As it has been the case so many times this season, Everton failed to build on their good result and endured another disappointing outcome.
Having beaten Queens Park Rangers previously with a convincing victory, Everton were unable to build on it and suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton.
The Toffees put in a totally inept performance on the day and could not have any complaints regarding the final outcome of the game. Everton fell behind through an unfortunate own goal from Romelu Lukaku and they never really managed to recover after that.
Goals from Graziano Pelle and Maya Yoshida in the second period condemned Everton to their 6th defeat of the season. The defeat leaves the Toffees languishing in 11th place and if things do not improve soon, a European finish will look like a distant dream for Roberto Martinez’s men.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
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Player Rating |
Comment |
Tim Howard – 5
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Did make a fine save from Jose Fonte but apart from that, it was a largely forgettable performance from Tim Howard. The goalkeeper was not commanding enough in his box and although the goals that Everton conceded were not directly his fault, Howard could have been more proactive to prevent them. |
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Seamus Coleman – 5
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He was unable to provide any sort of quality whatsoever and it was another disappointing performance from Coleman on the day. The Irishman usual dangerous attacking play down the wing was completely missing while he did not defend well as he was bypassed by Ryan Bertrand on too many occasions. |
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Phil Jagielka – 4.5
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It was another performance to forget for Phil Jagielka
The experienced centre defender was completely dominated throughout the match by Graziano Pelle and Shane Long and simply looked unable to cope with the pace of the Southampton attack. |
Sylvain Distin – 5 |
Age seems to be really catching up with Sylvain Distin and it was another lethargic performance from the Frenchman. Distin struggled to come to grips with the game and was simply tormented by the pace and power of Pelle. |
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Leighton Baines – 5
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To be fair to Baines, he did try his best but unfortunately the defender inexplicably lacked quality to make any sort of impact.
Baines seems to have somehow forgotten to cross or beat a man and despite his best efforts, the England international’s final ball was very poor. |
Steven Naismith – 5.5 |
Steven Naismith did provide a creative spark in attack for Everton whenever on the ball but unfortunately, the midfielder was starved of quality service. Credit has to be given to the Southampton backline for marking him out of the game and it was overall a frustrating afternoon for the Scotsman. |
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Muhamed Besic – 5
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Besic always has given it his all for Everton but he still seems to be struggling with the pace of the Premier League.
The Bosnian youngster could not be faulted for his effort but he lacks the finesse and awareness of James McCarthy to produce quality in the final third. |
Gareth Barry – 5.5 |
Gareth Barry was solid as usual in possession and used the ball judiciously. However, as a criticism to the midfielder’s performance, it has to be said that he could have done better to provide cover to his shaky backline. |
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Ross Barkley – 5.5
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Following his wonderful performance against QPR, Ross Barkley was expected to give Southampton a tough time as well.Unfortunately for Everton, it did not happen as Barkley was ineffective throughout.Manager Roberto Martinez has to take blame for Barkley’s poor performance as well though as his decision to shift him out on the wings was a bit baffling, especially following his brilliant performance against QPR. |
Samuel Eto’o – 5 |
Deployed in a central position, Samuel Eto’o lacked the cutting edge and did not manage to fashion enough openings for Everton. With Everton relying on Eto’o for the chances, they could not fashion many opportunities and the veteran would not have been pleased with his own display. |
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Romelu Lukaku – 4
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It was another poor performance by Romelu Lukaku and Martinez would most certainly not have been pleased with the striker. Scored an unfortunate own goal but even discounting that, Lukaku did not show any desire in leading the Everton attack and it was a very lazy performance from the striker. |
