View: 100% star to thank for astonishing Everton feat, nobody in Europe better since 1 October

Sean Dyche has Jarrad Branthwaite to thank for helping Everton lead Europe’s top five leagues in one key statistic over the past two-and-a-half months after the 0-0 draw against Chelsea.

The Blues are expected to retain Branthwaite in January after The Friedkin Group completed the takeover on Thursday [19 December].

The centre-back helped thwart the free-scoring Chelsea attack at Goodison Park in a 0-0 draw on Sunday [22 December], having done likewise against Arsenal a week earlier.

As per talkSPORT [23 December], Everton have kept seven clean sheets since the start of October, which is the most in the top five leagues consisting of the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

For a side lingering four points above the relegation zone heading into the New Year, that is impressive, and Branthwaite deserves his flowers for his efforts since returning to the side.

Chelsea couldn’t live with Jarrad Branthwaite v Everton

While the 22-year-old has picked up where he left off last term with centre-back partner James Tarkowski, his long-term future at Goodison Park remains a hot topic of discussion.

Henry Winter exclusively told Goodison News on 13 December that there are still questions marks over the future of Branthwaite.

Although the Blues would be powerless to stop the defender from walking out the door on Merseyside should a Champions League outfit match their valuation, Dyche can enjoy his contributions until the end of the campaign at the very least.

And against Chelsea, he was back to his remarkable best, winning 100 per cent of his contested duels, all while making three ball recoveries, three clearances, one block, and one last man tackle to deny the opposition a clear goalscoring opportunity [Fotmob].

Furthermore, he was integral in building up play from the defence, completing 78 per cent of his passes with four passes into the final third.

Everton were widely expected to fall victim to Arsenal and Chelsea – not only did they nullify two of the best attacking sides in the Premier League, but they could have snatched three points against the latter had Jack Harrison made the most of the opportunities that fell his way.

The attacking third of the pitch remains a cause of concern for Dyche, but the defensive stability for which his style is famous has returned to Goodison Park at the perfect time, with an opportunity to pile further misery on Manchester City and Pep Guardiola at the Etihad on Boxing Day.

In other Everton news, Alan Shearer shares a new relegation verdict for the Toffees after what he saw against Chelsea.

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