Everton 1-1 Tottenham – Player Ratings
- Rhodri Cannon
- @RhodriCannon
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It was honours even at Goodison Park as Everton played out a 1-1 draw with high-flying Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues were second best for much of the first half but did take the lead through Aaron Lennon, who struck superbly past Hugo Lloris.
The visitors hit the woodwork twice in the first half and eventually got themselves back on level terms through Dele Alli, after some questionable defending from the Toffees backline.
Romelu Lukaku, Muhamed Besic and Ross Barkley had chances to win the game as Everton had the best of the second half, but a draw was a fair result.
Click below for our ratings.
Tim Howard - 6
Howard was bailed out by the woodwork a few times and looked shaky at best when it came to crosses. Could do little about the goal and didn’t have many notable saves to make.
Seamus Coleman - 6
Coleman made some really good defensive challenges and blocks, but some of his decisions were a bit odd and made no impact offensively. Everton need more from the Irishman.
John Stones - 7
A lot better from Stones. His passing was a lot sharper and won a lot of tackles, but risked the wrath of the Goodison faithful when he dribbled around Heung-Min Son late on. All-in-all an improved performance from the cool centre-back.
Ramiro Funes Mori - 6
Put himself about but his distribution was poor and his clearances weren’t convincing. Improved in the second half but with the returning Jagielka, the Argentine may well find himself on the bench soon.
Leighton Baines - 7
Really impressed by Leighton today. It was his harrying of Kyle Walker that lead to Everton’s first goal and his composure, workrate and energy down the wing helped set the tone for Everton’s second-half resurgence.
Gareth Barry - 7
Another solid showing from Barry. Strong tackling, smart positioning and good passing. His pace, or lack thereof, let him down as he couldn’t latch onto some passes, but the stand-in captain was subtly good again.
Tom Cleverley - 6
Lots of endeavour from Cleverley today. He was involved in the goal and his energy was boundless, but he just lacked the killer pass, that bit of quality needed to break Spurs down in the second half.
Aaron Lennon - 7
He scored his first goal for Everton at Goodison Park and was full of running and penetrative runs. Alleviated some pressure and carried out his defensive duties with aplomb. The decision to take him off was actually met with boos by some parts of the Goodison faithful.
Ross Barkley - 6
Couldn’t get a foothold in the game in the first half as the Blues were second fiddle to the visitors. Made more of an impression in the second half with some powerful runs but he couldn’t provide a real killer pass.
Arouna Kone - 4
Another ineffective performance from the Ivorian, who looked lost out there at times. Being a centre-forward, he doesn’t know what he’s doing defensively, some nice lay-offs but bizarre decisions. Needs to be taken out the firing line, he’s becoming a hindrance to the side.
Romelu Lukaku - 6.5
Just didn’t fall for Romelu today. Didn’t get consistently good service from those behind him and turned provider for Lennon with a strong knockdown. Battled Vertonghen and Alderweireld well, but didn’t see much in the way of opportunities.
Substitutes
Muhamed Besic – 7.5.
Made a real impact when he came on, gave Everton actual bite and more of a presence in midfield. He passed the ball well and forced a very good save from Lloris with a fierce effort. Loves a full-blooded tackle, doesn’t he?
Gerard Deulofeu – 7.
The Catalonian was presumably rested ahead of the League Cup semi-final against Manchester City, but was a real influence when he came on. Forced corners, worked diligently in defence, whipped in some excellent balls and was always up for a dribble. Good performance from the winger.