Everton continued their strong start to the season with a hard fought 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend and the point can be seen as a huge positive for the Toffees away from home against a strong side.
Although Everton were under pressure for most of the game, manager Roberto Martinez would have been pleased with the fact that his side acquitted themselves wonderfully well and the Toffees will be heading into the international break on a positive mood.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
|
Player Rating |
Comment |
| Tim Howard – 9
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Tim Howard may have endured a difficult campaign last term but the American international has been in fine form this season and he produced arguably one of his best performances in an Everton shirt against Spurs on Saturday. Howard made no less than three world class saves during the clash, with his block to deny Harry Kane being the pick of the lot and the goalkeeper was the biggest reason why Everton managed a point from the game. |
|
Seamus Coleman – 6.5
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Coleman was not able to get forward as much as he would have liked during the game due to his side coming under intense pressure but it has to be said that the defender was rock solid at the back. |
| John Stones – 7
|
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of John Stones but the defender does not seem to be affected by it and he put in another quality performance to deny Spurs from scoring. The performance epitomized why Everton are desperate to hang on to him and why Chelsea are intent on signing him. |
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Phil Jagielka – 7
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Alongside Stones, Phil Jagielka marshaled his side from the back brilliantly and it was a top quality performance from the Everton skipper. |
| Bryan Oviedo – 6
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Making his first start in the Premier League since his long term knee injury, Bryan Oviedo put in a decent performance. While the Costa Rican still looks a bit short on full fitness, he will surely improve within the next few matches. |
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James McCarthy – 6.5
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While Tottenham dominated the midfield area, it has to be said that James McCarthy held his own during the clash.
Things did not go exactly his way all the time but McCarthy worked hard and shielded his backline fairly well. |
| Gareth Barry – 5.5
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Gareth Barry endured a poor outing during the game and the midfielder looked uncharacteristically sloppy with his passing. The veteran midfielder gifted Tottenham two chances on the day and he would have felt really fortunate that Spurs did not capitalize. |
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Arouna Kone – 6
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Kone continued in the starting lineup once again but this time around, the Ivorian could not exert his usual impact.
Kone nearly stole the game for Everton at the death with a header but overall, the striker was average at best on the day. |
| Ross Barkley – 6
|
Ross Barkley has been in blistering form this season but much like his attacking teammates, the midfielder was not at his best on Saturday. Partly due to the fact that his team were under pressure for majority of the game, Barkley’s attacking prowess was largely negated. |
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Tom Cleverley – 6.5
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Tom Cleverley started the game brightly with a fine shot to test Hugo Lloris from the edge of the box but his game was cut short following an unfortunate collision with Eric Dier. |
| Romelu Lukaku – 6
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Lukaku cut an isolated figure up front for Everton and the striker was well below par. Lukaku’s altercation with Eric Dier was arguably the highlight of his game and the striker was hauled off early in the second half. |
Substitues
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Kevin Mirallas – 6
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Replaced the injured Tom Cleverley just before half time but the Belgian international did not have the desired impact during the clash. |
| Steven Naismith – 6
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Came on as a substitute for Lukaku but did not have much time to make an impact. |
|
Gerard Deulofeu – NA
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A late sub to see out the game. |
