Ayoze Perez
Football is a game of peaks and troughs, and Perez certainly experienced the latter against Everton during a turgid performance that brought to end his three-match scoring run in dismal fashion.
Nothing the Spaniard tried at Goodison Park came off – the less said about THAT “pass” to Islam Slimani the better – and it was a surprise to see Benitez keep him on the field for the entire 90 minutes.
His form this calendar year has elevated Perez to a new level and the higher standard of which we expect of him wasn’t met in the blue half of Merseyside, but Benitez isn’t a manager prone to making rash decisions on the basis of one bad game and Perez will likely be given the chance to redeem himself against the Baggies on Saturday.
