Michael Keane had the Gwladys Street bouncing. Again.
His last minute rocket against Tottenham Hotspur was his first strike for Everton since he showcased his skill in front of goal with the volley that kickstarted the comeback against Crystal Palace. That effort helped to save Everton from relegation last season, his latest could be vital in protecting the club’s Premier League status this year.
It was a goal of the season contender that capped Keane’s ascendancy under Sean Dyche, the 30-year-old having gone from sixth choice centre-back to first choice in just weeks. But was it a fluke? In short, no. Not when you hear what his teammates have to say.
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Speaking after the 25-yard strike that salvaged a deserved draw for Everton, Seamus Coleman was one of the first to suggest there was more to the goal than simply luck. He said: "I think if you speak to lads around the training ground we always say Michael Keane is one of the best finishers at the club. It was an unbelievable goal from him. He has got serious technique. In the finishing drills, I'm not just saying it, but you do see similar goals from him - he's got that much ability in front of goal. I'm delighted for him. Keano is a great lad, we all love him."
Coleman’s claims are backed up by evidence. Club training footage uploaded to social media has highlighted Keane’s finishing ability - as referred to by Ben Godfrey on Twitter after the match. Another defender who has received a fresh opportunity under the new manager, he wrote: “I’ve seen Keano do them sort of things most weeks, finisher! Deserved, buzzing for him.”
When the ECHO sat down with Neal Maupay in Sydney during the World Cup break, the subject of Keane came up - the striker explaining: "So when we do a finishing drill, we have always got Keano with us and for a centre-back he is outstanding. He is very, very good. And I've got to say him [as the best finisher] because centre-backs, usually they can't score, or they can but not with their feet. Yet when we do finishing drills and do touch and finish, Keano will just go top, top right, top left, bottom right, bottom left, just for fun."
Keane's latest strike was his 12th goal in his 194th match for the Blues. It came after a rollercoaster display in which he gave away a penalty but refused to let his head drop and fought to the final whistle. In one of his best displays since he returned to the side for the away trip to Arsenal, he cleared a Harry Kane shot off the line, drew Lucas Moura into the foul that led to his red card and then unleashed his match-saving, point-winning piledriver.
It was a fitting end to a matchday that started with Keane on the front page of the programme after his rise from the periphery of Frank Lampard’s squad to a key cog within Dyche’s first eleven. It came after his assist for Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal at Nottingham Forest and a missed header at Chelsea that had haunted him over the international break but showed how he was getting into dangerous positions.
For Dyche, who oversaw Keane at Burnley, the centre-back has been impressive on the pitch and at Finch Farm and the Blues boss insisted his player had nothing to make up for on Monday after conceding the penalty that allowed Spurs to take an undeserved lead.
He explained: “I know it seems like that but I don't feel he was trying to make amends. I thought he was having a very, very good game to be honest and I think he is doing what he is doing correctly. His professionalism has been very good the last couple of weeks and I mentioned it afterwards, he's been training fantastically. His eye is in, he is enjoying it, he is enjoying the challenge and he is getting fitter and sharper. It's a tough decision by the way because Conor [Coady] is a fantastic pro and he hasn't been doing that much wrong, sometimes you just have to make these decisions and they are difficult and he has been a fantastic professional with that and Keano has stepped in and done well.”
As for Keane himself, he acknowledged he was desperate to make up for the penalty when he unleashed his late effort - but stuck to the script as he said the goal would come as little surprise to those he trains with day in, day out. He said: "You won’t believe me but every now and then I do hit the ball like that in training so to do it again was nice. My teammates had been expecting it for a while so to see one come off is amazing. To be honest after giving the penalty away I was just buzzing to make up for it. I think the team fought really well, obviously we were a man down for the best part of half an hour and it was tough.”
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