Richarlison’s Everton debut one for the ages

The signs were there in the preseason games.

Ever since Richarlison pulled on the royal blue shirt in the second half of the friendly against Blackburn and immediately sparked the attack, Everton fans knew we had a real livewire on their hands. His first goal came in the next game against Rennes and was very good on his preseason Goodison debut too against Valencia, winning over fans after the game staying back to take pictures and sign autographs until the ground was virtually empty.

Then there was yesterday, where from his first touch to the last, he oozed class and showed exactly why Marco Silva values him as highly as he does. Whether he had the ball or not, Richarlison always seemed to be in a position where he could make a difference, and his work ethic was very clearly displayed late in the game when after a turnover higher up the pitch, Wolves pushed down their left and we saw the Brazilian haring back even on tired legs to help defuse the situation.

Speaking after the game to evertonfc.com, the winger was thrilled with his debut showing -

“It is a very happy day for me and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I have to thank my colleagues because we had to run double with one man less after the red card.

“It is a very special day for me. I am happy with the team and very happy also because it is the first time in my career I won man of the match.”

WhoScored.com

Richarlison had 54 touches yesterday, including two shots both resulting in goals, but his contributions on the defensive front were certainly noticeable on the stat sheet - five aerials won, three tackles, one interception, one clearance and one blocked shot. He came off on 86 minutes for another debutant, Lucas Digne, to hold down the fort with the game tied at two.

“We worked very hard and I will always give everything I have on the pitch. That is the way I like to play so you can count on my hard work.

“I am used to training and playing at a really intense level. We have to be happy with our effort and look forward to the next match with confidence.”

Evertonians are not used to having wingers who track back and work as hard in either half of the pitch, so this is great to see.