A much needed 3 points for Marco and the team couldn’t have come any sweeter than three goals and a clean sheet away from home. No nervy set-piece moments, no laboured passing and no (well less) individual errors. Let’s take a look at how each player performed down below!
Jordan Pickford – 6
This is nothing against Jordan but he had very little to do all night. Distribution was on point, no nervy moments of cockiness that we’ve seen this season and a solid performance from England’s Number 1. He was never forced into any difficult saves and collected the ball well from set-pieces.
Lucas Digne – 7
Digne’s set the bar for full-back performances this season and he consistently lives up to expectations. More dangerous deliveries and threatening crosses challenged Cardiff’s back four all evening. The Frenchman was defensively solid and picked up a tactical yellow to prevent a counter attack.
Phil Jagielka – 5
Jags didn’t look certain at points in his return to the side but luckily his mistakes didn’t lead to anything significant. A couple of loose touches and missed tackles made us all nervous at times but I think it’s fair to say he’s amongst his final seasons at Goodison.
Michael Keane – 6
Another man with very little to do all night. Did what he needed to do when called upon and a clean sheet can only spell out positives for a defence that has looked somewhat frail in recent weeks,
Seamus Coleman – 7
Seamus didn’t have the greatest of starts as his link up with Walcott looking laboured and tiresome but the deputy captain grew into the game and created a few dangerous chances as the game went on. Managed to grab an assist for Gylfi’s goal following a decent overlapping run.
Morgan Schneiderlin – 7
A solid performance from a man who’s been out of the side for a lengthy period. Delivered a brilliant ball into Coleman for the first goal and a couple of important interceptions in defence. Credit where credit is due, the lad had a more than decent game.
Idrissa Gueye – 7
It’s yet another player that I’ve given a 7 to but it was a good performance for the Senegalese international. He seems to have put the PSG move behind him and got his head down resulting in an assist for our final goal with a well weighted ball.
Theo Walcott – 5
The run of 7’s stops as we reach Walcott. Often looked uncomfortable on the ball and failure to beat his man all game costed his play. Had some decent connections on his efforts but that is just about it.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 9
A brilliant performance from our number 10. 2 goals sums it up with the second being a tricky finish which he dispatched with ease. An all round great performance as he rolled back time to the start of the season.
Richarlison – 4
It feels difficult to type it but it was simply an unacceptable performance. Lacked any sort of quality that we’ve seen and had every right to be substituted despite his visible anger as he left the field. Let’s hope this is just a blip.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 6
Maybe a bit harsh on the lad who grabbed a goal at the death but it was nothing exceptional from DCL. Didn’t get many chances which he sometimes squandered but another decent finish to lift it past Etheridge for our third.
SUBS
Bernard – 7
Made an instant impact as he came on and beat his man to deliver the cross that eventually led to Sigurdsson’s second goal. Always has an impact when coming off the bench which sometimes calls for shouts to start but would he still have the same impact? Only time will tell.
Ademola Lookman – 6
Little to do and failure to pull the trigger with his only real significant chance meant it was a less than resounding impact off the bench.
Andre Gomes – n/a
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