New Everton signing Demarai Gray caught headlines for his escapades in Everton’s 2-2 draw away against Leeds United – but not solely for his goal-scoring heroics.
The home-grown 25-year-old, who has been deployed in a no. 10 attacking midfield role, opened his account for the season with a fine piece of individual skill enabling him to drift away from his marker before coolly rolling the ball past the Leeds defence and into the side netting.
However, if his goal was a fine showcase of his capabilities then his celebration indicated an area ripe for improvement.
A jubilant-looking Gray wheeled away in celebration after his finely-struck effort and hurtled towards the corner flag, flanked by his teammates.
As Gray went in for a knee slide celebration however, his knees collided with the surface at an awkward angle, jolting the player as he front-flipped forward and crashed out flat on the pitch.
Twitter: Finish
Knee slide#EFC
@22Demarai https://t.co/Dv4hhIEZ67 (@Everton)
Continuing to smile, Gray appeared unfazed as he was bundled by the likes of Alex Iwobi and saw himself enveloped in a huddle of joy.
Fellow defender Ben Godfrey took to Twitter to ridicule the new Blues man in a teasing Tweet, urging him to post his hilarious knee slide attempt, with the club sharing a .gif of the iconic moment.
Twitter:
https://t.co/xhOiaxp7Bw https://t.co/4BUJAFD4ii (@Everton)
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Ironically, the failed celebration was more memorable than a simple knee slide and Gray may well have etched the moment far more effectively into the minds of Evertonians.
On a more serious note, the goal capped a fine individual display and is quite the way to convince supporters he has what it takes to thrive in Everton colours.
