Relief would perhaps be the perfect word to describe the feelings of Everton fans after they managed to end their terrible rut by claiming a hard fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The performance on the day was anything but convincing. Nonetheless for Everton, the three points at the end of the day was all that mattered and the Toffees faithful will now be hoping that their side can use the victory as a springboard to facilitate their rise up the Premier League table.
From Roberto Martinez’s perspective, the victory would have lifted a lot of pressure off of his shoulders but he knows that his side can perform much better than they did against Palace and he will be hopeful that the players now have enough confidence about them to build on the good result.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
|
Player Rating |
Comment |
| Joel Robles – 6
|
Managed to keep a clean sheet but it has to be said that he did not exactly exude confidence from goal. Looked particularly uncomfortable dealing with long balls into the box and had Phil Jagielka to thank for bailing him out from the goal line after the he had made a horrendous error. |
|
Seamus Coleman – 6.5
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While Coleman did not make too many of his trademark forays down the right wing, the Irishman was very solid at the back.Rather than a spectacular performance, it was a battling display from the full back. |
| Phil Jagielka – 7.5
|
It has not been the best of seasons for Phil Jagielka this year but the England international put in a very good display against Palace this weekend. Jagielka was commanding at the back and made a vital intervention in clearing Dwight Gayle’s header off the line to protect Everton’s lead. |
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John Stones – 7
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Alongside Jagielka, John Stones put in an assured display on the day and looked very accomplished at the back.Calm and composed on the ball, Stones put in a strong performance and his usage of possession was very judicious. |
| Leighton Baines – 6.5
|
Much like Coleman, Leighton Baines did not have too many opportunities to bomb forward from the wings but he was very good defensively. Up against the unpredictable duo of Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon, Baines had to be on his guard to deny the duo and he did so very well. |
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Gareth Barry – 6.5
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Gareth Barry has looked out of sorts over the past few weeks or so but he managed to recover well with a good performance against Palace.Neat and tidy on the ball, Barry used possession well and provided good cover to his backline. |
| Muhamed Besic – 7
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The presence of Muhamed Besic has meant that Everton have not missed James McCarthy too much and the Bosnian star was once again very solid in his side’s victory over Palace. Besic constantly harried and hassled the Palace attackers and was very effective in breaking the opposition attack time and again. |
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Aiden McGeady – 7
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Following a host of inconsistent performances, Aiden McGeady finally showed his real worth with a very good display on the day.His dribbling caused the Palace backline a lot of problems and apart from the winger’s attacking exploits; his defensive discipline really caught the eye. |
| Steven Naismith – 7.5
|
It was a typical Steven Naismith performance, with the Scotsman putting in a selfless display for his side’s clause. He created Lukaku’s goal with a great run down the right and also put in a fine shift in helping out his backline to protect the Toffees’ lead. |
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Kevin Mirallas – 6
|
Kevin Mirallas has not looked himself over the past few weeks and his penalty howler against West Brom seems to be affecting him till now.The Belgian star was virtually anonymous against Palace and was unsurprisingly hauled off in the 68th minute of the game after an ineffectual performance. |
| Romelu Lukaku – 7.5
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Lukaku got the only goal of the game early on under fortunate circumstances and he really needs to work on his first touch. Nonetheless, the Belgian striker did well in leading the line up on his own and was a constant thorn in the Palace backline. |
Substitues
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Bryan Oviedo – 6
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Oviedo was brought on for the ineffectual Mirallas on the 68th minute of the game and the winger did well. |
