OPINION
Everton registered a morale boosting 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, and there was one player who was definitely at the heart of it.
That player is Richarlison, who for the first time in weeks, looked like his usual self again after contributing to the scoresheet. The 21-year-old has suffered an indifferent time lately, but that now looks to be firmly behind him going into the international break.
In the previous two matches against Newcastle and Liverpool, the Brazilian ace made zero impact and did not look at all like the player the Toffees had signed last summer. This was no doubt very worrying for boss Marco Silva, who was certainly concerned about the form one of his star players was in.
After nodding in his header on Sunday, Richarlison looked like a completely transformed player. His energy levels rose suddenly, and soon he became an absolute menace for the Chelsea defence to cope with. So far, so good.
He then won the penalty which led to the second goal – and as quick as that, fans had the old Richarlison back again. They will definitely welcome him with open arms after the period of inconsistency that both him and the team have put up with recently.
Many Everton fans should be absolutely thrilled that Richarlison changed his ways against the Blues. He now has 12 Premier League goals in his first season at Goodison Park, and that is something to build upon in the next campaign.
The Toffees’ next match may not be for a while due to the international break taking place, but it is safe to say that Silva is mightily relieved that the £90,000-a-week [Spotrac] ace is back to his best.
He has certainly changed for the better, and fans will have their fingers crossed that he stays that way.