Everton continued their recent revival with a fine 3-1 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. While the match was not a stroll for the Toffees, they were relatively comfortable throughout the ninety minutes and the real difference between the two sides was the cutting edge in front of goal.
Roberto Martinez would certainly have been pleased with the output that his side displayed on the day and in particular, the combination of Samuel Eto’o and Romelu Lukaku in the final third.
The three points means that Everton have now moved up to 9th in the Premier League table and they now certainly look more than capable of challenging for a top four finish despite their poor start to the season.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
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Rating |
Comment |
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Tim Howard – 6.5
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Tim Howard was rarely troubled by the toothless Burnley attack on the day and the American could not do much about the goal that he did concede. The 35-year old was solid in the air while dealing with crosses into the box and it was a decent performance from the Everton custodian. |
| Seamus Coleman – 6.5
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The usually attack minded Coleman surprisingly did not have much of an impact going forward but it was his defensive work which caught the attention. The Irishman did wonderfully well to negate the threat posed by Michael Kightly down the right and the display proved that Coleman is a strong defender as well. |
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Phil Jagielka – 7.5
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Phil Jagielka continued his great run of form with another fine display at the back.Admittedly Burnley are not the best attacking side in the world but Jagielka was immense at the back and he almost rendered the duo of Danny Ings and Lukas Jutkiewicz negligible at times. |
| Antolin Alcaraz – 6.5
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Alcaraz did not look as solid as his defensive partner Jagielka at the heart of the defence and put his side under pressure with a couple of sloppy passes. Overall though, Alcaraz acquitted himself very well throughout the game and the Paraguayan international would have been pleased with his display. |
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Leighton Baines – 7.5
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It was Baines’ fine cross which set up Samuel Eto’o for the opening goal of the match and the England international was a constant thorn on the Burnley backline.The 29-year old put in a good defensive performance as well and did well to deal with George Boyd. |
Gareth Barry – 7.5 |
Barry’s passing was impeccable on the day as well and more importantly, the midfielder made a couple of excellent interventions to break down Burnley’s attacks at their origin. Not for nothing the midfielder is known as Everton’s Mr. Dependable! |
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James McCarthy – 7
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The combination of Barry and McCarthy seems like a match made in heaven and the young man is certainly thriving playing alongside the experienced midfielder.McCarthy was efficient throughout the match and did very well to retain the possession at the middle of the park for the Toffees. |
Leon Osman – 6.5 |
A slightly quiet display by his energetic standards, Osman was only decent on the day. It was his wonderful vision which sent Baines clear on the left for Everton’s first goal though and he did give Burnley full back Kieran Trippier a few problems. |
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Steven Naismith – 7
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While Naismith’s goal scoring threat has been reduced after being deployed on the wings, the Scotsman always gives his team a 110% and he was solid against Burnley as well.The striker worked extremely hard going forward as well as while retreating and has become a vital cog in the Everton side. |
Samuel Eto’o – 8 |
No one would have guessed Eto’o was 33 years old following his wonderful performance against Burnley. The Cameroonian superstar was simply a predator in front of goal by scoring two goals of the highest order and the fact that he lasted 90 minutes for the second consecutive time in the space of four days just proves how fit the veteran striker is. |
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Romelu Lukaku – 6.5
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Lukaku made a horrendous error in the build up to Burnley’s equalizer but managed to make amends soon after by restoring Everton’s lead with a scruffy finish. The striker still does not look at his best though and needs to improve on his first touch. |
Substitutes
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Steven Pienaar – NA
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A late substitute and did not have too much time to make much of an impact despite setting up Eto’o second during the final embers of the game. |
Ross Barkley – 6.5 |
Came on in the hour mark for Lukaku and brought about a fresh impetus to the Everton attack with his energy. |
