Starting XI:
Jordan Pickford - 5
Pickford’s role in the game consisted of him picking the ball out of the net twice before going off injured at the end of the first half. He could do nothing to prevent either goal, both of which were fantastic strikes from Wood and McNeil. He then seemed to have a recurrence of the injury that kept him out last month and was replaced by Virginia.
Mason Holgate - 3
Holgate seems to have regressed at a rate of knots this season. He looked to have improved last season but this year he’s been slowly falling back down to the levels we saw in Marco Silva’s first season. It was a complete lottery when someone ran at Mason, sometimes he won the ball and other times he’s left for dead. Burnley should have had a clear penalty from his ridiculous flailing arm in the box, which I can’t believe wasn’t given by VAR. He otherwise spent the game putting dreadful crosses into the box, losing possession with woeful distribution or giving fouls away. I’m aware it’s not his natural position but he’s been even worse in the games at centre-back this season. Mina has to come back in for the next game with Godfrey moving to right-back.
Ben Godfrey - 6
Godfrey was alright in this one, again he couldn’t do anything for the goals which were brilliant strikes off the back of midfield errors. Made a great block in the first half and won plenty of headers when Burnley played long balls up the pitch. He also got a vital last-ditch flick on the ball to divert it away from Wood who would have surely tapped in from the cross had it not been for Godfrey’s intervention.
Michael Keane - 6.5 (MOTM)
Him and Godfrey were probably the only players to come out of today with any real dignity. I’d say Keane was probably Everton’s best player on the night, made some good tackles and interceptions in the second half as Burnley looked to counter. He also played some great forward passes into midfield and the strikers. He made an inch perfect pass in behind the Burnley defence to Coleman, only for the Irishman to put the ball straight on the head of a Burnley defender. Despite conceding two goals, the centre-backs were probably the best performers which speaks volumes for the rest of the team.
Lucas Digne - 4
Lucas had very little impact on the game, whenever he popped up in a dangerous position his final ball let him down. He swung in one absolute peach of cross with his right foot that Calvert-Lewin really should have scored from, but other than that it was a disappointing display from the Frenchman. His corner deliveries once again were borderline amateur and when Sigurdsson & James are on the pitch the team really needed Digne to step up. It’s baffling to see a player who is absolutely lethal at crossing in play and from free kicks but struggles to beat the first man from corners time and time again.
Allan - 3
This was probably Allan’s worst game in an Everton shirt so far. He was largely at fault for the second goal as he came rushing out at McNeil only for the Burnley wide man to skip past him and bend his shot into the top corner. It looked like the Burnley attackers felt they could beat him every time they ran at him, which is a far cry from the Allan we’ve seen for most of this season. He played one excellent ball to Calvert-Lewin on the outside of his boot but that aside his passing was sloppy and he gave the ball away more than he normally does. He’s been brilliant this season and I’m sure it was just one those days but he was still well below his own standards.
André Gomes - 4
Another player who typified Everton’s blunt performance on the night, André looked to move the ball forward but never possessed the killer edge to create a good chance. Again, at times he looks to play in his own bubble and wants far too much time on the ball. If he wasn’t so slow he’d be a top class player, because he has the technical ability, but his complete lack of pace causes him real problems at times. With the current injuries in the squad, he’s probably going to get a decent run in the side but when he puts in performances like he has done over the last 3/4 games, he isn’t doing much to stake his claim to a first team place.
Tom Davies - 5
Another midfielder who was partly to blame for a goal, this time it was Davies. He gave the ball away in his own half and Burnley punished him through Wood. My biggest criticism of Tom is that far to often he looks to earn fouls and free kicks rather than taking the ball, turning and driving at the opposition. In this case it came back to bite him and his mistake undid what was actually a bright start from Everton. In spite of his error he didn’t let it affect his game as Allan did. He provided a great cross to assist Calvert-Lewis’s goal to give the side a glimmer of hope. Tom set up a goal and cost us one, which I’d say cancel each other out, otherwise his performance was ok.
Alex Iwobi - 3
Yet again, one of Everton’s poorest performers tonight. Iwobi got his chance in his “natural position” as he lined up in the number 10 being Richarlison and DCL. However, he didn’t put in a nearly good enough performance to justify his social media ramblings in the days prior. Iwobi actually looked near and tidy on the ball when it was played in to him and he had to get away from the defender. But the pass always moved backwards or sideways, rarely forward to the dangerous areas of the pitch. Not to mention his end product, he must be one of the worst crossers of the ball in the Premier League, nearly every cross he puts in is too shallow or too far for anyone to reach.
Richarlison - 4
Richarlison’s only real impact on the game was in the first 10 minutes. He looked dangerous as he picked up pockets of space and drove at the Burnley back four. Had one decent chance before the Burnley goal as he stung the palms of Nick Pope, but after the visitors scored it completely took the wind out of both Richarlison and then entire team. From that point on the Brazilian had little to no impact on the game, gradually fading out of what was a very frustrating game.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 5
Calvert-Lewin scores marginally higher than his strike partner here because of his goal. Unlike Richarlison he had the chances throughout the game but fluffed his lines on nearly every occasion bar his goal from Davies’s cross. Digne put an inch perfect cross on his head from 6 yards out and he got it all wrong, heading it in the wrong direction. A chance that if he’s scored at the start of the second half would have completely changed the dynamic of the game at 2-2. His first touch was the main reason he blew so many chances throughout the game, any time he received the ball in a dangerous area or just bounced off his foot and away from his control. He may have score a decent header but it doesn’t reflect his overall performance.
Subs:
João Virgínia - 6
A more than respectable debut in the Premier League for the Portuguese keeper. It always difficult for a keeper to come on mid game but Virgínia handled it pretty well. On a personal note for him he kept a clean sheet for the time he was on the pitch. Had one shaky moment when he came to punch the ball away but collided with Godfrey, ultimately he got away with it as Vydra couldn’t connect with the ball. He did also make a good save to his low left hand side after Godfrey had been left for dead in the box. If Olsen is not fit for Saturday’s game with Manchester City, then Virgínia will get a huge chance in an FA Cup quarter final.
Josh King - 4
King’s stint on the pitch was far from impressive, was brought on to add some pace and threat in the box but ultimately did neither. Despite what was a pretty disappointing cameo, I still believe he deserves the chance to start. Iwobi has proven over the last few weeks that he doesn’t warrant a first team place and even if King turns out to be a disappointment, he at least needs the opportunity from the start.
Seamus Coleman - 4
A rather baffling substitution when we were losing the game to bring a right back on, Holgate was poor but at that point if you’re losing the game you bring on someone like Sigurdsson to craft an opening. Coleman did nothing in the game apart from disappoint from a decent crossing position played in to him by Keane. He also managed to pass a ball straight into touch in the first few minutes after coming on, which led me to then dash my TV remote across the living room.
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