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Post by Everton News. on Oct 15, 2016 20:17:08 GMT
Ronald Koeman hailed the heroic performance of Maarten StekelenburgRonald Koeman hailed the heroic performance of Maarten Stekelenburg after the goalkeeper saved two penalties to help Everton earn a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. The Holland international first denied Kevin de Bruyne from the spot on the stroke of half-time to ensure parity at the interval. The Blues then took the lead courtesy of Romelu Lukaku’s sensational solo effort, before Stekelenburg saved from 12 yards again - this time from Sergio Aguero - five minutes later. The 34-year-old custodian was eventually beaten by substitute Nolito’s header, but then produced another world class save to thwart De Bruyne and ensure the Toffees would leave the Etihad Stadium with a hard-fought point. “Maybe the goalkeeper played his best game ever,” Koeman said. “We know Maarten is a very good goalkeeper but to save two penalties and two more shots from De Bruyne was fantastic. “Of course, you need luck to get a good result but I think we got the result today because the fighting spirit of the team was unbelievable. That’s what we needed because they are the best team that I have played against in my managerial career. “I am pleased with the point. We didn’t deserve more, I know, but football is unpredictable and the key today was the belief and work-rate of the players. “It was good to show the fighting spirit after just two days of preparation [after the international break]. The intensity of the whole game was unbelievably high. We did not get a second when we were on the ball. I’ve mentioned it several times to our team that we need this because this is football, the highest level of European football.” Fresh from scoring for Belgium against Bosnia & Herzegovina during the international break, Lukaku netted his sixth domestic goal of the campaign in impressive fashion. Koeman added: “We know Romelu is one of the best strikers because he is strong, he keeps the ball and, normally, if he gets a chance he scores. “In the one-v-one situation, how he finished that chance today was world class.”
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Post by Everton News. on Oct 15, 2016 20:20:13 GMT
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Post by Everton News. on Oct 15, 2016 21:00:44 GMT
Stekelenburg matches 95-year Everton recordDouble penalty save from Blues keeper is historic momentMaarten Stekelenburg made history in Everton’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City by becoming the first Blues keeper to save two penalties in a match in 95 years. The Dutch international saved from Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero either side of half time as Ronald Koeman’s side ended City’s 100% home record this season. It is a feat that had not been achieved by an Everton keeper since Tommy Fern saved two penalties in Everton’s 2-1 win at Sunderland on Boxing Day 1921. In fact it is only the eighth time in Premier League history that a keeper has managed to stop two spot kicks in a single game. Stekelenburg had come under scrutiny after a disappointing performance for his country in midweek. But he produced the finest performance of his Everton career at the Etihad to maintain Everton’s impressive defensive record under Koeman. The 34-year-old was powerless to stop Nolito heading City on terms but he more than played his part in an impressive rearguard action from the Toffees. Though City dominated posession for large parts, Everton’s back four managed to limit them to half chances until Phil Jagielka brought down David Silva inside the box just before half time. De Bruyne sent the ball to Stekelenburg’s left and the Dutch keeper got down to save and keep his side on terms. Shortly after half time, Stekelenburg denied Kelechi Iheanacho with a smart save before Romelu Lukaku put Everton ahead. Within minutes, however, Jagielka gave away another penalty after bringing down Aguero. The Argentine substitute stepped up to take the penalty but Stekelenburg was again able to guess right and make the save. As Everton sought to hold on to a precious point, the Dutch goalkeeper was at full stretch to prevent Kevin De Bruyne atoning for his earlier penalty miss. The result means Everton have only conceded six league goals this season and keeps them four points off league leaders City. Liv Echo
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Post by Jeffers Jugs on Oct 17, 2016 15:29:54 GMT
i thought we were going to steal it but they deserved the win all said and done. the usual nods to our individual performances apply but we struggled as a team again, if we leave barkley out we need to put somebody better than cleveley in
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Post by evertonfan1968 on Oct 17, 2016 22:21:33 GMT
It's important to remember that Koeman has had just 8 games to steady the ship, and one transfer window. Manchester City are probably the best team in the league, and we played them at their place, so a draw is a good result. As for performance, I doubt many teams will perform well against them, as they're too good, so don't judge anything on today. I agree we can't take too much out of today, but we're now 8 games into the season, and what I'm seeing is a team that can't keep the ball like we did under Martinez, and can't get up for a game, like we did under Moyes. I think we 'are' becoming more like Stoke every day as mentioned. When Martinez took over in his first season we did very well. We had the same number of points after 8 games as we do now. We've let less in, but scored the same.
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