Everton boss David Moyes has provided an injury update on key man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall following his injury in the first half of the Premier League clash against Chelsea.
Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge brought Everton’s strong momentum to a halt, with Chelsea emerging as comfortable 2-0 winners.
Any realistic hope of taking something from the contest was severely dented early on, as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was forced into an early exit in the 16th minute. The summer arrival from Chelsea has been a vital figure for the Merseyside club this season, and his withdrawal removed one of their most influential outlets in midfield.
The 27-year-old is the Toffees’ joint-top scorer in their Premier League scoring charts with four goals. A remarkable run in November saw him inspire victories away at Manchester United and Bournemouth, as well as a home success over Nottingham Forest.
Dewsbury-Hall resumed the attacking midfield position that David Moyes favoured for him, with Idrissa Gueye returning from suspension to pair alongside James Garner in central midfield.
However, he was withdrawn roughly 13 minutes into the game after appearing to be in pain, holding his back leg, which suggested a possible hamstring issue.
The Englishman headed directly down the tunnel, with Carlos Alcaraz taking his place.
Blow
For Moyes, any setback to Dewsbury-Hall would be a significant blow. The former West Ham United manager acknowledged that Dewsbury-Hall had felt some tightness before the match and that the full extent of the issue was not yet known.
‘I’ll find out later what it is; he had a bit of tightness already, and then he felt it during the game,’ the manager told Sky Sports.
He later told BBC Match of the Day, ‘Losing Kiernan was a blow to us, but I thought we adapted quite well.
‘I know we’ve come away with a disappointing result, but it wasn’t a disappointing performance. We did a lot of really good things today.’
Everton will be hoping that Dewsbury-Hall has escaped a significant injury, especially with Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye unavailable as they travel to Morocco to feature for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, Garner sits on four yellow cards, leaving him just one caution away from a suspension, which could see him miss a match during Gueye’s absence.
