Omari Benjamin has started life at Everton in superb form – which he continued with his derby heroics at the weekend
Omari Benjamin’s goals might have been the difference as Everton U21s beat Liverpool but manager Paul Tait highlighted the forward’s work rate over his finishing.
The 18-year-old’s brace sealed a 2-0 away win in the mini-Merseyside derby and capped a stunning run of form from the teenager.
Benjamin now has five goals for the campaign so far, along with two assists and a string of impressive displays since his arrival in the summer after being released by Arsenal.
The Wales youth international hit twice in the second half at Liverpool’s academy, producing a low finish across Kornel Misciur after being played through by another in-form starlet, Charlie Whitaker, before stealing the ball from the keeper and slotting home in stoppage time.
His start to life on Merseyside could hardly have gone better – his other goals coming in a 4-3 win over Sunderland and against Stockport County in the EFL Trophy. Benjamin also scored at Tottenham Hotspur while on trial with Paul Tait’s side last season.
But while his goalscoring form has been impressive, it is other facets of his game that have impressed staff, as Tait alluded to following the derby win. He said: “He will grab the headlines, the two goals are really good for him. Playing as a nine through the middle for us, his work rate again was outstanding and he got his rewards.”
That work rate has been particularly notable while on the wing, with Benjamin having operated on the left at times this season. His versatility has also shone with the Hale End product tasked with playing up top when Martin Sherif has been unavailable – such as in the win over Sunderland, when Benjamin scored twice and won a penalty after being pushed up top when Sherif was forced off with an early injury.
That pair had combined against Blackburn Rovers on the opening day of the Premier League campaign, Benjamin carrying the ball forward in the final minutes before picking the perfect moment to send Sherif through to give Everton an unassailable 3-1 lead.
After that match, Tait told the ECHO of how his work-rate had stood out and how the battle then was to make him productive going forward, something that has now been achieved.
Tait said of the summer arrival: “His work rate and out of possession stuff is very good in terms of what we demand. He is not just a winger who is allowed to stand up there. He tracks his full-back and he does that really diligently but we said at half-time we wanted to try and get him in the game a bit more because we couldn’t get him in the game, we couldn’t get him down the left much, so we tweaked it a little bit and got him more on the ball and it worked.
We saw a lot more of him and we saw in his break at the end that he has got real pace and real power but that he is also quite clever and it was good timing when he played Martin through.”
Benjamin was not the only stand out performer in the weekend win, with goalkeeper Zan-Luk Leban’s exceptional display rewarded with a clean sheet. Tait said: “He is an excellent goalkeeper, we are lucky to have him. He is in and around supporting the first-team so he has not gone out on loan. We are lucky to get him for the odd game, he is a fantastic lad and we all love him. He had a great game today, he made some really good saves.”
Tait was particularly pleased after having watched his side get hammered 4-0 in the same fixture last season, telling club media: “It is a fantastic win, the lads are absolutely buzzing in the changing room. I am so pleased for them.
