Everton managed to build on their fine Europa League victory over Dynamo Kiev in midweek with a convincing 3-0 win over Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Sunday. The Toffees put in a very good display on the day and fully deserved their victory.
The three points lifts Roberto Martinez’s side to 14th in the Premier League table and fears of relegation have been allayed as for now. With nine games of the campaign to go, Everton will now be hopeful of earning as many points as possible and potentially stand a chance of creeping into the top half of the table.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
|
Player Rating |
Comment |
| Tim Howard – 7.5
|
After being at the end of much criticism for his performances over the last few weeks, Tim Howard put in arguably his best display since his return from injury. Howard made a crucial save from Mike Williamson in the 2nd minute of the game and his distribution throughout the match helped Everton stay on the front foot. |
|
Seamus Coleman – 6.5
|
Seamus Coleman was solid on the day without being his usual spectacular self.
The Irishman did not allow Sammy Ameobi much joy down the right flank and linked with Aaron Lennon well on a couple of occasions. |
| Antolin Alcaraz – 7.5
|
Alcaraz looked a bit shaky at the back against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday but it was a much improved performance from the Paraguayan international over the weekend. The defender made a couple of crucial interventions throughout the match and was one of the best performers on the pitch for Everton. |
|
Phil Jagielka – 7
|
Alongside Alcaraz, Jagielka acquitted himself well once again and was one of the main reasons why Newcastle were limited to a only few chances throughout the match.
Although sometimes guilty of ball watching, Jagielka was solid overall and manager Roberto Martinez would have been pleased with his captain. |
| Leighton Baines – 6.5
|
Back into the starting eleven following an injury layoff, Leighton Baines was impressive on the day. The England international seemed to struggle with the pace of the game early on but he grew into the match and his return is undoubtedly a big boost for Everton. |
|
Aaron Lennon – 7.5
|
Aaron Lennon has had an unspectacular start to life at Everton but the performance against Newcastle United was arguably his best in a Toffees’ shirt.
Lennon was a constant menace for the Newcastle United defence to deal with, earning a crucial penalty while his efforts at the other end of the pitch was also much appreciated by the fans. |
| Darron Gibson – 7
|
Filling in for the suspended Gareth Barry, Darron Gibson was another one of Everton’s top performers on the day. The Irishman dictated the pace of the match wonderfully well and his distribution from the middle of the park was top notch. |
|
James McCarthy – 8
|
With Gibson in the side, James McCarthy seemed to be awarded more freedom to attack and he certainly did so wonderfully well.
The young midfielder opened the score line with a fine lung bursting run into the box and his link up play with Romelu Lukaku was one of the highlights of the match. |
| Leon Osman – 7
|
The wily old Leon Osman proved that he can still produce the goods with a fine display against Newcastle. The veteran midfielder displayed a lot of composure and his accurate passing kept the Newcastle United midfield under pressure at all times. |
|
Arouna Kone – 7
|
Kone was paired up with Romelu Lukaku in attack and it has to be said that the Ivorian international’s selection from the start was justified.
The striker made a couple of fine runs to get at the end of Gibson’s passes and his energy did not give the Magpies’ backline a moments’ peace. |
| Romelu Lukaku – 8
|
Building on from his fine performance in midweek, Romelu Lukaku was fantastic once again. The striker looked intent on putting in a good performance on the day and he simply tortured the Magpies’ backline. His hold up play was also exceptional and the striker managed to get himself on the score sheet once again with a fine penalty. |
Substitutes
|
Muhamed Besic – NA
|
Brought on as a late sub to replace McCarthy. |
| Ross Barkley – 7
|
Barkley was brought on for the impressive Lukaku on the 75th minute of the clash and the young midfielder certainly made an impact on the game by putting the icing on the cake for Everton with a well taken third goal. |
|
Christian Atsu – 7
|
While Atsu was brought with less than ten minutes to go in the game, he looked very dangerous and it was the Ghanaian’s fine run with set up Barkley late on. |
