With Gerard Deulofeu now an Everton player once again, what were his stand out moments from his last spell on Merseyside in 2013-14? Here’s ours, have we missed anything?
5) League Cup game v Fulham, Craven Cottage, 24 September 2013
A game which Everton should have won, Deulofeu was excellent, creating numerous chances for his teammates and himself. He set up Steven Naismith’s opener and was a constant threat, almost scoring on a couple of occasions. Somehow the blues lost 2-1, but Deulofeu’s display of direct running and creative flair was a joy watch, and offered a glimpse of the potential that the youngster has.
4) Goal v Cardiff City, Goodison Park, 15 March, 2014
With Cardiff keeper David Marshall in seemingly unbeatable form it looked as if Everton wouldn’t be able to find a way through, until Deulofeu turned smartly past his marker and fired a shot passed the Scot, with the help of a deflection, to give the blues a deserved lead. It highlighted the youngester’s ability to do the unexpected and break down stubborn defences.
3) First league start v Stoke City, Goodison Park, 30 November 2013
As the games started to come thick and fast going into the winter months, Roberto Martinez decided to start rotating his squad, and gave Deulofeu his first league start against Stoke. It was an inspired move, as the young Spaniard ran riot, scoring one and assisting another as the blues ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. It went some way to answering the eternal question, ‘could Barcelona play against Stoke?’ It wasn’t quite a Tuesday night at the Britannia, but the answer was a resounding yes.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18h3dd_gerard-deulofeu-vs-stoke_sport
2) Tweet after game v Crystal Palace was called off, 12 February, 2014
The home game v Crystal Palace was postponed due to safety concerns after high winds caused damage to a building near Goodison. Deulofeu proceeded to inform fans of the postponement, only to make a slight grammatical error, “@gerardeulofeu Game off today! Very very wind…” The absence of one letter transformed the tweet into something more comical than it probably should have been, but it only served to endear him to Evertonians even more.
1) Goal v Arsenal, Emirates Stadium, 8 December, 2013
Surely his best moment in an Everton shirt. Having played Arsenal off the park for most of the game, Everton found themselves undeservedly behind after Mesut Ozil converted Theo Walcott’s cross. The blues appeared to be heading for another narrow defeat against the Gunners, until Deulofeu collected a cross from Bryan Oviedo and unleashed an effort goalwards, beating Wojciech Szczesny an earning Everton a deserved point.
