Everton player ratings vs Manchester City: Joao Virginia fantastic, Andre Gomes resolute

Everton crash out of the FA Cup after a 2-0 loss to Manchester City

With the quarter final loss to Manchester City, the hopes of winning a trophy for the first time since 1995 have been flused down the drain. However, the Toffees must be proud of themselves for not only competing against a star studded Manchester City but also pushing them on the backfoot at times. Quality wise, the difference was evident but Carlo Ancelotti’s men made it as hard as they could for the visitors.

Everton were without James Rodriguez, Jordan Pickford, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Robin Olsen. Considering Manchester City’s size and quality, the Toffees were the clear underdogs. Carlo Ancelotti went with three centre backs and two wingbacks, making it a fluid back three-back five. Tom Davies was a surprise name on the bench as Andre Gomes and Allan started in the midfield. Gylfi Sigurdsson returned to the lineup after missing the game against Burnley.

As expected, Manchester City had the lion’s share of possession as the pass masters dominated with 74% possession. Everton heavily relied on set pieces and counter attacking to create any sort of goalscoring opportunities.

In the end, Guardiola waved his magic wand to bring Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez and it was too much for the tired legs of Everton to handle but one can’t seemingly complain about Everton’s effort and intensity.

Here are the Everton player ratings:

Joao Virginia – 7

Replacing Jordan Pickford or Robin Olsen wasn’t going to be an easy task especially against goal hungry Manchester City but Joao Virginia coped well. The 21 year old had a comfortable first half as he kept the only City shot on target out of Everton’s goal.

Made a spectacular save from Raheem Sterling’s shot, diving to his left and getting both hands on the ball. Virginia made another great save but eventually, Ilkay Gundogan scored the goal and there was nothing the Portuguese could do.