Only a few minutes before the screech of the full-time whistle, Liverpool‘s fans were cheering. “We’ve won the league at Goodison Park,” they belted. Everton were heading toward defeat.
James Tarkowski said no. The skipper stepped up and rifled a howitzer of a shot into Alisson’s net. Cue the pandemonium.
It’s a credit to David Moyes‘ impact that Iliman Ndiaye was forced off with an injury before 30 minutes had been clocked, and the Toffees still put in a performance for the ages.
Iliman Ndiaye’s importance at Everton
Everton signed Ndiaye from Marseille in a deal worth £15m last summer. The Senegal winger has notched eight goals from 28 matches in all competitions, making him the club’s top scorer for the term.
BBC Sport’s Oluwashina Okeleji has hailed him as “Everton’s standout performer this season,” marrying goals with an intoxicating dribbling ability, ranking among the top 8% of Premier League wingers this year for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Ndiaye’s injury only reinforced the new belief within Moyes’ system, for Everton continued to land the heavier blows against Liverpool before Mohamed Salah’s sucker punch.
Still, he’s been a force to be reckoned with since moving to Merseyside. However, believe it or not, there was a player under the Goodison Park lights on Wednesday who might have been performing in his stead. He was wearing red.
The Liverpool superstar who Everton wanted
Rafa Benitez’s short and sour stint in the Goodison Park dugout is long forgotten by those at Everton, but he wasn’t just unable to connect with the fanbase – he also made a huge mistake in the transfer market.
In 2023, former Everton sporting director Marcel Brands revealed to Dutch newspaper Sportwerald that he had pushed to sign Porto’s Luis Diaz but saw his attempts foiled by Benitez.
He said: “I wanted to install my philosophy and structure in the Club that would allow Everton to progress, but the decisions from above did not allow it. In the summer of 2021, we were looking to bring Luis Diaz from Porto.”
“I was working hard to get James Rodriguez to go to Porto as part of the deal that would bring Diaz to the Club, however, Rafa Benitez ruled against it because he was not sure about the player.”
This must be incredibly frustrating for those of a Blue persuasion when looking at who the Spanish tactician welcomed to the fold instead: Demarai Gray.
Diaz, 28, joined Liverpool for £39m months later in January 2022 and has since been a centrepiece of Anfield’s trophy-winning unit, with Barcelona known admirers for a winger who has been marked with a £67m price tag. Just think of what could have been.
|
Premier League 24/25 – Luis Diaz vs Iliman Ndiaye |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90) |
||
|
Goals scored |
0.47 |
0.29 |
|
xG (expected goals) |
0.40 |
0.13 |
|
Assists |
0.12 |
0.00 |
|
Shots taken |
2.79 |
1.15 |
|
Shot-creating actions |
4.27 |
2.54 |
|
Pass completion |
84.6% |
80.9% |
|
Progressive passes |
4.04 |
1.82 |
|
Progressive carries |
3.68 |
3.40 |
|
Successful take-ons |
1.96 |
2.78 |
|
Touches (att pen) |
6.17 |
3.12 |
|
Stats via FBref |
||
They are actually cut from the same stylistic cloth, with Ndiaye matching Diaz’s clinical output (in outperforming his xG) while maintaining a crisp pass completion rate that belies his role in Everton’s counter-attacking team. Moreover, he’s about as competent a ball-carrier.
However, he’s not as refined, intelligent or potent as Liverpool’s Colombian star yet, who has scored 12 goals and supplied three assists across all competitions this term.
Benitez’s blunder has been vindicated through the signing of Ndiaye, who is surfing the crest of a wave on Merseyside this season. However, Diaz and the financial security that could have come with his signing is something that will sting – and provide another layer to the resentment around a miserable managerial appointment.
Related
His value has risen £35m: Everton will rue selling “monster” Ndiaye upgrade
This former Everton talent has turned into a superstar of a player.
