No Country For Old Men
Ashley Young has been one of Everton's only consistent figures this season.
By Patric Ridge
Everton don’t score many direct free-kicks.
In fact, they have netted from just one such situation in the Premier League since the end of the 2018-19 campaign, and that came courtesy of a deflection against Arsenal on the final day of last season.
But when Ashley Young stepped up in the 10th minute of Everton’s crucial meeting with fellow strugglers Wolves on Wednesday, the old man of the Premier League showed he still has quality in that right boot.
Sure, the Wolves’ wall was poorly set. Sure, Jose Sa might have reacted quicker. But Young did what he needed to do — he hit the ball sweetly, curled it low and around the wall and in at Sa’s near post. Here’s a stat: That is the first league goal Everton have scored directly from a free-kick since December 2018, when Lucas Digne netted a stunning equaliser against Watford.
Here’s another stat: Young became the fourth-oldest goalscorer in Premier League history, at the age of 39 years and 148 days. He also became the oldest player to reach 50 goals in the competition.
It was the first goal in what turned out to be a much-needed, emphatic, 4-0 win for Everton, who had two goals disallowed and may well have netted more — even if Wolves had offered a threat in the first half.
The pressure has been mounting on Sean Dyche, and fairly so. With The Friedkin Group (TFG) hoping to complete their takeover this side of Christmas, Dyche seems to be on borrowed time. Everton came into this must-win match on the back of a 4-0 loss at Old Trafford; they had not scored in four games.
Yet Young, who could well go up against his son Tyler when Peterborough United visit Goodison Park in the third round of the FA Cup next month, got the ball rolling, and set the tone as the Toffees exposed a torrid Wolves defence, particularly from set-pieces.
That is a strength from last season that has not been carried into this. Dwight McNeil’s deliveries were spot on against Wolves, but that has rarely been the case in 2024-25 so far.
The consistencies that Dyche brought for much of last term have disappeared, and that is why he will almost certainly be replaced by TFG or, at the very least, won’t be Everton’s manager next season.
Yet one consistency has been the form of Young.
Sent off on the opening day against Brighton, Young has been an ever-present in the starting line-up since he returned to the team in September.
There were shouts for Nathan Patterson to get the nod at right-back against Wolves, and that would have been nice to see, but Evertonians were not asking for Young to drop out. Instead, the argument was that the underperforming Vitaliy Mykolenko should make way, and Young should switch to left-back.
Such is Young’s versatility, that would not be an issue. But positioned at right-back on the night, the veteran campaigner was excellent in all areas of the pitch.
His early goal was the icing on the cake of another superb individual display, and he is in the best form of his Everton spell. He is now the club’s oldest-ever goalscorer.
With a rating of 8.5 based on their model, Sofascore picked Young as their player of the match. His defensive numbers were excellent: He made six clearances, four interceptions and one, crucial block, which came just after Wolves had hit the post prior to Everton scoring their fourth. He won eight of his 13 ground duels and attempted seven tackles.
Young was often in the right place at the right time to stall Wolves counters. Matheus Cunha, the visitors’ standout player, and the dangerous Rayan Ait-Nouri, could not get the better of him.
It has not always been the case for Young at Everton. He has sometimes presented more of a liability than anything else, but this season, he has been a regular performer — a consistent seven out of 10, with the occasional eight or nine thrown in.
Young came through as a team-mate of Dyche’s at Watford, and in the last couple of weeks, has been one of the only players the beleaguered Everton boss has managed to get a tune out of.
Dyche’s time at Everton is ticking away, and so too might be Young’s. But on a grand old night at the Grand Old Lady, the grand old man of the Premier League — the division’s oldest outfield player this season — proved the shining light.
Tougher tests will come: Liverpool, with their electrifying pace, visit Goodison on Saturday. But Young has at least lit a spark that Dyche and his team-mates can cling onto heading into what could be a dark December.