Jamie Carragher makes Ashley Young admission live on air after Everton loss v Southampton

Jamie Carragher makes Ashley Young admission live on air after Everton loss v Southampton

Jamie Carragher has singled out Ashley Young in his analysis of the showdown between Everton and Southampton.

Sean Dyche’s side’s unbeaten run in the Premier League was put to an end on Saturday (2 November) as Adam Armstrong’s late second-half goal ensured the Saints secured all three points at St Mary’s.

Although the Toffees had plenty of chances of their own to win the game, Sky Sports pundit Carragher was quick to admit that Blues defender Young had been “done” by Armstrong in the build-up to the winning goal.

Speaking on Sky Sports Premier League (4 November) he said: “When we talk about communication in football, we always talk about what you’re saying.

“This is all about eye contact. Look, he doesn’t look at the ball, there’s nobody in the box, there’s nobody making a move. He touches it, but he’s not looking down. He’s now made eye contact with Armstrong here.

“Keep an eye on Ashley Young. You see Ashley Young, he’s actually looking over his left shoulder, the wrong way, his body position is wrong because these communicate. Not through words, through eye contact.

“He knows he’s now going to play that ball in there, Ashley Young, he’s been done. It’s great play from Southampton.”

What has happened to Everton man Ashley Young at Goodison Park?

Young has almost undergone a bit of a career renaissance at Goodison Park since the last international break, but Saturday’s defeat showed that the 39-year-old is not totally perfect.

For large portions of the game, the former England international impressed, particularly in attack where he posed a constant threat down the right flank and created a string of scoring chances with his excellent delivery into the penalty area.

But for whatever reason, he was left all at sea when the ball got cut back into Armstrong’s path. As Carragher suggests, the defender’s body position is all wrong and ends up almost stuck in no man’s land.

Of course, it would be naive to expect a 39-year-old to get back into the perfect position having worked back from an attacking set-piece, but that small mistake was ultimately punished by Russell Martin’s side.

Hopefully, Young will rediscover his best form over the coming weeks as he has been a real asset to Dyche at Goodison Park this season, particularly with both Nathan Patterson and Seamus Coleman spending parts of the season sidelined.