Football is truly one mad game and the reason Everton came away from Manchester City with a valuable point was because the players kept their composure even after going behind.
When Erling Haaland put the Premier League champions 1-0 up it could have been easy for the floodgates to have opened. But the side showed desire, intensity and hunger and managed to earn a really important draw.
It was a great result and I was absolutely made up the travelling fans were able to walk away from the Etihad Stadium with something to cheer about - I know it can hard for players, but even more so for supporters.
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As an ex-player, I have thought a lot about how I would have approached the game during my career. When you are going up against the best team in the league you have got to show a bit of pride in your performance, have belief and have confidence in your own ability. You have to understand you are going to have bad moments but when they happen you have to stop yourself from panicking and you must not go off script - which you can easily end up doing by trying too hard. I thought Everton's success came from sticking to the job at hand, helping each other out and still trying to get forward when they could - which they had several chances to do beyond the attack for Demarai Gray's goal.
We drew against the champions and, if we had had a little more composure in certain moments, we may have nicked all three points. Frank Lampard and the lads will be disappointed with the goal they conceded - leaving Haaland unmarked and six yards out is asking for trouble. Like a lot of Blues I was concerned what the score would be and even more so when that went in. Yet after the goal the players deserve real credit because they stuck to their plans and did what Everton fans want them to do - show pride in wearing the shirt.
Of course we rode our luck against a top team who threw everything at us but the players did not make it easy for Man City. For too many seasons Everton have been too nice and let other teams dictate games. Against Man City they were up for it and they now need to carry that same level of intensity and desire into every game, including against Brighton and Hove Albion. The fans were brilliant on Saturday and they can again inspire the players back at Goodison Park.
Frank's post match comments after the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers [in which he suggested an 'edginess' as Everton sought a winner may have had an impact on the players in the final minutes] baffled a few people. I get it, but also I fully understand his views. Everton, right now, are not where we want to be on and off the pitch. But we can’t expect things to change overnight, so we need to trust the process which may be slow and long-winded. Surely, though, it’s the avenue we need to go down after our recent history. We all know after last year that this group of players need each and every one of our fans in full voice to push for that extra percentage points which made the difference last season.
Yes, of course we pay our money to be entertained, and I’m sure many season ticket holders are probably only still holding on to be on the list for the new stadium. But our Grand Old Lady won’t be here for long and we need to make the most of it. If the worst did happen, nobody connected to the club wins. Football is a results-based business - that’s on Frank and the players to grab as many points as possible. Now let’s hope that performance will give the lads plenty of confidence and belief to start 2023 with a win against Brighton. That result and display shows how, when you are working hard and not switching off, you can get points on the board.
*Happy New Year to all my readers, and thank you once again for all your positive feedback over the last 12 months
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