Merson once said he wasn’t the ‘biggest fan’ of one Everton player, today he said he was ‘absolutely brilliant’

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Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi was “absolutely brilliant” for the Toffees against Crystal Palace, Paul Merson has told Sky Sports News.

Frank Lampard’s charges ended a run of three straight defeats with a 3-0 victory over the Eagles at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring in the 11th minute, with England manager Gareth Southgate among the people watching on at Goodison.

The England international turned Marc Guehi on the edge of the penalty area with a deft flick before beating Vicente Guaita with a low shot.

Although Palace were bright at the start of the second half, Everton broke their resistance when they doubled their advantage on 63 minutes.

Guaita parried Vitalii Mykolenko’s effort into the path of Anthony Gordon, who slotted home from close range.

Initially, the flag went up for offside, but the goal was eventually awarded after a VAR check.

Iwobi, who had contributed to Everton’s opener, was involved once again as the Blues made it three late on.

Dwight McNeil exchanged passes with Iwobi, and the latter’s backheel teed up the substitute to seal a comprehensive win.

At half time, Merson said (22/10, 15:53): “Iwobi has been absolutely brilliant for Everton.”

After Iwobi’s role in the third goal, the Arsenal legend added: “What a goal. It was a lovely touch from Iwobi.”

Last season, Merson admitted on Sky Sports that he wasn’t “the biggest fan” of the 26-year-old. He said at the time that the Everton man “flatters to deceive”.

Admittedly, Iwobi wasn’t exactly an unanimous fan favourite at Everton for quite a while.

But now, playing in midfield, he has improved massively. He influences games and has been directly involved in six Premier League goals this season.