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Everton have employed NINE different central defensive partnerships this season - and one has a standout record compared to all of the others.

It is a pairing which offers youthful exuberance and experience, it has one partner with pace and mobility and one with strength and aggression.

And crucially they have played together nine times - and their record is outstanding, winning five, drawing three and losing one.

But curiously Ashley Williams and Mason Holgate have only played together once this year, when they were central defensive partners for the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

The pairing made its seasonal debut against Bournemouth in September, selected by Ronald Koeman, when the Blues came from behind to win 2-1.

They were retained for the Europa League visit of Apollon Limassol five days later but the late equaliser conceded in a 2-2 draw saw them immediately replaced.

The duo were not selected together again until the trip to Lyon in November, selected by caretaker boss David Unsworth - and it was a traumatic reintroduction with three late goals seeing the Blues slip to Europa League defeat.

But when the pair were restored for a third time it proved to be the Blues most effective pairing.

They kept a clean sheet in Unsworth’s final match as caretaker, the 4-0 defeat of West Ham, stayed together for the 2-0 victory over Huddersfield - the only time this season the Blues have kept back to back clean sheets in the Premier League - and were in tandem for the 1-1 draw at Anfield, the 1-0 win at Newcastle and the 3-1 victory over Swansea.

After five successive appearances together they made way for Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka, who kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw with Chelsea, and have only been partnered together once since.

Michael Keane and Ashley Williams were the preferred partnership at the start of the season but were axed after the horror show at home to Atalanta, briefly restored when Manchester United visitied Goodison Park on New Year’s Day - and then for the second half last weekend when Crystal Palace were beaten 3-1.

The three-man partnership of Keane, Williams and Jagielka was the Blues most experienced grouping - and had the strange quirk of being responsible for arguably the Blues most effective defensive performance of the season, holding free scoring Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in August, and two of the worst, a 4-0 hiding at Old Trafford and the 5-2 rout by Arsenal which led to Ronald Koeman’s sacking.

(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Old stagers Jagielka and Williams played together twice, defeats at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and Leicester City, the triumvirate of Holgate, Williams and Keane managed a clean sheet at West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day in their only outing together, while Holgate and Jageilak’s only exposure was at Anfield in the FA Cup defeat and then Wembley for the mauling by Spurs.

But mention must be made of the rookie paiting of Morgan Feeney and Mo Besic.

(Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

They were a first - and probably only time - pairing in the Europa League in Limassol, and celebrated a thoroughly deserved victory and a clean sheet.

Everton’s defensive pairings

Keane and Williams (10 and a half appearances)

Ruzomberok (h) 1-0, Ruzomberok (a) 1-0, Hajduk Split (h) 2-0, Hajduk Split (a) 1-1, Spurs (h) 0-3, Sunderland (h) 3-0, Burnley (h) 0-1, Lyon (h) 1-2, Atalanta (h) 1-5, Man Utd (h) 0-2, Crystal Palace (h, 2nd half only) 3-1.

Keane, Williams and Jagielka (four and a half appearances)

1-0 Stoke (h, then changed at half-time as Williams made way), Man City (a) 1-1, Chelsea (a) 0-2, United (a) 0-4, Arsenal (h) 2-5

Keane and Jagielka (eight-and-a-half appearances)

Stoke (h, for 45 mins) 1-0, Atalanta (a) 0-3, Brighton (a) 1-1, Watford (h) 3-2, Crystal Palace (a) 2-2, Southampton (a) 1-4, Chelsea (h) 0-0, Bournemouth (a) 1-2, Leicester (h) 2-1

Jagielka and Williams (two appearances)

Chelsea away 1-2, Leicester 0-2,

Williams and Holgate (nine appearances)

Bournemouth (h) 2-1, Apollon Limassol (h) 2-2, Lyon (a) 0-3, West Ham (h) 4-0, Huddersfield (h) 2-0, Liverpool (a) 1-1, Newcastle (a) 1-0, Swansea (h) 3-1, West Brom (h) 1-1.

Feeney and Besic (one appearance)

Apollon Limassol (a) 3-0

Holgate, Williams and Keane (one appearance)

West Brom (a) 0-0

Holgate and Jagielka (two appearances)

Liverpool (a) 1-2, Spurs (a) 0-4

Williams, Keane and Mangala (one 45 minute appearance)

Arsenal (a) 1-5

Keane and Mangala (one 45 minute appearance)

Crystal Palace (h) 0-0