Onana shines
One of the biggest moments of Everton’s draw with Brentford eventually came in the second half. Demarai Gray was played through on goal and found himself one-on-one with David Raya, but he couldn't get his shot away quickly enough and eventually the chance went begging.
But, that all came from the work of Amadou Onana in central midfield. Someone who, by the time the game reached that point, didn't seem at all like a player who was making only his first Premier League start.
Blues fans have undoubtedly been excited to get their first proper glimpse of the summer signing in league action but to this point had been, rightly, reminded that he's a young player who still needs to adapt to the new division and country he finds himself in. He might have already shown impressive leadership qualities in training, but it was thought it might take more time for him to earn that place in the line-up.
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Perhaps Frank Lampard's decision was forced by fitness issues of other midfielders, perhaps he was so enamoured by a promising display against Fleetwood Town in midweek that he felt it was time to roll the dice. Regardless, any gamble paid off.
He might have had a shaky start in getting up to the speed of what proved to be a hectic match, but by the time he found his stride he established himself as one of Everton’s best players.
He was combative in the challenge, quick to ask for possession from his centre backs, and smart in when to try and burst forwards or be more conservative with the ball. That really came to a head in the second half as his delightfully-weighted through ball found the path of Gray, and he should really have claimed an assist.
Shortly before that he'd set Everton on the attack in a very different way, making a robust challenge near the halfway line to win the ball despite the anger of the home fans who thought it was a foul.
It was an all-round display from the midfielder in the end, showing both promising attacking and defensive qualities. Its important not to get carried away with a solid performance as he may he well peaks and troughs in the coming weeks and months, but this was the kind of display Everton signed him for.
Fine tune those good qualities and the Blues will look all the better for it.
Maupay need
It might feel like groundhog day to talk about Everton’s situation up front at this stage, but it's still a clear issue. Again on Saturday, a lack of a focal point at the top end of the pitch seemed a key aspect of the visitors' struggles to put more chances away.
The term "focal point", by the way, might not always refer to a "target man". A striker can still lead the line and be a key factor at the tip of his side without being someone to lump long balls forward to.
And that's where you would hope, for now at least, Neal Maupay will fit in. Unfortunately the Blues missed the deadline to have their new forward registered before the deadline to make him available for Brentford, but if he had it would have been interesting to see if he'd have started the game.
Dwight McNeil, Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon are a fluid unit at the top end of the pitch - in the sense that they can easily switch positions between each other. On paper, you can see the benefits of that, but in practice it doesn't necessarily work for Everton.
Mainly, that's because none of the trio are ultimately very comfortable playing through the middle. All of them prefer to be out on the flank and cutting inside, or attempting to get to the byline, rather than occupying centre-backs for 90 minutes.
Maupay, on the other hand, can certainly do that. He's adept at challenging through the centre of the pitch with a mix of physicality and quality which has earned him 26 Premier League goals in his career already.
He won't be a Salomon Rondon or Dominic Calvert-Lewin style of target for the centre-backs to throw long balls towards, but he doesn't actually need to be. He can lead the line in his own way, and that can in term hopefully bring the best out of those playing either side of him too.
Lampard confirmed that Maupay was in training on Saturday rather than being in Brentford, and fingers crossed that means he can start against Leeds United in midweek. Everton need him.
Important perspective
Realistically, Everton didn't deserve to win this match. Granted the Gray chance could have seen them seal the win and there were a few more half-opportunities throughout the game - but Brentford carried a lot of threat as well.
A draw was probably a fair result on the balance of things. The hosts might have thought they should have won, but they were just as wasteful with their chances.
But a crucial point to remember is that Everton would certainly have lost a match like that last season. Perhaps they'd have been beaten quite comfortably.
Instead, they kept their heads and in the end will be very disappointed to have conceded in the manner they did. It's far from perfect right now and there's many improvements to be made, but there are positive signs to take from these performances as well.
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- Graham Potter reveals why Brighton sanctioned Neal Maupay transfer to Everton
