Everton bagged a respectable point on the road on Saturday afternoon as they drew 1-1 with West Ham at Upton Park just before the international break, but how did the players fare individually?
Here are my player ratings.
Tim Howard – 6
While hardly at fault for the goal, Howard’s positioning was a little suspect as he was a good few yards off his line when Manuel Lanzini curled home.
On the whole, however, he had very little to do all afternoon.
Seamus Coleman – 7
This was a much better performance from the right-back than he has shown in recent weeks as he was busy in both halves – perhaps he is getting his match sharpness back?
John Stones – 8
The youngster dealt with the massive threat posed by West Ham’s frontline very well and was classy throughout – consistency is the key for the former Barnsley man now.
Ramiro Funes Mori – 8
He was assigned to deal with the aerial threat posed by Andy Carroll, and given Everton’s weakness from crosses into the box recently, the summer signing had an excellent afternoon, keeping the big forward quiet.
Brendan Galloway – 6
It was a tough afternoon for the former MK Dons man as he was thoroughly examined by Victor Moses down the Hammers’ right.
While he was exposed defensively at times, he looked bright going forward, nearly setting up the winner with a fine cross that Romelu Lukaku poked just wide of the near post.
Gareth Barry – 7
His intervention was crucial in the build-up to the Blues’ equaliser and he was busy and composed throughout in the midst of a testing afternoon for the visitors.
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James McCarthy – 6
There is an element of frustration for Evertonians with regards to McCarthy, and this game displayed exactly why.
He got through a shed load of work and was tireless for the whole match but there were so many occasions when he showed a distinct lack of nous in the final third – plays too safe far too often.
Gerard Deulofeu – 9
The only disappointing aspect of Deulofeu’s recent performances is that Barcelona could have their eyes wide open with the idea of triggering his buy-back clause next summer.
The wide man was excellent once more and his through ball for Lukaku’s goal was simply sensational – there’s more where that came from as well.
Ross Barkley – 5
It was mentioned on these pages in the build-up to this clash that Barkley could cut a frustrated figure at Upton Park and that is exactly what happened.
Wasteful on the ball and non-existent defensively, it was a poor afternoon for a talented player that is minimising his own potential.
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Arouna Kone – 6
He was never going to recreate his heroics of last Sunday against Sunderland, where he netted a hat-trick and extended his current contract in the process.
In the end the attacker was lively, but didn’t really contribute anything aside from some nice touches here and there.
Kevin Mirallas – 6
The Belgian came on to try and inject some spark into the game, but he struggled to get up to the pace of the match – he can’t be expected to perform miracles when he only gets ten minutes here and there.
Roberto Martinez needs to give him more time on the field, otherwise an exceptional talent is going to waste.
Romelu Lukaku – 8
He always scores against West Ham, so there was no surprise to see him coolly round Adrian and slot home, but it was his overall display that caught the eye more than anything else.
With nine goals already this campaign, the forward is easily the Toffees’ most important player at the moment – wrap him up in cotton wool, Roberto.