It was the last-ever Merseyside Derby at the historic Goodison Park before Everton head towards Bramley-Moore Dock in summer. The clock ticked to the 98th-minute and Liverpool seemed ecstatic to have rubbed salt to their arch-rivals’ emotional day.
But James Tarkowski had thought otherwise. Deep, deep into the stoppage-time, he salvaged the encounter that will go down in the history books. It felt cinematic, as the shot had poetic precision; much like his namesake.
However, Tarkowski’s absolute stunner of an equaliser couldn’t ensure a smile for David Moyes. The seasoned gaffer was dealt with a severe blow, as the fulcrum of the Toffees’ attack — Iliman Ndiaye(£5.5m) was forced off just after 24 minutes into the high-voltage game.
The Senegal international has been a regular feature for Everton since his summer-switch from Marseille — started every single game barring the first two, when he came off the bench. He is the one who pulls the strings when Everton is on the run or building an attack.
David Moyes was relying a lot on the Senegalese attacker when the historic Merseyside mayhem kicked-off. But the contact he had with an onrushing Dominik Szoboszlai was too hard for his knee, which surrendered soon. Everton’s jersey no.10 left the field immediately afterwards, with tears behind.
Iliman Ndiaye started the double gameweek 24 with a bang — 8pts courtesy of a goal against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City, who were thrashed 4-0 by the Toffees. His stock rose substantially before the first double date of the Fantasy Premier League 2024-25, as the Everton forward was one of the best budget strikers providing great value to his fantasy owners.
In this campaign, Ndiaye has not only edged past the opposing defenders but also his xG(Expected Goal) — 6 goals against an xG of 3.6. His knee injury appears to be quite serious and may lead to a prolonged absence. In case you own Iliman, square him off ahead of double gameweek 25.
If you have the budget, go for Cody Gakpo(£7.6m). The Dutch forward has a double date with Wolves and Villa in gameweek 25 and has been in great form lately. I can vouch for the Liverpool assets in double gameweek 25.
