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

Gylfi Sigurdsson delivered the solitary goal which proved to be the winning goal.

Tom Davies – 7.5

Davies really impressed a lot of people in this game, he was given the freedom to be the more creative of the two central midfielders and the 22-year old really shined in this role. Davies, in my opinion, has gone from being someone who could leave in January, to the starting central midfielder next to Doucoure instead of Andre Gomes.

He showed his ability as a deep-lying playmaker, being able to pick the ball up and move it up the field without much of a struggle, to the point where the commentators were mentioning how he needed to be pressed whenever he got a touch of the ball.

Davies had a great midfield display, completing 87% of his passes, along with four accurate long balls, and the most impressive of all of these was his 100% dribble success rate, completing three out of three dribbles as Davies seemed a lot more comfortable on the ball than we’ve previously seen.

Davies was then subbed off in the 74th minute for Gomes, but he’s impressed enough to the point where we could see him starting again on Monday if he’s fit enough to play.

Andre Gomes (Sub) – 7

Personally, I think Gomes was quite impressive in his 20 minutes on the pitch, in a similar fashion to Davies he seemed to have finally been given the role he has wanted to play all this time. Everton fans will know that Gomes is a very smooth and technical player and this worked to his advantage as he was able to capitalise on the rushed play of Wilder’s side and punish them for it.

Gomes didn’t do anything spectacular but he impressed enough in his short time on the pitch, completing 71% of his passes, along with two dribbles completed as the Portuguese midfielder was mainly used to help with the hold-up play to waste time so Everton could secure the three points.

Hopefully, this is a sign of improvement for Gomes, who hasn’t been the same since his awful injury against Spurs, but if Ancelotti has shown anything with this Everton side it’s that he can get the best out of players who Everton fans had no hope in whatsoever.

Abdoulaye Doucoure – 6.5

It was quite a mixed game for Doucoure, who is having to adjust to a different style of play due to the injury of Allan. The Frenchman had flashes where he looked dominant, but he also couldn’t provide the same defensive solidarity that Allan can and that almost put Sheffield United in advantageous positions during certain parts of the game.

It may take a bit of time for Doucoure to adapt to this role so it’s hard to judge him too heavily on this performance, but let’s just say this is a forgettable one for Everton fans and the former Watford midfielder.

Doucoure completed 76% of his passes, along with two accurate long balls and a key pass, but the only defensive statistics he was able to pick up were two clearances and being dribbled past twice.

Doucoure still needs to adjust, he’s much bigger than Allan so he won’t be able to play the role with the same success. Instead, Doucoure needs to use his physical attributes to his advantage and muscle players off of the ball instead of the more pitbull approach of the Brazilian.

Everton fans know Doucoure is capable of fantastic performances, and hopefully, the fans get one of those in a very tough fixture against Manchester City on Monday.

Gylfi Sigurdsson – 8.5 (MOTM)

It’s great to see Sigurdsson’s improvement ever since Ancelotti moved into a 4-2-3-1, the Icelandic midfielder had a fantastic game, thriving in his role as the main playmaker of the team which lead to him racking up quite an impressive stat sheet in this game.

He was also the match-winner, with a well-placed shot into the bottom corner giving Everton the three points which put them second in the league.

Sigurdsson scored the goal, he also completed 85% of his passes, made two key passes and completed a dribble. Sigurdsson seemed a lot more like the player Everton signed from Swansea than he has, it’s hard for him because he’ll more than likely be dropped for James Rodriguez when the Colombian returns, but if he’s willing to perform off the bench then he’ll be a very useful bench option or Everton will be able to make a decent bit of money off of him due to his performances.