Everton inflicted a huge 4-0 Premier League defeat on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, with rookie Tom Davies stealing the show. Here is how Davies and the rest of the Everton players rated.
GK: Joel Robles (8/10) – Selected ahead of the fit-again Maarten Stekelenburg, Robles made a handful of decent stops under phases of Manchester City pressure; none more so than when denying David Silva half way through the first half.
CB: Mason Holgate (7.5/10) – With a committed display, 20-year-old Holgate eagerly competed early on when faced against City’s superstars Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling. Holgate worked well alongside the inspirational Ashley Williams and noticeably raised his game in the second half.
CB: Ashley Williams (9/10) – A typically resilient Williams performance at the heart of Everton’s back three; the 32-year-old’s outstanding showing was typified by a crucial interception to block a dangerous De Bruyne cross after 15 minutes.
CB: Ramiro Funes Mori (7/10) – Well suited to Ronald Koeman’s back three, left-sided central defender Funes Mori played an important part in keeping Kevin De Bruyne subdued. The 25-year-old supplemented his performance with some effective distribution and important blocks.
RWB: Seamus Coleman (7/10) – As early as the ninth minute, the forward thinking right-back provided an assist for a disallowed Mirallas goal, as the Ireland international was offside in the build up. Coleman continued to occupy City’s left back Gael Clichy with many threatening runs on the flank.
CM: Tom Davies (9/10) – England’s Under-19 captain superbly read a City attack to intercept and provide an accurate through pass for Kevin Mirallas to assist the game’s opening goal.
The 18-year-old Davies put forth an outstanding display to help Everton down big-spending City, including scoring his first ever goal to put the game to bed before a late fourth.
CM: Gareth Barry (7/10) – The 35-year-old seemed to benefit from Davies’ company, and more energetic legs, in central midfield. Barry was instrumental in organising Everton’s structure in the middle third and was a calming influence amid City possession. Replaced for the more mobile James McCarthy in the 73rd minute.
LWB: Leighton Baines (6/10) – The full back got the better of Bacary Sagna and always looked dangerous from his reliable left-footed delivery. Perhaps not the instrumental force of yesteryear, but Baines was a significant contributor in leading Everton to victory.
AM: Kevin Mirallas (7/10) – The Belgium international’s outstanding run and cross set-up Romelu Lukaku to score Everton’s 34th minute goal – meaning that Toffees led at half-time for the first time since September. Almost immediately after the break, Mirallas converted a fine second goal to outline Everton’s ruthlessness in front of goal. After collecting an injury, Mirallas was replaced by debutant Morgan Schneiderlin for the final 25 minutes.
AM: Ross Barkley (8/10) – The 23-year-old’s final ball in Everton’s top third was disappointing and consequently Barkley failed to impact on the game as much as his ability should allow. Nonetheless, Barkley became a key figure in the second half with some effective penetrative runs from deep.
Scorer of Everton’s fourth goal, Ademola Lookman, replaced Barkley in the closing stages and capped his first Premier League minutes with a finish through Claudio Bravo’s legs.
FW: Romelu Lukaku (9/10) – Finished a fantastic Everton counter-attack to give the home side a 1-0 lead, but contributed far more than that. Lukaku was Everton’s attacking focus throughout – and the forward gave City’s Nicolas Otamendi a torrid time for the duration.
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