If football was played on the tea-stained piece of paper sitting on your desk, then last night’s game between Everton and Sheffield United will have been a foregone conclusion.
It will have resulted in the home side coming away with all three points, presumably from a couple of clinically taken Dominic Calvert-Lewin goals.
However, this is the Premier League, a division that so often captivates and lures us in even when there’s nothing to play for.
The Blades may be sitting rock bottom of the top-flight and already relegated but that didn’t stop Paul Heckingbottom’s men from putting up a spirited fight.
Courtesy of 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison, Sheffield United managed to beat the Toffees 1-0.
It was a disastrous and embarrassing result for Carlo Ancelotti, one that’s seen his team lose vital ground in the race for European football next season.
Mason Holgate was again at fault during the game and left his manager raging as he dragged him off at half time. Though, another player who will have the manager cursing his team is Richarlison.
On his day, the Brazilian is an effervescent character, someone who can change the game in an instant with a piece of trickery. However, those moments have been few and far between for the spritely attacker of late.
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Richarlison now hasn’t scored since 4th March, nor has he assisted a goal since 5th December.
His creativity and instinct inside the area has completely deserted him and he’s now running down blind alleys.
His performance at Goodison on Sunday was a concern. Even against the third-worst defence in the league he looked toothless, spurning a glorious opportunity to score late inside the opening period.
James Rodriguez played the ball in but the forward’s header was straight at Aaron Ramsdale, a goalkeeper who made six saves during one of his best days of the season.
Richarlison was fortunate to last the 90 minutes given his performance. He made just 15 passes and lost the ball every 3.5 touches.
He lost 60% of his defensive duels, played just one key pass and didn’t complete a single dribble either.
For a player with so much flair in his locker, this was a particularly disappointing night.
So often one of the most vibrant players in this Everton squad, Ancelotti can only carry him so far. At the moment Richarlison is fortunate they have a lack of depth in attack.
Ahead of the summer window he needs to improve or be wary of finally being replaced in the starting XI.