Everton player ratings vs Sheffield United: Toffees go second as Gylfi Sigurdsson sparkles

Mason Holgate was the standout defender for Everton.

Ben Godfrey – 7.5

Another great game for Godfrey as he continues to prove himself in blue. He was able to keep up with the high stamina approach of George Baldock as he shut the wing-back out of the game multiple times throughout. We also saw Godfrey get forward more than he usually does, playing a lot more like Lucas Digne would play instead of the more defensive role we see Godfrey usually play.

Godfrey was able to make one tackle, one clearance, one block and that very important clearance off the line which stopped David McGoldrick from putting the Blades 1-0 up, which could’ve made this a completely different game, with Sheffield United proving at points they were willing to sit back and grind the game out for just a point.

It’s going to be hard for Ancelotti to drop Godfrey with the performances he’s putting it, but it’s clear if he continues to perform like this then Everton have their backup left-back until the Frenchman’s return in around February-March.

Michael Keane – 7

It seems to be a typical thing for Michael Keane to grab a minimum of a seven in these articles, but that’s a testament to how well Big Mick has played for Everton this season. It seems Ancelotti has found a way to keep a lot of Everton players playing consistent football, which was a big problem for a lot of them and Keane was the first, ever since Ancelotti has come in he’s only improved and has established himself as a leader of an Everton side that could challenge for Champions League football.

In this game Keane had one tackle, one interception and three clearances, continuing his streak of solid defensive displays in another Everton clean sheet. His passing was also very impressive in this game, with the big man completing 82% of his passes, with five accurate long balls and his one key pass also counted as a big chance created.

This really shows how much influence Keane can have on Everton’s performance, he’s able to create dangerous chances from defence which can really turn the tide of some games to put the game in favour of the Toffees.

Keane was also substituted in the 66th minute, but don’t worry Everton fans because this was just a tactical change from Ancelotti to go a bit more attacking with the inclusion of Seamus Coleman in his first Premier League game since he got injured.

Yerry Mina – 7.5

Another fantastic performance for the Colombian as he was the anchor in the defence that got Everton the win and the clean sheet. Mina was always an inconsistent player, even at the start of this season which saw him dropped for a few games when Everton first started experimenting with the three at the back before Digne’s injury.

However, ever since Ancelotti has transitioned into the 4-2-3-1 Mina has been a whole new player, he’s been defensively solid and also seems completely calm in possession of the ball which is highlighted by his 100 touches, the most in an Everton shirt. This shows that the players really trust Mina, the opposite of a few weeks ago where there seemed to be communication issues between Mina and his other defensive partners.

Mina was able to tally up one tackle, one interception, one block and 8 clearances, with his size causing the Blades a lot of problems throughout the game. Similarly to Keane, his passing was also fantastic, completing 83% of his passes along with three accurate long balls.

Mina also seems to be more confident himself, with the Colombian trying to find those deep balls into the opposition’s final third a lot more than he used to, and even though some of the passes weren’t great, there’s a clear improvement in his passing which can only help him in the future.

Mason Holgate – 8

Holgate is continuing to prove himself as the possible successor to Coleman with his performances at right-back. The 24-year old was solid both defensively and going forwards, but it’s his work-rate which has made him so effective as a wing-back, in a similar fashion to Coleman, Holgate can play a full 90 minutes without much trouble now, after getting back fit due to his injury.

This really helps impact his performances because it helps him to keep up with players throughout the game, and when they slow down from fatigue Holgate is still moving at the same pace.

Holgate was able to earn himself this rating with three tackles, two interceptions and six clearances which he got at right-back at the half an hour he played at centre-back after Keane was taken off for Coleman.

We also saw Holgate be a bit more expressive when going forwards, instead of only passing to Iwobi we saw the Englishman attempt a few crosses, which weren’t successful but if these players have confidence the team is only going to get better.

Holgate completed 73% of his passes along with five accurate long balls, with Holgate showing his passing range throughout the game with some impressive passes into the Blades’ final third. The right-back would’ve earned Man of the Match honours in most games, but a three-point clincher stole that honour from a solid all-around performance.

Seamus Coleman (Sub) – 6.5

This one is quite hard because Coleman did only play 30 minutes of football, but his energy in those 30 minutes really helped Everton to get on the front foot which lead to the winning goal. The Irishman seemed a lot more like himself than he did in the game against Manchester United and this game has proven that he can be a very useful asset off the bench for the Toffees due to Holgate’s form.

Coleman didn’t really stuff the stat sheet, with only one tackle and completing 71% of his passes, but as previously mentioned it’s his energy and willingness to get the ball forwards which really helped Everton win this game. I can’t really give him a seven because I don’t think he was as good as Keane or Pickford, but it’s good to Coleman looking fit and ready to play football again.