Everton player ratings as one hero gets 9/10 in magnificent Aston Villa win

Everton player ratings as one hero gets 9/10 in magnificent Aston Villa win

Everton player ratings from the superb 1-0 triumph at Premier League title challengers Aston Villa

Bookmark

Everton hit back from having a first-half goal controversially disallowed for offside to record a shock 1-0 win over in-form Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side had won their previous 11 home games in all competitions and were looking to move back up to second place in the Premier League table but were beaten by Thierno Barry’s 59th-minute strike.

Jake O’Brien thought he’d put the Blues in front in the first half when heading in from James Garner’s cross but Harrison Armstrong was deemed to have been interfering with play when standing in an offside position.

David Moyes’ men were not to be denied though and just before the hour mark, Pau surrendered possession, Dwight McNeil’s shot was only parried by Emiliano Martinez, and Barry coolly slotted in the rebound.

And here's how we rated the Everton players...

Jordan Pickford 8

Pulled off a spectacular second half save to deny Morgan Rogers having made a smart stop to keep out an effort from the same player in the first half and dealt with everything that came his way, including a wickedly struck Matty Cash corner.

Nathan Patterson 8

Hasn’t played many minutes so far this season but he produced a steady display in the face of Aston Villa’s flying wide men.

Vitalii Mykolenko 8

Had a dipping effort tipped over the bar by Martinez and did just enough to put off Evann Guessand when the early substitute was through on goal, although he was fortunate when the same player beat him in an aerial duel only for the header to hit the crossbar.

James Tarkowski 8

Was a solid leadership presence at the back and made a crucial interception to nick the ball of Buendia in the first half.

Jake O’Brien 8

Strong display at the heart of defence, he was denied a headed goal with what seemed like a dubious offside call at one end and then just moments later, he made a crucial block to deny Morgan Rogers.

James Garner 8

Pulling the strings in the engine room again, he made a clutch of crucial challenges and provided the cross for Jake O’Brien’s goal that was disallowed for offside while also going into the book for pulling down Buendia.

Merlin Rohl 8

Almost scored his first Everton goal just 11 seconds into the game but his shot hit the foot of Emiliano Martinez’s goal and despite being denied he looked far more mobile than against Sunderland, digging in to produce his most promising display for the club so far.

Dwight McNeil 7

Reacted to Pau giving the ball away in the build-up to Barry’s goal with Martinez only able to parry his effort, he picked up the first yellow card of the game in what seemed like soft circumstances as he appeared to give a slight tug on Emiliano Buendia’s jersey and while he was a threat with his deliveries from corners, his work in open play was often defensive.

Harrison Armstrong 8

A day shy of turning 19, Everton’s home-grown hero continues to boss proceedings against senior Premier League pros and was neat and tidy in his play plus smart in his passing, although the jury is out on whether his offside position should have prompted his side’s goal to be ruled out.

Jack Grealish 7

Regularly booed by large sections of the fanbase at boyhood club Aston Villa, he showed fleeting moments of danger, had a volleyed back post effort from a corner blocked and smartly won free-kicks in crucial moments.

Thierno Barry 9

Put Everton ahead with a composed finish, delicately dinking the ball over Emiliano Martinez, he provided the knockdown to Rohl for his early chance and was an energetic presence up front, making a series of clever runs.

SUBS

Beto (on 83 for Barry)

Energy in the latter stages.

Story Saved
You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.