Tom Cleverley’s Watford masterclass adds to Everton’s frustrations

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Everton sold Tom Cleverley to Premier League rivals Watford for £8m and he was brilliant as Quique Sanchez Flores’ Hornets stunned Arsenal.

With Everton fans still reeling in the aftermath of an error-strewn defeat away to Bournemouth, the last thing they needed was to see Tom Cleverley produce his best Premier League performance in recent memory on the very same afternoon.

Morgan Schneiderlin and particularly Fabian Delph, who’s early season form was ruined by a needless own-goal and a series of misplaced passes at the Vitality Stadium, were swept aside by a high-octane Bournemouth side who’s 3-1 win leaves The Toffees’ top six ambitions in tatters.

And, some 100 miles north of the South Coast, a man Everton sold for just £8 million two years ago, as reported by The Mail, rolled back the years as Watford gave Arsenal one hell of a scare at Vicarage Road.

In Quique Sanchez Flores’ first game back in charge. The Hornets were buzzing with a sting in their tail. Cleverley started in a new-look number ten role and produced a masterclass of a performance complete with a crucial goal – his first in 15 games in all competitions.

The former Manchester United youngster slammed home in clinical fashion after Arsenal’s increasingly iffy centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos gifted him the ball inside the visitor’s penalty area. But this second half strike, which helped secure a point for a brilliant Watford side who were 2-0 down at the interval, was merely the icing on an almost faultless display.

Cleverley also stung Bernd Leno’s palms with a rasping drive earlier in the game while completing three key passes and two dribbles. The 30-year-old also boasted a 90 per cent pass accuracy.

One stellar display doesn’t mean Everton fans will be waking up in a cold sweat, ruing the day when Cleverley was forced out of Merseyside. But an all-action midfield performance from a man discarded by The Toffees just completed a miserable Sunday for everyone of a Toffees persuasion.