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

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Gylfi Sigurdsson of Everton celebrates with teammates Ben Godfrey, Seamus Coleman, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Alex Iwobi after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Everton at Bramall Lane on December 26, 2020 in Sheffield, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Gylfi Sigurdsson of Everton celebrates with teammates Ben Godfrey, Seamus Coleman, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Alex Iwobi after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Everton at Bramall Lane on December 26, 2020 in Sheffield, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
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Everton
Everton (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Anthony Gordon got a rare start in place of injured Richarlison.

Anthony Gordon – 6.5

This one may have been expected by Everton fans, Gordon was given his first start in the Premier League this season and he had a bit of an average performance. The thing is nobody expected Gordon to come out and score or get an assist, it’s his similarities to Richarlison which had Everton fans crying out to give the 19-year old a chance, and the best things about Gordon don’t show up on stat sheets.

The best thing about Gordon is his passion, his willingness to fight for everything was a big help during the game, but besides that passion and willingness to make the runs, Gordon didn’t do too much to impress.

The young Englishman was taken off in the 55th minute, but it’s a good sign for the youngster if he can continue to start if Richarlison’s absence due to a head injury is extended.

Bernard (Sub) – 6.5

Bernard was brought on for Gordon, but to be honest he didn’t do anything which justified taking off Gordon. Both players had a very similar performance, but if it wasn’t for fitness it would’ve been nice to see the 19-year old get a full 90 minutes on the pitch.

It’s hard to judge the Brazilian, he’s a very inconsistent performer and this game was just an average performance that it’s hard to say much about. Bernard completed 76% of his passes, with three accurate long balls and one successful dribble. The best part about Bernard, similarly to Gordon, he can bring a lot of energy on to the pitch, but he’s a bit rash with his decision making, an example being his yellow card which gave the Blades a free-kick in a dangerous position.

Bernard can bring a lot of positives to the team, but that’s mainly in the role he played in this game, off the bench, and I just think Gordon offers the same as Bernard for much cheaper, especially because the Toffees could probably sell Bernard for a profit which could help Everton in acquiring some more depth which would help more than the average at best players Ancelotti currently has on his bench.

Alex Iwobi – 7

Iwobi is slowly starting to take the crown as one of my favourite Everton players to watch, the Nigerian’s dribbling ability has been very impressive, as he completed six out of his seven dribble attempts, with him almost scoring after beating multiple Sheffield United defenders, but instead, he decided to lay it off to Gordon.

Iwobi has been arguably the most impressive improvement ever since the start of this season, he went from a certified bench player to one of the first names on the team sheet as the former Arsenal man continues to improve after each game. His big problem is still his end product, his shooting and final ball still needs to be improved, but they are things that can be improved throughout the season.

It’s clear Ancelotti has faith in Iwobi and the versatile midfielder has repaid the Italian’s faith ever since he was given the opportunity at right-wing back, now he’s been moved further up the pitch and is still impressing, with Ancelotti changing formation to arguably fit Iwobi into the team along with James, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 6.5

It was an average game for Everton’s goal-scoring machine, with him looking a lot more like the Calvert-Lewin who struggled to find the back of the net, instead of the striker who couldn’t stop scoring. It’s quite hard to find much to say about this performance, Calvert-Lewin had a few moments where he looked like he could get a goal, but the Sheffield United backline didn’t give the Sheffield boy any space to move, which makes it very hard for Calvert-Lewin, especially against an aerially adept Sheffield United backline.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin completed 75% of his passes, with two successful dribbles, but it’s hard to focus on the good when Dom missed a big chance of scoring, but all Everton fans know what he’s capable of and he’s shown huge improvements, which is why teams feel like they have to put at least two players on the striker just to stop him from scoring.

A big game against Manchester City could put this game in the best for Calvert-Lewin, and the Englishman seems to always score against the bigger teams, so it could be a game to remember for Dom, especially if Everton can pick up the three points against a Manchester City who’re lacking some key players due to some positive tests.