Highly rated Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze was tipped as the man to watch in the Carabao Cup game between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
From a Nigerian angle it was a case of how Nigeria U20 midfielder Nmandi Ofoborh will fare against Eze who shunned the chance to represent Nigeria in favor of England.
The game ended 0-0 but Bournemouth triumphed on penalties with Ofoborh taking one of the spot kicks that earned his side the win and progress to the next round of the tournament.
During the course of the game, Ofoborh who is a midfielder started as party of a back five and showed the composure that made him a hit with Wycombe Wanderers in the English League One.
In the second half of the game he operated as wing back before reverting to a full back and he put up a performance which left everyone surprise. A sign of how well he has improved thanks to the loan spell he had at Wycombe where he helped them to promotion to the Championship.
While Ofoborh put a gallant display. Same can’t be said about Eze who was off colour and also guilty of losing possession in key areas. He was far away from his best when he glides past players with ease.
On the strength of his performance, he has a lot to do if he want to cement his place in the midfield of Crystal Palace in future games of the season.
Michael James
