What Everton away end did at final whistle speaks volumes as two players get what they deserve

As the Everton players walked towards a celebrating away end after a first win on the road since December, the procession was led by two unlikely heroes.

Michael Keane was the one who earned the plaudits, his ruthless, utterly brutal first half finish having given his side a lead they defended with maturity in a battling second half display.

But Ashley Young was also chief among the ringleaders of the Blues party, clenching his fists and roaring into the stands. Both players have endured a revival across recent weeks. It is open to debate whether either would start in Sean Dyche’s preferred XI, even after vital contributions to an improved run of form that now stretches either side of the October international break.

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Yet they have each been key and were influential once again as Everton earned a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town that will go a long way to relieving the pressure that could have built had demons lurked in what has the appearance of a favourable run of fixtures.

For Young, this was another example of the professionalism of mind and body that has allowed him to continue at the top of the game to the age of 39. He is considering the idea of taking his playing career into his forties, something he could have been forgiven for having doubts over when he was sent off on the opening day of the season, or when his introduction against Southampton in the Carabao Cup was booed - albeit for tactical rather than personal reasons.

Keane’s rejuvenation has been even more remarkable. He left Portman Road with chants of “Keano” reverberating around the stadium. This would have been dismissed as a fever dream had the scene been floated during Everton’s tough start to the season. Instead it was a reality and one that he deserved.

Keane was excellent as Ipswich threw balls into the box as their desperation intensified. The 31-year-old made two recoveries, one block and six clearances as he and centre back partner James Tarkowski led from the back.

When Jarrad Branthwaite returns to fitness, Keane will likely lose his place, which makes his motivation to keep putting his body on the line - he played through injury in the draw at Leicester City that kickstarted the run of form Everton continued in Suffolk - even more impressive.

It is, of course, his finishing that will capture the headlines though. That he is the best finisher at the club is a genuine reflection of many of his teammates.

“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." Those were the words of Neal Maupay when the ECHO sat down with the then Everton striker during the club’s trip to Australia almost two years ago. Maupay was already struggling with the Blues at that point but his career on Merseyside had not yet descended into the chaos that underpinned what felt like a bitter departure this summer.

The forward scored just once for Everton and therefore is one of several strikers of the Farhad Moshiri era to have been signed at significant expense only to have little real impact. It is one of the many contradictions of the Moshiri reign that Keane, a centre back, has outlasted and outscored so many whose primary job is to hit the back of the net.

Even with that, when the ball fell into his path at a tight angle just before half-time, he could have been forgiven for opting to cross. Yet this is Keane, remember. A career of stunning and important goals such as those at Goodison against Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur mean he has one hell of a highlights reel, even if it is at the other end of the pitch to where his specialism lies. This rifled shot will now sit among them.

The goal doubled Everton’s lead and provided the cushion the Blues needed in a game in which they were the better side but, for large parts, were unable to control.

They had some luck - minutes after a late kick-off delayed due to turnstile issues, Jack Clarke screwed high and wide from 16 yards with the game goalless. Had his effort beaten Jordan Pickford then this could have been a different game.

Yet Everton missed far more chances than they conceded. Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired a one on one at the legs of Arijanet Muric and Dwight McNeil, whose golden left foot has been among the most effective in the Premier League this season, bizarrely lost faith in and took a touch in the box when a first time strike would surely have made the net bulge. Instead, his hesitation allowed Clarke to step in and clear.

Everton kept creating chances though and were rewarded when Jack Harrison’s inswinging cross caused an unforced error as Wes Burns fluffed his clearance and Iliman Ndiaye pounced on the bouncing ball. His finish would have been the talking point had Keane’s sublime effort not eclipsed it.

A two goal lead has proved dangerous for Everton this season. But not on this occasion. The second half started in the same frantic manner the first 45 minutes had been played in. Everton’s experience then began to show, however. Calvert-Lewin sent another one-on-one into Muric’s feet but was a menace throughout. Idrissa Gueye was excellent in the middle. Vitalii Mykolenko grew in stature as Ipswich tried to find momentum with the tricky Omari Hutchinson down Everton’s left.

And at the heart of it all were Young and Keane, just as they were after the final whistle.