It was the highlight of my career - but I don't want Everton to need another hero

The thumping half volley that sent Goodison Park wild may be the favourite goal of Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure’s career, but it is not a moment he wants to relive.

“No I don’t want to be that man again,” he smiles as he recalls a split second of magic that he has watched time and again but still barely remembers. “You never knew what could happen... It’s not something we want to repeat.”

That strike, the winning goal against Bournemouth and one that kept Everton in the Premier League, was a career defining highlight that sealed his name into the club’s folklore. As special as it was, it was the high stakes that provided the added importance and the 31-year-old does not want the club he loves to face such jeopardy yet again.

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Recalling the pressure of that match, the final game of last season, Doucoure revealed the stress has clouded his recollection. Footage from the day may show him wheeling away as nearly 40,000 souls rise around him, but he was only able to enjoy it briefly such was the demand on the players to protect that lead and, with it, the club’s top-flight status.

He said: “I remember it a little bit, not too much because at that time there is too much going on in your head - all of the season, all the problems I had, all these kind of things - we think about everything and that was one big relief. Maybe I had that for one or two minutes but then after that it was that ‘we must not concede another goal, we need to win this game’. There was so much going on at that time but obviously it was a great, great memory.”

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