Iliman Ndiaye was one of several African standout performers during a manic weekend of FA Cup third-round action in England, as the Senegal attacker demonstrated why he might hold the key to survival for incoming Everton head coach David Moyes.
There were several other notable African contributors as teams from the Premier League entered the FA Cup, while Omar Marmoush began 2025 with a statement of intent as Eintracht Frankfurt defeated St. Pauli in the German Bundesliga.
When David Moyes arrived at Goodison Park for his first stint as Everton head coach, in 2002, he entered a dressing room containing sumptuous maverick talents such as ageing duo David Ginola and Paul Gascoigne as well as the precocious Wayne Rooney. Almost 23 years later, as Moyes returns to the "School of Science" to pick up where he left off, after departing to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013, he'll find the dressing room offers much slimmer pickings.
This is not an Everton team packed with creative talents or rife with footballing imagination, although Ndiaye might possess the spark of ingenuity needed to inspire the Toffees up the table.
The 24-year-old has been the bright light in an arduous first half to the season, as Sean Dyche's pedestrian side struggled to pull away from the relegation zone, ultimately leading to the ex-Burnley coach to believe he'd taken this squad as far as he could.
While Everton have toiled, Ndiaye has twinkled -- albeit too often flickering in and out of matches, rather than truly dictating contests, not helped by out-of-sorts Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto ahead of him. Nonetheless, the forward's quality has shone since arriving on Merseyside from Marseille in July.
As well as scoring three goals in the Premier League, he netted his first FA Cup goal for the Blues -- adding the second, late from the penalty spot -- as Everton defeated Peterborough United to ease into the fourth round.
The victory was followed by the appointment of Moyes, who faces -- among many challenges -- the prospect of having to mould Ndiaye into a consistent match-winner. In truth, getting the best out of creative talents hasn't always been a strength for Moyes, whose relationship with the West Ham United fans grew strained as he struggled to fully exploit the offensive qualities of Lucas Paquetá, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
Ghana's Kudus is one of only two players -- the other being Jérémy Doku of Manchester City -- to average more successful dribbles than Ndiaye (average 2.6 per match) in the top flight this season, with the Senegales proving adept at beating his man and injecting some vitality into Everton's attack. Dyche rarely had the conviction to use Ndiaye in a central attacking role, preferring him cutting inside from the left and attempting to support a central striker from out wide.
Yet Everton are the second-lowest scorers in the division -- only Southampton have fewer goals -- and Moyes will recognise that he must find solutions urgently. Moyes favoured a 4-1-4-1 formation during his previous Everton stint, and got the best out of South Africa wideman Steven Pienaar in a wide left role, dovetailing superbly with Leighton Baines as the Toffees consistently challenged for European qualification.
This time around, however, he may consider the 4-2-3-1 approach he adopted at West Ham, where Moyes's side struggled to control possession but attacked with vitality and dynamism. This would allow Ndiaye to operate in his preferred No. 10 role, working between the lines in support of a central striker, and to have a more sustained impact in Everton's attacking play and their hopes of beating the drop.
Potentially with a "new manager bump" to come, as well as four home games in the next five fixtures, and an FA Cup fourth-round tie with AFC Bournemouth, Ndiaye may show Moyes what he can do in the weeks to come.
The FA Cup third-round matches were lit up by Africans up and down the English football pyramid.
At lowly Tamworth, Cameroon-born Beck-Ray Enoru was one of the non-league players who caught the eye as the Lambs held Premier League Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 for more than 90 minutes before ultimately losing 3-0 in stoppage-time.
Enoru, who works as a shop assistant for high-street retailer Zara, proved a constant threat for Tamwoerth with his direct running, pace in possession, and willingness to attack the Spurs' backline unhesitatingly.
The 22-year-old appeared to feel muscle discomfort during the game but nevertheless completed more successful take-ons than all but two of the Spurs players. His bright performance will surely lead to transfer interest from higher up the league ladder; the diminutive 22-year-old also demonstrated his versatility before the match, fixing a hole in the goal, sitting on the shoulders of teammate Jordan Cullinane-Liburd to apply tape to the net.
"What a team performance from the first to the last minute," he wrote on his X account, "[from] your favourite sales assistant."
Congolese defender Nathan Tshikuna opened the scoring when he deflected the ball past his own keeper in stoppage time, but he too was contemplative after the game. "[You] win some, you lose some," he wrote on social media. "Bittersweet feeling, amazing turnout and great experience."
Elsewhere, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Stephy Mavididi, Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo were all along the goals as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Bournemouth all progressed to the next round.
Nigeria's Tosin Adarabioyo wasn't signed by Chelsea for his goalscoring, but he, too, enjoyed a memorable weekend, scoring his first domestic goals for the Blues with a brace in their 5-0 demolition of poor Morecambe.
"Two goals, but most importantly a clean sheet and back to winning ways," Adarabioyo wrote on X. "Through to the next round of this prestigious cup with a 5-0 victory. Thank you Blues."
Adarabioyo follows in the footsteps of Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel as Nigerian players who scored two FA Cup goals in their first season at Chelsea.
Over at Anfield, 17-year-old Trey Nyoni demonstrated why he's got Liverpool insiders so excited with a fine cameo in the Reds' 4-0 thumping of Accrington Stanley. Big things are expected of the Anglo-Zimbabwean youngster, and his 11-minute showing -- complete with an assist for Federico Chiesa -- showcased the poise, composure and maturity that may see him become Liverpool's first-choice No. 6.
Marmoush appears primed for a major transfer during 2025, with Manchester City reported to be keen to explore the option of signing the Egypt forward during the ongoing January window to improve their fading title prospects.
Based on the evidence of Eintracht Frankfurt's first game of 2025, the North African hasn't missed a beat through the winter break; he required little over half an hour to break the deadlock against St. Pauli.
This wasn't the most typical Marmoush goal, with the attacker demonstrating his predatory instincts to react quickest and finish from close range after the opposition defenders were unable to deal with an attempted cross from the right. His 14th goal of the season moved him level with Harry Kane atop the Bundesliga scoring charts, while the Egyptian also has seven assists to his rival's five.
Beyond his goal, Marmoush showcased his durability under pressure, the intensity of his own pressing, as well as his intelligent and deliberate movement; these are all qualities that will surely pique the interest of Pep Guardiola.