Everton’s misery continued after they succumbed to another defeat, this time at the hands of Manchester United in a tightly fought contest.
While there is certainly no shame in losing against United at Old Trafford, Everton fans would have been a bit disappointed with the defeat as their team had played very well throughout the match.
However, as is the story of Everton’s season so far – they came away from the game empty handed despite putting up a good show and things are certainly not looking good for the Toffees heading into the international break.
Everton currently find themselves in 17th position in the league and while it is for certain that Roberto Martinez’s men will make their way up the table, one cannot help but fear that their heroics from last season could be beyond the realms of possibility during the current campaign.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
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Rating |
Comment |
Tim Howard – 5.5 |
Howard made a fine save to deny Di Maria’s free kick but his overall performance on the day was not the best. Was partly at fault for the second goal as his poor clearance allowed United the possession and in turn awarded Falcao the opportunity to score. Got himself booked needlessly at the end for involving himself in a pointless scuffle with Robin van Persie. |
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Tony Hibbert – 6.5
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Many had been left fearing that Tony Hibbert would be exposed up against the pace of Di Maria and Luke Shaw but the veteran defender certainly more than stood up to the daunting task.
Made a couple of forays into the opposition box as well and even won a penalty for his side. |
Phil Jagielka – 6 |
Did well in limiting the influence of the United attackers throughout the game but was guilty of not tracking Falcao’s run in the lead up to the second goal. |
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John Stones – 6.5
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Stones once again put in a strong performance and did brilliantly in keeping the duo of Falcao and van Persie quiet.
However, there were worrying signs after the defender was stretchered off the pitch late on into the game with a suspected knee injury. |
Leighton Baines – 6 |
It is fair to say that Baines endured a roller coaster afternoon. The left back Spurned a wonderful opportunity to get Everton back into the game after missing his first ever penalty in the Premier League. Somewhat made up for it in the second half by providing a wonderful cross to allow Steven Naismith to score. A decent performance overall. |
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Gareth Barry – 6
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Barry was very neat and tidy on the ball once again and his passing was superb.
However, he allowed far too much space which handed Daley Blind the freedom to run the proceedings in midfield. |
Muhamed Besic – 6.5 |
Besic replaced the injured James McCarthy in the starting lineup and the combative midfield certainly did well to negate the influence of Juan Mata. However, the midfielder was at times too rash in the tackle and was in danger of getting sent off. |
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Aiden McGeady – 5.5
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McGeady once again displayed some fine touches but his final ball was lacking of any quality.
Looked dangerous in the second half but did not fashion too many clear cut chances for his teammates. |
Steven Pienaar – 6 |
Made a surprise return from injury but it was clear that the South African star was not up to full fitness. Decent on the ball but did on to enough on the final third of the pitch to trouble the United full backs. |
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Steven Naismith – 7.5
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Steven Naismith is developing quite a knack of being at the right place at the right time and it was his brilliant header which helped Everton get back into the game.
Grew as a threat to the United defence as the second half wore on and troubled the duo of McNair and Rojo with his tireless running. |
Romelu Lukaku – 5 |
It was another very disappointing performance from Everton’s record signing. Up against rookie defender Paddy McNair, Lukaku was expected to enjoy his battle with the youngster. However, it was McNair who came out on top on day and Lukaku would have certainly been very disappointed with his display. |
Substitutes
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Tyias Browning – NA
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Came on as a late replacement for Tony Hibbert and stuck to his task of dealing with the threat posed by Di Maria very well. |
Leon Osman – 6 |
Came on for Aiden McGeady and looked a much more dangerous prospect than the Republic of Ireland winger. Brought out a very good save from David De Gea late on but he should have really found the back of the net. |
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Bryan Oviedo – NA
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Another player to make his long awaited return from injury, Oviedo was eager to impress. The Costa Rican star would have enjoyed another special memory at the ground where he made his name, with a fine strike late on but he was unfortunately denied by De Gea’s wonderful save. |
