Richarlison kills off Blades’ Euro dream
THERE were only 80 seconds on the clock when Richarlison crashed to the floor and Carlo Ancelotti turned away in exasperation.
Was this going to be another one of those nights? Everton’s manager has been frustrated by the way his leading striker has been treated recently, with a succession of teams subjecting him to persistent heavy challenges.
Stopping Richarlison has meant stopping Everton.
Ancelotti’s irritation with Richarlison, though, has also been brought on in part by the player himself. His last two performances, against Wolves and Aston Villa, were so disappointing they earned a summons from the Italian that concluded with the words — you must do better.
Perhaps Ancelotti was concerned, then, that an early tumble would lead to Richarlison drifting away to the periphery. As it turned out, however, the flea in the ear ensured Everton’s No 7 became a thorn in Sheffield United’s side — scrapping, snarling and, eventually, scoring.
Richarlison had a running battle with George Baldock, going noseto-nose with the United defender at times and pushing him in the back once in the second half, which led Gylfi Sigurdsson to bellow: ‘Richy, Richy! Calm down!’ and earned the striker a booking.
‘He has a warm character,’ said Ancelotti, referring to Richarlison’s capacity to occasionally boil over. ‘Sometimes he can lose control. But he is really focused inside the box. When he is in there, he is cold. We want him to be cold outside the box, too.
‘His performance was really good. He scored a goal — that is the most important thing. It is true that the defenders are really strong and really tough on him sometimes. It is not unusual they try to stop players of his quality.’
Richarlison’s glancing header from Sigurdsson’s free-kick, early in the second period, was enough to settle this contest and give Everton a much-needed win.
It was their first in five matches and they owed Ancelotti this doughty performance. The first half was a charmless affair but Everton’s stoicism kept their hosts at bay with Michael Keane a commanding presence, guiding 18-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite.
They had the best chance, too, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s header thudded against the post.
‘This spirit was really good,’ said Ancelotti, who has previously queried his team’s attitude. ‘The key thing was the fighting spirit and concentration we had all the game. This is what I wanted to see. I’m really pleased. It was a totally different attitude, totally different concentration.’
Sheffield boss Chris Wilder had been hoping for a grandstand finish to the campaign but his team never got going and every time they got close to Everton’s goal, the outstanding Keane put his head or foot in the way.
European qualification is now beyond Wilder’s men but that fact should not detract from what has been a superb season in which his club’s reputation has been richly enhanced.
‘We are going toe-to-toe with established Premier League clubs,’ said Wilder. ‘Just look at the manager Everton have and the players they have. They were delighted with the result and our players were disappointed. That reaction says a lot.
‘I am looking at what the players give me every game. They should not be embarrassed by any sort of performance or result. We want to finish the season on a high and get a result at Southampton.’
SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): Henderson 6; Basham 6 (Zivkovic 82min), Egan 6, O’Connell 6; Baldock 5, Berge 5, Norwood 5 (Lundstram 69, 6), Osborn 6 (Sharp 60, 6), Stevens 6; McBurnie 5 (Fleck 60, 5), McGoldrick 5. Subs not used: Jagielka, K Freeman, Robinson, Clarke, Moore. Booked: Norwood. Manager: Chris Wilder 6. EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford 7; Sidibe 6, KEANE 8, Branthwaite 7, Digne 6.5; Gomes 7.5, Davies 6; Walcott 6.5 (Gordon 84), Sigurdsson 7 (Coleman 88), Richarlison 7.5; Calvert-Lewin 7. Subs not used: Stekelenburg, Baines, Iwobi, Bernard, Baningime, Simms, Virginia. Scorer: Richarlison 46. Booked: Davies, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison. Manager: Carlo Ancelotti 7. Referee: Stuart Attwell 6.