THE GOLD STANDARD
Ancelotti knew Calvert-Lewin was good enough, but to have a chance to win the golden boot HAS come as a shock
BURNLEY 1
Brady 3
EVERTON 1
Calvert-Lewin 45+3
IT is to Carlo Ancelotti’s credit and innate modesty he admits Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been something of “a surprise” to him this season.
Not because he did not think he was up to the standards required. He did. More in the sheer number of goals delivered.
Yet after his equaliser brought another precious point for Everton, the muchd e c o ra t ed coach suggested if he continues in a similar vein the biggest surprise of all might still be to come. Calvert-Lewin has now scored 11 goals in a 11match Premier League campaign to put himself in line for the Golden Boot. And if he can maintain anything like those standards, he is l ooking well past 20 which would put himself right in the mix for an accolade for which he was a 100-1 shot on the opening day of the season.
“I hope so for him but for us also,” said Ancelotti ( below), when asked whether he might stay on top.
“The important thing for him is to have consistency. He’s a fantastic striker but I honestly didn’t expect this kind of consistency to score goals.”
Calvert- Lewin’s first- half equaliser, cancelling out a fine early strike from
C l arets midfielder Robbie Brady, was a proper No.9’s goal.
A right time, right run, right place tap-in after Richarlison had done well to whizz a ball across the six-yard box from the left.
But it added to a growing body of work which has now single-handedly delivered 12 points for Everton this season and without which they would be below Burnley with five points in the relegation zone.
“He’s scoring every game. It’s so important for us,” said Ancelotti of a striker signed by former manager Ronald Koeman for the loose change of £1.62million from Sheffield United in August 2016.
“It is his movement in the box that is really outstanding and he has really improved.
“Yes, it’s a big surprise to me but I hope it will be another big surprise at the end of the season.”
Burnley manager Sean Dyche might wonder where his side would be in the table if they had Calvert-Lewin within their ranks. The Clarets boss instead chose to highlight that this performance was the latest building block in a run of form – Manchester City’s drubbing aside– which is starting to reveal their true colours.
That Burnley were hardworking and collegiate is not surprising – but that they took the lead perhaps was.
Since scoring two goals in their seasonal opener in defeat against Leicester in September, Burnley have gone binary on Dyche with a run of 010000101 in the goals plus column in 10 games.
Whether they can remain in the top flight without a more regular goal haul is very much open to question though, and dependent on whether three others faring worse.
Either way an experienced loan signing in January to boost a forward line which failed to convert the biggest chances they created must be the priority for Dyche going into December.
“Scoring goals is the hardest job in the game so as long as they are getting in the positions and getting in the right areas goals will come for these strikers,” said Dyche in their defence.
“We just have to keep putting them in with a chance and they get into the areas.
“I was happy with the attacking side but I’m not naive, we still have to turn these performances into wins.
“You can’t luck out in the Premier League.”