A dominant, accomplished Everton performance should’ve resulted in three points but only one was gained as the Blues were held to a goalless draw by Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
Romelu Lukaku, Steven Naismith and Ross Barkley all had chances to score, while Kevin Mirallas didn’t make the greatest claim for a starting spot as he was sent off within two minutes of coming on.
The youthful defence of Brendan Galloway, Tyias Browning and John Stones impressed, as did the old stalwart leading them, Phil Jagielka.
Here are Read Everton’s player ratings:
Tim Howard – Another solid display from the American, who looks to have put last season firmly behind him. Manchester City aside, Howard has looked in fine fettle this season, and the shut-out against Swansea was his third consecutive away clean sheet. Made some smart saves, the one to deny Montero being the highlight. 7/10.
Tyias Browning – Browning’s full Premier League debut was a successful one, and Martinez was full of praise for his young starlet after the game.
“He’s the best one-v-one defender at the Club.” said Roberto, and Browning’s performance gave substance to that lofty praise.
Paired with a very tricky winger in Jefferson Montero, a player that has terrorised more experienced full-backs in the past, Browning rose to the challenge and marshalled the Ecuadorian superbly.
He had a good understanding with his former U21 defensive partner Stones and showed athleticism, defensive nous and composure. Didn’t offer a great deal going forward, but that was expected as his primary position is centre-half. 7/10.
John Stones – He’s just great. Unflappable, he’s got everything required to be the perfect modern centre-half. Facing the in-form Gomis was no trouble for the 21-year-old, his pace, positioning and timing of the tackle were all on display. He had time for his ball-playing boss-ness, too. 7.5/10.
Phil Jagielka – Lead the youthful back four excellently, and stifled Gomis and Ayew for large parts of the game. Almost gifted Swansea a goal when he inexplicably ran out of position, leaving Gomis with oceans of space.
Apart from that, another solid display from the captain. 7/10.
Brendan Galloway – Really, really impressive stuff from Galloway. Defensively sound, his attacking presence has come on leaps and bounds in the last two matches. He spurned a great chance to give Everton the lead, but his defensive qualities belie his tender years. Another gem. 8/10.
Gareth Barry – Barry is back. Bar one bizarre header, the Premier League winner was superb. He broke up play regularly, got in the faces of Sigurdsson and co, and distributed the ball intelligently. The 34-year-old is offering the defence some real protection, long may it continue. 7.5/10.
James McCarthy – Not his best display for the Blues, but it wasn’t a bad outing for McCarthy. Protected Browning when necessary and was smart in possession, but he needs to kick on in the final third, he doesn’t make a big enough impact in that regard. Decent stuff from the Irishman, nonetheless. 6.5/10.
Ross Barkley – Brilliant, again. It’s a whole new Ross Barkley this season. Creative, bullish and relishing the extra responsibility, Ross looks set to make his mark on this campaign. He beat players with ease time and again, made a whole host of chances and above all, he’s doing the simple things perfectly. A pleasure to watch this Ross. 8.5/10.
Steven Naismith – Not quite as good as last week, Naismith showed endeavour and at times looked threatening but he wasted a couple of good chances to score. Needs to do more if he is to stay in the team. 6/10.
Arouna Kone – Not a great deal from Kone today. He fluffed a guilt-edged chance early in the second half but worked hard and was strong and at times skilful in possession. The Ivorian needs to make more of an impact if he is to keep his place, there are quite a few vying for his position. 6/10.
Romelu Lukaku – Not good enough from Lukaku, I’m afraid. Too many wasted chances, his first 20 minutes was quite frankly, abysmal, it was like he was allergic to the ball. He did improve and made a few openings but he should’ve scored, he’s the focal point of the team and needs to up his game. 5.5/10.
SUBSTITUTES:
Gerard Deulofeu – It was good to see Deulofeu get a substantial amount of minutes on the pitch, and he didn’t disappoint with some lovely tricks and dangerous crosses that were begging for a touch. Carried out his defensive duties well, which was encouraging to see. Imagine Geri will start against Reading on Tuesday. 6.5/10.
Kevin Mirallas – Dope. 0/10.
