Everton continued their brilliant run of form with another victory over Burnley over the weekend and now the Toffees have moved into touching distance of the top half of the table after claiming the three points on the day.
Despite the match potentially being a banana skin against Burnley side which was desperate for the points, Everton enjoyed a relatively comfortable afternoon and the performance was perhaps the consequence of the confidence surrounding the Merseyside club at the moment.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
|
Player Rating |
Comment |
| Tim Howard – 6.5
|
Tim Howard enjoyed a comfortable outing during the clash as Everton were so dominant. Howard was called still upon on a couple of occasions though and he did well to keep the clean sheet. |
|
Seamus Coleman – 7.5
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Coleman has enjoyed a drastic improvement over the past few weeks and he was top class once again.
The Irishman made his usual forays down the wing and gave the Burnley defence a really tough time. |
| Phil Jagielka – 7
|
Phil Jagielka has been the foundation around on which Everton’s recent success has been built upon and he was solid once again against Burnley. Admittedly, he did not have much to do throughout the game but his contribution at the back must be appreciated. |
|
John Stones – 7
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Much like Jagielka, young John Stones has been impressive over the last few months and complemented his defensive partner well with a good performance. |
| Leighton Baines – 8
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Leighton Baines was fantastic during the game and his deliveries down the left wreaked havoc among the Burnley backline. However, Baines curiously did not take over the penalty duties and saw Ross Barkley proceed to miss from the spot. |
|
Aaron Lennon – 8
|
Lennon has been a class above the rest during the past few weeks and he put another wonderful performance to help the Toffees on their way to victory.
On current form, Lennon is arguably Everton’s best player and Roberto Martinez should do everything within his power to complete a permanent deal for the winger. |
| Gareth Barry – 7.5
|
Gareth Barry has been subject to much criticism over the course of the season but the veteran can still do a job when required and he proved this fact with a solid display during Everton’s victory over Burnley. |
|
James McCarthy – 7
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McCarthy’s game was brought to a premature end in the second period due to injury but during his time on the pitch, the Irishman performed his duties to the best of his abilities. |
| Ross Barkley – 6.5
|
Ross Barkley seems very keen on making an impact for Everton but at times he is too eager and the match against Burnley epitomized this fact. The youngster missed from the penalty spot in the first half and while he tried hard to compensate, the midfielder’s impact throughout the match was limited. |
|
Kevin Mirallas – 7
|
Amid much speculation about his future at Everton, Mirallas has been enjoying a run from the start in recent times and he managed to grab his opportunity by scoring the only goal of the game with a well taken finish.
That said, the Belgian was lucky not to be sent off following his horror tackle on Burnley’s George Boyd. |
| Arouna Kone – 6
|
Kone was handed another chance to lead the line for Everton but sadly, the Ivorian international did not manage to take advantage of the opportunity. His impact during the game was negligible and the striker is likely to make way for Romelu Lukaku next weekend. |
Substitutes
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Muhamed Besic – NA
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Besic came on in the second half as replacement for the injured McCarthy and did a decent job. |
| Steven Naismith – 6
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Came on during the second half and worked hard as usual. |
|
Romelu Lukaku – NA
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Lukaku made a return to the pitch following his hamstring injury and it is very likely that the young Belgian will replace Kone from the start next weekend. |
