Whites have adjusted brilliantly, as shown by their position in the table .

Despite losing four brilliant players, Leeds have managed to build a squad that still has a number of incredibly valuable assets – and one that is thriving on the pitch.

Leeds United's most valuable players

The Championship leaders may have lost the likes of Summerville and Rutter but their respective departures provided other stars with the chance to step up and show their value to the team.

Dan James, for example, has stepped up with an excellent return of ten goals and six assists in the Championship so far this season, and he is among the team’s most valuable players.

The Wales international is currently valued at £13.2m by Transfermarkt and only one player, Wilfried Gnonto, is worth more than him within the current squad.

As you can see in the table above, all five of the most valuable players in the squad at the moment are stars who were already at Elland Road prior to this season, which shows that previous investments made by the recruitment team are now paying off.

The Whites have made millions by investing in young talent and then selling them on for a significant profit in recent years, with Raphinha possibly being the best example of that.

Spanish giants Barcelona swooped in to secure his services for a fee of £55m in the summer of 2022, two years after Leeds had snapped him up from Rennes for a fee of £17m.

In the same summer that they signed Raphinha, in 2020, the Whites also made a move to bring a teenage forward to Elland Road from Dutch club Feyenoord as a signing for the U21 squad at first.

That player was, you guessed it, Crysencio Summerville and the young dynamo had to fight to make his way into the first-team in West Yorkshire.

Crysencio Summerville's development at Leeds United

The Whites reportedly paid a fee of just £1.3m to sign the 18-year-old attacker from Feyenoord, which meant that it was a relatively low-risk investment for the club.

Summerville linked up with the U21s in the 2020/21 campaign and caught the eye with his performances at the top end of the pitch, as he contributed with six goals and six assists in 12 appearances in the Premier League 2.

The Dutch magician was then handed his senior Premier League debut for Leeds against Newcastle in September 2021, and went on to make six appearances in the top-flight in the 2021/22 season.

Jesse Marsch made him a first-team regular, with 28 league outings, in the 2022/23 campaign but it was a year to forget from a club perspective, as they were relegated to the Championship.

As you can see in the table above, Summerville then starred in the second tier for the Whites in the following season, as he showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals on a regular basis.

The dynamic forward’s incredible form in the Championship propelled Leeds to third place in the league and to the final of the play-offs, only for the team to lose 1-0 to Southampton at Wembley – costing them promotion.

Once Leeds failed to earn promotion, via the automatic spots or the play-offs, it seemed inevitable that Summerville would be on his way out of Elland Road, which is exactly what happened.

Leeds struck gold with Crysencio Summerville

Last summer, after the Whites lost to the Saints in the capital, Premier League side West Ham United swooped in to sign the Dutch ace for a reported fee of £25m, with further add-ons that could earn Leeds more money.

Market Movers

Excluding any potential further add-ons in the future, the club made a gigantic profit on Summerville as his value soared by a staggering 1,823% during his time at Elland Road – going from £1.3m to £25m.

This shows that Leeds hit the jackpot when they signed the teenager from Feyenoord back in the summer of 2020, as they landed a brilliant player who performed superbly in the Championship, and they made a significant amount of money off his talent.

Unfortunately, though, Summerville has only scored one goal in 19 appearances in the Premier League so far this season for the Hammers, which shows that the 23-year-old star has yet to translate his second tier form over to the top-flight.

As you can see in the table above, the former Leeds magician has ranked poorly among his positional peers in the division in several key attacking statistics.

Summerville, who has been described as an “exciting” talent by pundit Frank McAvennie, still has plenty of time on his hands, at the age of 23, to develop and improve, though, and he could go on to be a success for West Ham in the future.

Sold for £7m: Leeds struck gold selling talent who's now worth just £600k

Leeds United made the right call in allowing one player to leave a couple of years ago.

By
Ethan Lamb

Feb 21, 2025

For now, however, Leeds have hit the jackpot with Summerville because they made a huge profit on him and, on current form, it does not look likely that the Hammers will go on to sell him for even more than the £25m they paid for his services.

Departing Everton with nine losses from his last 13 matches in charge, Rafa Benitez proved to be an unpopular figure as Toffees manager.

It felt like it wouldn't really work from the get-go, the Spaniard synonymous with Liverpool as manager before switching allegiances to Goodison Park – Benitez lifting the Champions League, the FA Cup and various other trophies in a celebrated spell at the Reds.

It was a doomed appointment, something that the former Everton boss has spoken on since departing the Toffees last year.

Speaking in an exclusive Sky Sports interview about his troubled time at the Toffees, Benitez admitted that his prior connections to Liverpool made the job a difficult one.

He said: "So I realised we had to change things inside, but I couldn't do it straight away because I was a former Red and it could be seen as 'oh, he's come in to change our club'."

It was no surprise, therefore, when the manager was given the boot from the club in January last year.

The Toffees would go on a torrid run under the reign of the Spanish head coach, only winning one match between matchday seven and matchday twenty-two of the Premier League season.

Shortlisted names to take over from the unpopular figure were former Toffees players Wayne Rooney and Duncan Ferguson who was already with Everton, whilst rumours surrounding Frank Lampard would come true with the ex-Chelsea man appointed.

Yet, another fancied name on the shortlist could well have been the uplifting appointment Everton needed at the time; Graham Potter.

Did Everton almost appoint Graham Potter?

According to The Argus, Potter's name appeared on the Toffees shortlist for a new manager after Benitez's exit.

Everton would have hoped to tempt Potter away from Brighton to join Everton at the time, Brighton and Hove Albion absolutely flying when the rumours began to surface.

It wasn't to materialise however, a story of what could have been for the Merseyside club who continued to struggle under the short-term tenure of caretaker manager Ferguson and then Lampard after him.

How good was Potter at Brighton?

Potter would stay with the Seagulls and achieve unprecedented success for the club, finishing ninth in the Premier League during the 2021/22 season – shrugging off any outside noise linking him with a move away to clinch Brighton's best-ever top-flight finish at the time.

The 48-year-old would win plaudits for the attractive football he made his Brighton sides play, getting the best out of his talents which included Alexis Mac Allister, Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard.

It would lead to Potter joining Chelsea at the start of the 2022/23 season, the Blues poaching the ex-Swansea City boss from the Seagulls having been labelled a "genius" for his exploits on the south coast.

Whilst Brighton have gone on leaps and bounds with their next manager in Roberto De Zerbi – European football now being played with Ansu Fati even playing for the Seagulls now – Potter's reputation took a battering as Chelsea manager.

He would leave Stamford Bridge with a mere 12 wins from 31 games played, a bruising experience for the man who enjoyed so much success with Brighton before leaving for London.

Could his career have turned out differently if he opted to join Everton? Could he have been the heroic manager Everton needed in their time of crisis after Benitez's exit from the club?

All those questions are up in the air, but Everton fans certainly wouldn't have minded Potter joining the club at the time. If his record against Dyche speaks for anything, he's certainly better tactically, boasting an 85% win record from seven matches.

Everton ended that interminable wait for a first Premier League victory of the season with a resounding performance in London on Saturday evening, defeating Brentford 3-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Having struggled through the maiden stage of the campaign, the Toffees finally clinched three points at the sixth time of asking to ascend from the relegation zone and pave the foundation of what could be the resurgence that the club's passionate support has been yearning for.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been fraught with injuries over the past few years but his late goal to cherry-top the display signals promise indeed, replacing the impressive Beto in the second half, who looks a zestful, imposing presence up top.

Abdoulaye Doucoure opened the scoring with a trademark half-volley, while captain and star centre-back James Tarkowski reclaimed the lead in the second half after Mathias Jensen initially restored the balance for the under-par home side.

How did James Tarkowski perform vs Brentford?

Tarkowski donned the armband once again this season and continues to look the centrepiece of the Merseyside outfit's bid for survival.

Assisting Doucoure's opening strike, you'd be forgiven for assuming that the defender's offensive contribution had been wrapped up, but for an assertive header from Dwight McNeil's cross that punished the Bees for their poor protection of Mark Flekken's goal.

Lauded for his "dominant" display by The Athletic's Patrick Boyland, Tarkowski secured a stunning 9.0 match rating – as per Sofascore – complementing his attacking performance with four clearances; an incredible rate of success in the air (winning 8/9) aerial battles); making four key passes; and completing 78% of his passes.

An incredible performance, all the more remarkable when considering the Goodison Park side bagged his signature on a free transfer last year upon the expiry of his contract with Burnley.

How did Abdoulaye Doucoure perform vs Brentford?

While the centre-half, aged 30, produced an all-encompassing display for the ages and rightfully will have observers effusively praising such a match, Doucoure was equally integral as the turbo-charged engine in midfield, driving the ball into promising phases of play and crucially opening the scoring early on to set the Blues on their way.

The Malian ace took 59 touches and completed 82% of his passes, also hitting the woodwork soon after to precede Jensen's strike to restore parity.

Making an interception and clearance apiece and creating one key pass, the £120k-per-week phenom continually proves his worth with his power and robustness in the centre, and Everton manager Sean Dyche will thank the heavens that he commands such a persuasive presence on the pitch.

Losing possession 17 times, the "excellent" – as hailed by Boyland – Doucoure was perhaps not the slickest with the ball on this occasion but influenced the game and utilised his energy and positivity to dictate the flow with a flourish; on another evening, he might've waltzed out of the capital with the match ball in tow.

Having now scored twice this season, Doucoure looks set for another prominent role in Everton's squad, and while the result over Brentford is the first of many hours of toil on the pitch if seasonal goals are to be achieved, they must use the win as a launchpad, continuing to entrust their prized central cog with license to wreak havoc.