What The Papers Say - 17 December

The views on this page are taken from the local and national media and do not necessarily reflect the views of Everton.

Former Everton winger and current BBC Match of the Day pundit Theo Walcott has singled out Iliman Ndiaye as a top performer in the Blues' goalless draw at Arsenal.

“Ndiaye started to enjoy defending, which is a bit of a rarity. He won the battle with Saka,” said Walcott.

“[Everton] were sharing jobs at times. If Ndiaye wasn’t there, Abdoulaye Doucoure would help him out. If Doucoure wasn’t there, Idrissa Gueye would come out, just to allow the other players to get their breath back.”

The BBC also writes about Everton in the Community’s important work in and around Merseyside, focusing on the story of a young carer who was helped get accommodation by the charity.

Mia, 23, was referred to the Club’s award-winning charity after becoming homeless aged 17 whilst having to support a parent.

Since then, EitC’s housing scheme has seen her rehomed via their ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ project.

Mia said:“It was such a massive change for me because you get your own room, you get your key for your room, you'd get facilities like your own cupboard for your food. Just the little things that people may take for granted.”

Elsewhere, VAVEL.com reports on Everton Women’s historic 2-1 win against title-chasing Manchester City.

The outlet claims Brian Sorensen’s side deserved the three points, with victory in their final game of the calendar year providing the Blues with a significant boost.

“Everton gained huge momentum in this win and will go into the new year with much rationale and incentive to climb the table further when the WSL resumes,” writes Jack Coburn.

He added: “It will certainly be a frustrating loss for the visitors, who play Barcelona in midweek, but Everton fought hard to deserve this victory, which takes them into ninth in the WSL table.”