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Donovan delivers clutch assist as Everton ties Villa

LandonDonovanGrey (Getty)

Landon Donovan continued his strong run of form for Everton on Saturday, delivering his best performance since re-joining the Toffees in Everton's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

Donovan laid off a beautiful defense-splitting pass to set up Victor Anichebe's equalizer in a match that also so Donovan's LA Galaxy teammate, Robbie Keane, make his Aston Villa debut. The assist capped a standout effort from Donovan, who was the clear-cut focal point of Everton's attack.

Here is Donovan's beautiful assist:

Comments

  1. Why should MLS let him go? LD is an excellent player. If an EPL team wants a quality player like Donovan,…they should pay. Hey,…Arsenal paid millions for Arshavin.

    If a team wants Donovan,…they should pay.

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  2. yeah….that exchange reminded me so much of the world cup game versus algeria when timmie hit donovan on that outlet up the wing, except this time donovan turned provider instead of scorer! Brilliant!

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  3. completely agree. hey landon, you only live once! go play in england. permanently squash all those “landycakes” haters. go to any team that will take you.

    there is nothing left to do in MLS.

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  4. The lacj of notice of LD on the goal was truly odd. The only special play was clearly Donovan’s yet the announcers just kept talking about the finish which was obviously pretty pedestrian. I truly think that they fell asleep and didn’t even know who made the pass. It was tough to tell, even on the replay.

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  5. I think that is where I agree with all of you. Maybe it is age that has him playing like a seasoned veteran. And yes, I get that the Everton fans voted him player of the month when he was there, I get all that.

    I am just talking about his comfort with the ball in the attack, his simple but smart play not only going forward but his ability to get back, win the ball, and be very effective very quickly into the attack.

    No one here can tell me he has played that consistant with the USNT. Maybe it the players around him, maybe it’s the style of the coach. I don’t know but if we do not see LD as an attacking midfielder and Demps as a forward with the USNT, Jurgen may have to get his head examined.

    Fellas, just trying to show Landycakes some love!!!

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  6. Everton won’t sign him as they have no funds, so Landy should forget about that that ‘loyalty’ stuff and hook up w/ any top flight club that will that will meet MSL’s demands. Look at all those guys that bailed on Arsenal even though Wenger made them stars

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  7. You are aware that the Everton fans voted him player of the month his first month there two years ago and chanted “You Must Stay” whenever he touched the ball toward the end?

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  8. Donovan is proving that he can not just stick in the premier league but could actually shine in England. MLS let him go! Donovan deserves the opportunity to play in the biggest league in the world. His career deserves it.

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  9. Saha was shocking. He’s so inactive up front that he never gets open to get the ball. Then he drops back into the MF, and he is too slow to break away with the ball. The guy such a weak link now.

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  10. What’s really missing in this clip was Howard’s perfect distribution and Landon’s quick run up the wing. Brilliant goal. All around.

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  11. “He can’t shoot, he can’t score,
    he’s joggin’ Jozy Altidore!”

    -A Song Hull fans sang about Jozy during his time there.

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  12. No, they are English commentators so they wouldn’t praise Xavi. They would probably say something along the lines that Xavi is undersized and lacks elite speed, which was exposed in the most recent win against Spain by the more athletic and physical English midfielders.

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  13. I think Everton would benefit from slotting Donovan into the middle in place of Cahill, who just has nothing going on right now. Between him and Feillani, there isn’t a whole lot of creativity there. Donovan playing in the middle would be, in effect, a short-term solution to the absence of Arteta, with the opportunity to play more through-balls into the strikers.

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  14. Landon was a terror two years ago…he played great back then. This year he is playing as more of an orchestrator than running down the flanks but his play this year at Everton has been as good as 2010!

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  15. Are you joking? The US scores virtually all their goals off set pieces. Jozy wins numerous set pieces every game with his physical effort. He may not score as many goals as some haters would want, but he should be credited for more assists by putting us in dangerous spots. Also we haven’t seen him in action in months: meanwhile he’s been improving in a good Euro league. Let’s see what the new year brings. Agudelo has a good upside and is a great spark off the bench, but I think it’s delusional to think we have several better striker options waiting in the wings.

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  16. Amen to that. I was hoping this replay would show a little further back.

    They really did say he was having a good game throughout though. Not much Donovan hate in my opinion. The commentators were saying what top-class player he was, and how much he was affecting the game and stuff like that.

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  17. Agreed. I thought this one was better weighted than Song’s though. Henry still had a lot more to do when the ball was fired in there. While Donovan’s rolled on through and Aniechebe just tapped it home past Given. Just a little harder of a pass to make.

    I’m a gigantic Arsenal supporter by the way so there isn’t any bias in my opinion.

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