Crystal Palace of England playmaker, Eberechi Eze got a shower of superlatives on Saturday, following his remarkable goal in the English Premier League, while Chuba Akpom was also on song for Middlesbrough in the lower division, English Championship.
In Spain, Samuel Chukwueze provided an assist that helped Villarreal snatch a 2-1 win over visiting Levante, but he failed to score despite putting up spirited efforts in Saturday’s Spanish LaLiga game at Estadio de la Ceramica.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the left-footed forward came off the bench to make a meaningful impact for the Yellow Submarine and help them return to winning ways after playing out a draw against Athletic Club and losing to Sevilla.
Unai Emery’s men started the game well, dominating proceedings and were rewarded for their effort when Fer Nino opened the scoring, as he tapped home the ball from close range after receiving a fine assist from Alfonso Pedraza in the 19th minute of the encounter.
Chukwueze was introduced for Yeremi Pino in the 46th minute and he made an immediate impact when he set up Gerard Moreno to double The Yellow Submarine’s lead eight minutes after he was brought on.
The Diamond Football Academy of Umuahia product then continued to impress on the wing and came close to hitting the net in the encounter, as he fired a powerful shot which Levante’s goalkeeper, Aitor barely managed to parry.
In England, Akpom’s goal helped Middlesbrough win their first game of 2021, but they had to storm back from behind to defeat Wycombe Wanderers 3-1 in a game that also saw Uche Ikpeazu start for Boro, while Dennis Adeniran, Fred Onyedinma and Adebayo Akinfenwa entered as second half substitutes for the home team.
Ikpeazu gave Wycombe a dream start after bending a shot into the far corner in the third minute before Marcus Browne leveled things up in the 30th minute, but nine minutes before half time, Marcus Tavernier drilled home to make it 2-1 after he was teed up by Akpom.
Akpom then turned from provider to scorer in the 81st minute as he scrambled the ball in from a corner kick by McNair, helping the Nigerian-born lad take his haul to four goals with one assist in 19 league games since joining Boro from PAOK Saloniki of Greece in September.
A day after Alex Iwobi was left out of the Everton squad that lost at home against West Ham United, Eze was in action with another London-based club and wowed everyone watching, with former Chelsea midfielder, Steve Sidwell stating that the youngster replicated the type of goal Arsenal’s all-time top scorer, Thierry Henry would get for The Gunners.
Such was the high level of amazement, as Eze’s sensational solo goal helped Crystal Palace ease past Sheffield United 2-0 as Chris Wilder’s side made it a record-breaking 17 Premier League games without a win from the start of the season.
The visitors made the worst possible start when falling behind to Jeff Schlupp’s deflected strike after just four minutes at Selhurst Park, and The Eagles doubled their lead thanks to Eze’s individual effort in first-half stoppage time as the substitute beat three players after starting his run midway inside his own half, before finding the bottom corner.
As a result, Roy Hodgson’s side moved up to 12th having ended their six-match winless run, while the visitors remained rooted to the foot of the table after extending their winless run to 20 matches in total.
Eze, who had replaced the injured Schlupp five minutes before half-time, picked up possession midway inside his own half, before embarking on a mesmerising solo run that took him past three opponents, before coolly finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
That goal, just before the break, knocked the stuffing out of the visitors, who did not muster a strike on target in the second half until 16-year-old substitute Antwoine Hackford’s late effort was blocked.
As Eze helped his side to their first win in five EPL matches, Sidwell was left hailing the Nigerian-born England under-21 international, who breezed past a number of players from the half-way line before nonchalantly rolling the ball into the far corner.
Sidwell said on BBC Radio 5 Live about the Nigerian-born lad, whose other goal in the EPL was against Leeds United in November 2020: “We thought Eberechi Eze was cool and calm and composed but this goal! He just weaves in and out of the Sheffield United team.
“If there’s a player you could compare that finish to it would be Thierry Henry – he just slots it in the bottom right corner. He glides through the Sheffield United team and slots a cool finish past Aaron Ramsdale. What a goal, I always love watching Eze he’s just got so much talent.”
