Everton now have two 'rapid risers' in squad as Sean Dyche unlocks another player
Many of football’s great left-footed maestros can’t use their right peg for much more than standing on but Everton’s Vitalii Mykolenko kept up his recent upsurge in form with an expertly improvised finish on his weaker side – it’s just a shame it didn’t prove to be a winner as Brighton & Hove Albion equalised late on with a deflected effort of their own.
Okay, the Ukraine international got a slice of good fortune as visiting captain Lewis Dunk tangled a leg to direct the ball into the net past his own keeper Bart Verbruggen but it was a shot on target from the full-back whose quick feet and quick thinking were rewarded after his initial effort had been blocked.
It was the least he deserved after making a run to overlap and get into a position where he could hurt his opponents.
RATINGS: Everton player ratings as Mykolenko and four others good in draw vs Brighton
AS IT HAPPENED: Everton vs Brighton final score, highlights and reaction
While others have perhaps gained more attention, Mykolenko – who started the season nursing an injury – has quietly been one of the most-improved members of Sean Dyche’s side in recent weeks and the goal (hopefully he gets to keep it and double his tally for Everton after breaking his duck with a ‘worldie’ at Leicester City 18 months ago) was the culmination of this impressive upsurge.
Snapped up for £17million from Dynamo Kyiv just days before Rafael Benitez – who had fallen out with Aston Villa-bound Lucas Digne – was sacked, it’s been a challenging start in England both on and off the pitch for Mykolenko with the war breaking out in his homeland a few weeks later following the Russian invasion.
Despite having one of the best left-backs in Premier League history as his first team coach in
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