Alex Iwobi was the main man for Everton yesterday as they returned to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Super Eagles midfielder set up two of the goals as the Toffees defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 at Goodison Park.
Everton had lost their two games before yesterday’s clash and desperately needed to bounce back, and Iwobi provided the needed inspiration.
The Nigerian was named the official man of the match after setting up the first goal for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 11th minute and providing a stylish back-heeled assist for Dwight McNeil to score the third in the 84th minute.
Iwobi is having his best spell at Everton since joining the club from Arsenal in 2019. He has started all of Everton’s 12 Premier League games this season and contributed one goal and five assists from central midfield.
Also in England yesterday, Leon Balogun scored his first goal for Queens Park Rangers in their 2-1 win over Wigan at Loftus Road.
The Super Eagles defender netted the winner in the 24th minute (his first goal since March) as QPR rose to the top of the Championship, England’s second tier.
Balogun, 34, joined QPR on a free transfer from Rangers in August and has played eight times for his new club.
In Germany, Kevin Akpoguma returned to Hoffenheim’s starting line-up and played all 90 minutes of their 2-0 home defeat to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The Super Eagles defender was making his first start since a 0-0 draw with Freiburg on September 18. He played only nine minutes in the game that followed and was an unused substitute in the last two fixtures.
The 27-year-old has made nine appearances in the Bundesliga for Hoffenheim this season, six of them from the start.
In The Netherlands, Calvin Bassey made his ninth straight start for Ajax as they defeated RKC Waalwijk 4-1 away in the Eredivisie.
The 22-year-old Nigeria international defender has scored one goal and made two assists in those nine games as Ajax stay on top of the table.
In Belgium, Nigerian stars Victor Boniface and Raphael Onyedika faced each other as Union Saint Gilloise hosted Club Brugge in a Jupiler Pro League clash.
Boniface could not add to his three goals and two assists in the league as the game ended 2-2. The forward lasted 75 minutes while midfielder Onyedika played all 90 minutes for champions Brugge.
Comments are closed.