Alexis Mac Allister’s delivery helped Dan Burn score at Everton just as much as Mwepu’s flick. And there was plenty still for Leandro Trossard and Mac Allister to do when they scored against Brentford and Everton respectively. But the disguised passes left them in room – and they knew they would be spotted, even though he was looking the other way.
Enock Mwepu said: “Ninkumona means ‘I’ve seen you’. In Zambia I used to assist a lot playing in the under-17s, under-20s. I named it that. If you see the goal against Brentford and also in Cardiff (by Jakub Moder), such passes are the ones that show the Ninkumona. It’s the sort of pass that comes from nowhere, where people don’t expect it. Those are the moments when I look at the movement of my teammate and I try to make that pass and it just astonishes everybody. It was from way back when I was in the under-20s, even younger.”
Mwepu delighted fans with his subtle little lay-off of Trossard’s low cross to tee up Mac Allister at Goodison. It looked better the more you watched it.
Enock Mwepu said: “When I saw Leo have the ball, I got in my position and so many people said I didn’t even look at Alexis. But before Leo played the ball to me I saw he was in a good position to shoot so when the ball was coming, I just had to lay it off. I had to think about how to lay it off to him and that was the only way I could do it – and I think it worked!”
Mwepu accepts he is flying the flag for his country, along with Leicester striker Patson Daka. The arrival of both – in the run-up to an election – saw the nation’s president and main political rival issue well-wishing tweets. Mwepu says he does not feel additional pressure and responsibility because of it.
Enock Mwepu added: “I think for me it is just pride. Even the president wrote me a message, it is pride that I represent the country “I think everyone is happy at what I have achieved and that is something amazing for me.”
Predecessors from Zambia have not been such big hits in the Prem so what does Mwepu see as a key reason for his early impact in a tough league?
Enock Mwepu said: “I think it is the discipline aspect and the mentality. I am very disciplined in what I do. I always want to act professional and I always have the right mentality in most of the things that I do. I try to inspire the Zambians who think they can also achieve great things in football and other aspects. I jut try to be that icon for them and show them that they can achieve all they want to achieve.”
Next for Mwepu is the FA Cup. He admits playing in the final – as he watched his favourite team Liverpool do on TV back home – would be a dream. (Later he laughs as he says he still watches that goal he scored at Anfield every day.) But cup football has already been important for Mwepu this season, with that performance at Cardiff and a first goal at Leicester.
Enock Mwepu said: “For me those games were really important. We were trying to progress as a team and unfortunately we lost at Leicester. But for me it gave me more minutes. I think the confidence was there because of those games.”
