Everton secured their first win under caretaker manager David Unsworth against Watford on Sunday.
Alan Shearer has praised Everton caretaker manager David Unsworth on Match of the Day 2 after inspiring the Toffees to a dramatic comeback against Watford on Sunday afternoon.
The Merseyside club came back to win 3-2 after going 2-0 down at Goodison Park to Marco Silva’s side, with Oumar Niasse, Dom Calvert-Lewin and Leighton Baines all finding the back of the net.
It releases a huge load of pressure on Unsworth’s shoulders after losing his first three matches in charge against Chelsea, Leicester and Lyon, which have jeopardised his chances of getting the job on a full-time basis.
Quoted by Match of the Day’s official Twitter account, former Newcastle and England striker Shearer has applauded Unsworth for “taking chances” with a squad that is “unbalanced”.
“He’s been put in a very difficult situation,” Shearer said. “He’s been given a very unbalanced team, a team that has little pace in it. He’s been searching for the right answers, not only in this game, but in the games before that too.
“To do that, you’ve got to take chances. They were 2-0 down today, he’s gambled and it has worked for him.
“He’s not a miracle worker, you can’t just come into a squad that has been hopeless all season and just change everything, it doesn’t work like that.”
Bookmakers Paddy Power now value Unsworth at 14/1 to replace sacked manager Ronald Koeman on a permanent basis, with the 44-year-old Everton icon now unlikely to get the job.
Sam Allardyce and Sean Dyche remain the most likely to be given the nod at Goodison Park, as Everton’s third league win of the season moves them out of the relegation area and into a healthier 16th place.
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