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Everton 0-2 Manchester City – Player Ratings

By Steve Nicholls

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Everton fell to their first loss of the 2015-16 season against an in-form Manchester City side on Sunday afternoon, but how did the players get on individually?

Here are my player ratings for the defeat at the hands of the Citizens.

Tim Howard – 4

He made two decent enough saves late on in the match, but it was a case of too little too late from the Blues’ stopper.

His tendency to get caught out at his near post was again exploited on Sunday and his efforts to prevent the second goal were poor to say the least.

The American is currently costing his side points, rather than winning them.

Seamus Coleman – 7

This was the right-backs best performance in a long time and a welcome return to form after a worrying spell.

He kept the dangerous Raheem Sterling in check and manufactured some promising moves down the flank for himself as well.

Phil Jagielka – 6

Aside from playing Aleksandar Kolarov onside for the breakthrough goal, the centre-back had a solid enough game.

His distribution was habitually off colour, but his defensive work was decent for the most part.

John Stones – 7

Another promising performance from a man who is looking increasingly unsellable.

His defending from crosses still needs work, but the youngster kept the deadly Sergio Aguero quiet and put in a classy display to further cement his ever-growing reputation.

Brendan Galloway – 5

He did not receive much cover from the lazy Arouna Kone down the left and this was a huge game for the youngster, but he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights at times.

He was wasteful in possession and looked unsure of his positioning defensively. Hopefully the former MK Dons man learns a lot from what was a harsh experience.

Tyias Browning – 6

The man used to playing at right-back filled in on the other side of the backline nicely when the injured Brendan Galloway came off at half time.

He was rapid in the sprint, meaning he could get up and down the pitch with the minimum of fuss and looked far more at home than Galloway.

Gareth Barry – 7

The former City man was clumsy in possession at times, but he offered a lot of bite and experience in midfield.

He was the busier of Everton’s two defensive midfielders and looks a far better player than the one who struggled for the majority of the previous campaign.

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James McCarthy – 6

A lot of fans seem to think McCarthy is indispensable, but his performances this season have hardly caught the eye.

The defensive midfielder didn’t do much wrong on Sunday, but it certainly looks as though he is missing some of the steel, mobility and intensity that we have come to expect from him on a regular basis.

Arouna Kone – 5

After the most positive spell of his poor Everton career so far, the Ivorian could not keep the momentum going at Goodison Park.

The forward offered no cover in the defensive third of the pitch and did little going forward – his worst showing of the season thus far.

Ross Barkley – 7

His performance was erratic as he offered virtually no effort in the final third, but the good things he did going forward made up for it.

The young prodigy very much remains a work in progress, but he looks twice the player that strolled trough the 2014-15 campaign.

Tom Cleverley – 7

Considering he was being deployed out of position against the former champions, this was a very impressive showing from the free summer signing.

The former Manchester United and Aston Villa man was tireless all afternoon and was an ever present in the final third – one of the Toffees’ better players on the day.

Romelu Lukaku – 7

The striker was slightly unlucky to have a goal disallowed for offside and struck the woodwork with a powerful free-kick in the first half.

He was much more quiet in the second 45 minutes, but he put a decent shift in against two physically dominant defenders and on another day could have been the Blues’ hero once more.

Next: Everton 0-2 Manchester City

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