Everton vs Bournemouth – Match Ratings

Roberto Martinez was handed a stay of execution after Everton managed to claim a hard fought 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday and the three points certainly comes as a huge relief for the Spaniard.

While it is not to say that the win has changed the opinion of the majority of the Everton faithful who want him out, Martinez has something to build upon after ending the terrible winless streak and he will now surely be keen on a strong end to the campaign.

Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –

Player Rating	Comment
Tim Howard – 7	Reinstated back into the starting lineup, Howard put in a solid performance and his contribution was much appreciated by the fans inside Goodison Park.
Muhamed Besic – 5.5	Playing in an unfamiliar right back position, Besic once again did not look very convincing and was understandably replaced at half time by the veteran Tony Hibbert.
John Stones – 7	Stones has been very shaky in recent times but his performance against Bournemouth was a much more composed one and overall, it was a good effort from the youngster.
Matthew Pennington – 6	Young Matthew Pennington was partly at fault for the goal Everton conceded on the day but his performance throughout the clash was most certainly very encouraging.
Leighton Baines – 7	Baines put in a much improved performance in comparison to his recent displays and even grabbed the winner with a wonderful strike during the second period.
Darron Gibson – 6.5	Handed a rare start at the middle of the park, Gibson performed well and was quietly effective throughout the course of the match.
James McCarthy – 6.5	Much like Gibson, McCarthy worked hard in midfield and was a big factor in helping Everton enjoy the lion’s share of possession on the day.
Aaron Lennon – 6.5	Lennon was not the most effective during the first period but came alive after the break and did fantastically well to set up Leighton Baines for the eventual winner.
Tom Cleverley – 7.5	Cleverley opened the scoring with a neatly taken finish and had a number of good opportunities throughout the match to find the back of the net. The midfielder was wasteful but his contribution throughout the match proved to be crucial in handing Everton the three points.
Ross Barkley – 7	Barkley was very active during the game whenever Everton attacked but unfortunately, his final ball was lacking once again.
Oumar Niasse – 6	Finally handed a start, Niasse was unable to capitalize after putting in a very poor performance and in truth, the striker looks well short of match fitness at the moment.