Middlesbrough 0-2 Everton – Player Ratings
Everton secured their place in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday evening as they defeated Middlesbrough by two goals at the Riverside Stadium, but how did the players fare individually?
Here are my player ratings from the 2-0 victory.
Joel Robles – 8
Robles didn’t make any world class saves and he wasn’t tested much, but what he had to do he did with the minimum of fuss.
He held on to stinging shots, commanded his area and was an authoritative presence for the Blues – how Tim Howard is selected ahead of the Spaniard is anyone’s guess.
Seamus Coleman – 6
As he has been for the best part of the year, Coleman was solid in his defensive duties, but his lack of ambition in the final third is confusing.
He didn’t make any inroads down the weak side of the hosts’ defence on a night when he could have impressed more than he did.
John Stones – 6
The youngster was largely untroubled and looked classy at times, but it seems as though he is starting to believe his own hype.
He took many unnecessary risks on the ball and his unwillingness to defend crosses nearly saw Middlesbrough get back into the game in the second half as they missed a golden chance from a header.
Ramiro Funes Mori – 7
Everton’s best defender on the night as he was the only one who had the hunger and desire to get tight to the opponents’ attackers and try to cut them off at source.
He isn’t the finished article by any means, but the Argentine’s first few months at the club have been very promising.
Brendan Galloway – 6
With Leighton Baines rapidly nearing a return to fitness, this was a big chance for Galloway to give Roberto Martinez a selection headache.
The former MK Dons man didn’t do much to help his cause as he was uncertain at times defensively and didn’t offer as much as he usually does going forward.
The Toffees undoubtedly have a huge talent on their hands, though.
Gareth Barry – 8
The defensive midfielder was superb as he shut off attack after attack from the home side and showed terrific composure and intelligence on the ball.
After a dodgy season last time around Barry is really beginning to rediscover his best form in 2015-16 – another outstanding display to add to his ever-growing collection.
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Tom Cleverley – 5
The former Manchester United man enjoyed a good start to his Everton career prior to his injury, but he put in arguably his worst performance of the campaign on Tuesday night.
He wasn’t busy enough in the defensive third and frequently slowed down attacks and gave the ball away up the other end. The midfielder definitely looked a little rusty after such a long time out of action.
Leon Osman – 5
Why on earth Martinez elected to play Osman ahead of the eager-to-impress duo of Aaron Lennon and Kevin Mirallas (both natural wide men as opposed to Osman) really is a mystery.
He is unlikely to be a major figure for the Blues this season, while Lennon and Mirallas could yet be.
The veteran midfielder has not been first-team material for a number of years now and he looked out of place even against Championship opposition at the Riverside Stadium.
He has been a great servant for the club, but he simply shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting eleven anymore.
Ross Barkley – 6
A frustrating night for Barkley, who just can’t find any degree of consistency in the current campaign.
He was heavily involved, but most of what he tried simply didn’t come off. A night to forget for the English prodigy.
Gerard Deulofeu – 9
We are beginning to run out of adjectives to describe this young man.
He scored a wonderful first goal and set up the second with a delightful bit of old fashioned wing play.
Fernando Amorebieta’s head will still be spinning I would imagine – the Spaniard was the best player on the pitch by a considerable distance.
Romelu Lukaku – 7
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13 goals and counting for the Belgian this season, which is an incredible return given we are only just into the last month of the calendar year.
He was brilliant in the first half as he held the ball up nicely and netted a peach of a header, but his display in the second period was lethargic at best.
Next: Middlesbrough 0-2 Everton
Still, he gets goals and that’s the main thing you want from your centre forward.