Everton are breaking new ground this season. So too is Jack Grealish. This week's winner against Bournemouth might have been tinged with a stroke of good fortune but there is nothing lucky about the forward's rediscovery of his top form.
Grealish, with his playful charm, perfectly captures the sense of positivity around the club in the present moment. Under David Moyes, Everton have become a highly watchable side - not completely reliable, but nonetheless driven by entertainers.
Last week they secured their first victory at Manchester United since 2013, despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the game, while Tuesday's win at Bournemouth earned an eighth away success since Moyes took charge in late January. No side have won more away games in that time.
Grealish described the Old Trafford scalp as a "proper Everton performance" in a sit-down with Your Site a few days later, a remarkable description given he has only been acquainted with the club for four short months.
But that's the thing about Grealish's character: fans have taken him into their hearts because of a unique ability to endear with performances laced with fun and flair. He can do things others can't. He's got class others don't.
"I always have a connection with fans at every club," he says at the launch of PUMA's new FUTURE 9 football boot in Manchester, "I've got an unbelievable one with the Everton fans.
"I spoke to the manager a lot on FaceTime over the summer and it felt right. He's helped me to get back to my level. I'm playing and training with enjoyment. It's been the perfect fit."
Grealish himself isn't chasing perfection, impossible when you straddle such a delicate balance of risk vs reward. But his Bournemouth performance was nostalgic in many ways - the one tasked with dragging Everton forwards, winning more fouls than any other player on the pitch. And it was his determined drive that won the game.
Not since November 2020, while playing for Aston Villa, had Grealish scored in the Premier League from outside the box - his latest strike a byproduct of renewed confidence.
"Tactically, I don't have a favourite manager," he continues. "I don't mind what type of football I'm asked to play - against Man United I felt more like a defender. This manager trusts and believes in me and what I can bring on the pitch. That's what's important to me."
With Everton safely nestled among the mid-table masses, Grealish, now 30, has plenty of licence to indulge his creative side. Clearly, the scrap for points remains real, but for the first time in a long time the Toffees are not peering over shoulders at every turn and therefore adventure is more readily encouraged.
"This manager does want to play good football," Grealish insists, when asked if 'maverick Jack' actually suits a coach whose style has typically been more pragmatic. But in listing all of his more technical team-mates - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Garner and Iliman Ndiaye included - the playmaker emphasises Everton's switch from survival mode towards a more progressive future.
Perhaps one with Grealish in it.
No side have had fewer shots on target than Everton in the Premier League this season (41), with productivity at the top end showing plenty of room for improvement given a return of 15 goals is equal with West Ham and Burnley in 18th and 19th respectively, but there is no doubt Grealish has influenced a step change. Even when not as his eye-catching best, his ability to manoeuvre in tight spaces with the ball glued to his feet is better than almost anyone.
He remains a rarity in that regard.
And yet scars from a barren season where confidence took a hit are never too far away. "It's hard not playing," Grealish explains, having only managed 715 minutes for Manchester City in the league last season, returning one goal. "It's really difficult not getting a run, in the team for an odd game. I had no rhythm."
Despite Grealish's momentum on Merseyside being near instantaneous, it took a summer of hard work and intense reflection to get there. "I'm trying to do more off the pitch to help with my confidence," he adds, having admitted to struggling through City's worst season on record under Pep Guardiola. Injury setbacks did not help either.
Four months on, Grealish is back playing architect, opening up packed defences, suited to a role where he's relied upon every week. What the winger lost in confidence last term he has ultimately gained in resolve.
This is a player intent on proving an emphatic point to himself and those that judged him. "He's even better than I thought he was," Moyes memorably said after a at Wolves back in August. Playing for Everton is not like playing for all-consuming Manchester City, with titles on the line, but Grealish is arguably better for it.
"I'm so lucky," he adds, "the club have been so good to me. The fans sing my name every week." And Grealish offers them plenty to cheer in return.
