Iliman Ndiaye has now scored half of Everton’s goals on the road so far this season, and this Boxing Day blast was a real Christmas cracker. The finish made a mockery of those who have suggested that the Senegal international lacks a cutting edge to his play and like his strikes at newly promoted Leicester City and Ipswich Town, it was another piece of brilliance, but this time it came on the grand stage, against the Premier League champions of the previous four seasons.

For all his flicks and tricks, the summer recruit from Olympique Marseille is anything but a Show Pony and his hard work and inventiveness up and down the left flank was rewarded with this moment of brilliance.

Too many times, in such situations, players – even at the highest level – can look composure, but here was a shot that possessed both power and accuracy with a finish that was perfectly-executed and stayed hit.

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Speaking in this week in his ECHO column, Michael Ball spoke about the specific requirements needed to be a successful Everton player and Ndiaye seems to tick so many of the boxes. Someone who grafts is a bare minimum, but he continues to show that he also has the ability to produce these kind of moments to get you out of your seat.

Harrison needs to believe

There aren’t many other Everton players who could have scored a goal like Ndiaye’s, but arguably Jack Harrison is one who could, so the Blues just need their right winger to have the same kind of belief as their man on the opposite flank.

When first arriving on loan from Leeds United last season, the Stoke-on-Trent-born player who started his senior career in England with Manchester City after starting out with their sister club New York City FC, having played college soccer in the USA, Harrison showed Evertonians what he could do with an incredible strike on his first start for the club.

His measured, long range finish, in a 3-0 Goodison Park romp against Bournemouth marked him out as a special talent. However, while there has been plenty of guile again this term from Harrison he came back from Elland Road for another temporary switch, he has struggled in the final third with no goals or assists.

Dyche appreciates the work the 28-year-old puts in coming up and down the flank but as a player in a wide attacking area, there can be much more, and needs to be.

The same goes for Jesper Lindstrom who Harrison has been battling it out with for a starting berth this season and there remains a feeling that this talented pair could both become real forces if they can just click into gear.

A case for the defence

Jordan Pickford rightly takes the plaudits for another heroic penalty save to earn Everton a point but everyone in the visitors’ side worked hard to secure a share of the spoils here.

Having kept out his England team-mate and former Goodison Park colleague Anthony Gordon playing for Newcastle United, ex-Sunderland player Pickford will have enjoyed his last stop from 12 yards but this was on a much bigger stage.

He was up against the world’s number one centre-forward in his own back yard at the home of the first club in English football history to be crowned champions four times in a row. But Erling Haaland is still human and Pickford won their battle of wits.

Another player to keep his cool was Jarrad Branthwaite, who put his body on the line in the second half to make a timely interception to keep out the Norwegian. The month started with ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ enduring a miserable time at Manchester United after a bright start for both him personally and the team was snuffed out by his deflection putting the ball beyond Pickford for Marcus Rashford’s opener.

From that moment onwards, Branthwaite and Everton capitulated. However, here, after being touch tight to Bernardo Silva only for the player’s shot to still bobble in, he kept his head up and showed why he remains one of the biggest defensive prospects in world football.