OPINION
Everton produced a dogged performance that delighted their supporters as they held fierce rivals Liverpool to a goalless draw at Goodison Park on Sunday.
One of the stars of the show was undoubtedly central midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, who put in a display that demonstrated just how vital he is to this Toffees team.
If ever there was an indication of how crucial it is that he’s kept at the club, this was it. The Senegal international was linked by Sky Sports with a move to French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain in January. Ultimately Everton were able to keep him at the club, and this sort of performance was an example of why the Toffees fought so hard to retain him.
He is a remarkable footballer and is really one of a kind for a team of Everton’s stature. He would be incredibly difficult to replace and we saw that on Sunday.
Liverpool really struggled to break Marco Silva’s team down, and much of that was down to the fine displays of Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin in central midfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasing outfit simply weren’t able to get a foothold on the game and that was because of how well Gueye, in particular, patrolled the middle of the park.
His tenacity and defensive nous meant that the Reds really couldn’t settle and you could see the frustration he and his team mates were causing their opponents as the game wore on.
Again, this sort of performance is why Gueye must be kept at the club moving forward. Who knows if PSG will come back in for him in the summer or not but, regardless, it’s absolutely paramount that the former Aston Villa man remains at Goodison Park for the foreseeable future.