We all found out the team a day early again (Which should probably be addressed) and we weren’t at all shocked. No sign of players such as Klaassen, Tosun or Holgate and more starts for the ever-embarrassing Martina and Keane.
Granted, Martina was excellent today, but it’s still largely uninspiring.
The first half was a continuation of pure Sam Allardyce football, with long, aimless balls being flung about regularly and the throw-in count increasing by the minute. There were some bright sparks, mostly coming from Theo Walcott who continues to look like an extremely shrewd acquisition and some questionable decisions from Keane and Mangala.
To be honest, it was one of the more boring wins we’ve had. That’s a luxury, yes, but it also makes my job more difficult than it has to be. Let’s just rate the players and move on to next week.
We’re away, so start the anti-depressants now.
Jordan Pickford - 7
Some decent saves from a few tame headers and dealt very well with an awkward shot from Cabaye.
He still just can’t get that clean sheet though, can he.
Séamus Coleman - 5
Not as explosive as his Leicester display but was solid enough until his forced withdrawal at half time.
Eliaquim Mangala - 6
I thought he had a good game until he came off, believe it or not. His distribution – forward distribution that is – was sound.
He coped with Benteke well, also (Although as I’ve since been informed by some Palace fans, that’s not a hard task).
Michael Keane - 5
Still as shaky as ever, especially when he was given time on the ball, although he solidified himself a little bit when Williams was alongside him.
Cuco Martina - 8
Martina has a real knack for turning up just after everyone is in the right mood to start to throw some abuse at him.
He was solid in the first half and really kicked on in the second 45 as the whole team grew into the game. His cross for Niasse’s goal was inch perfect and certainly didn’t shy away from getting forward.
Idrissa Gana Gueye - 7
Gana is once again at a consistently good level after an extended period of inconsistency stemming back to last February.
His part in the midfield three-to-be shouldn’t be understated.
Wayne Rooney - 7
Another important role played by Rooney in another game.
He simply pulls the strings from deep and is good at it, that’s all that’s required.
Tom Davies - 7
Last but not least of the trio is Davies, who started the game quite poorly but grew into it as soon as he was given freedom to move from his position.
His tenacity in the second half is a part of what got us the three goals and three points.
Theo Walcott - 8
He hasn’t put one foot wrong since joining the club, which is a massive relief given the recent records of our signings.
He was at the tip of all good things Everton today and led all of the attacks, linking up well with both Coleman and Kenny.
Gylfi Sigurdsson - 8
An unfortunately uncommon excellent performance from Gylfi as he pulled the strings from the wing.
A well-taken deflected finish was followed up by some great work to keep the ball alive after Hennessey’s save which led to Davies’ goal meant that we were all going home content.
Oumar Niasse - 8
I really want Tosun to start playing games and scoring goals as much as everyone else, but when Niasse just keeps putting in brilliant performance after brilliant performance, you can’t really drop him.
And of course, we can’t expect such revolutionary tactics as 2-up-top from Sam, can we?
As long as Niasse keeps playing well and scoring goals, he’s good enough for me.
His infectious smile and work rate is going to kill off every Besiktas fan on the planet come May.
Subs-
Ashley Williams – 7
A very solid outing for Williams who, as we know, loves playing against a physical front line.
If Zaha was about then it would have been another story.
Jonjoe Kenny – 6
Coleman went off to much frustration but Kenny is the best backup that we have for any position, and right back is definitely the least of our worries moving forward.
Morgan Schneiderlin – N/A
It was just silly to bring him on, wasn’t it. Allardyce should have known what he was throwing him into and Morgan should be as far away from Goodison and the first team as possible until he inevitably moves on.