Football Features

    Everton 0-0 Arsenal: Full player ratings as Tosun gets the Kean treatment

    By Ollie Thomas

    Published: 14:54, 21 December 2019

    Duncan Ferguson and Freddie Ljungberg said farewell to their respective clubs in a drab 0-0 draw between their two temporary employers.

    Ferguson ended his spell unbeaten against three of the ‘Big Six’ clubs as new boss Carlo Ancelotti watched on from the stands alongside Mikel Arteta, who will be aware that serious work is needed to ensure Arsenal can compete at the top in the near future.

    It was a game of few chances, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being the only players who even came to close breaking the deadlock in a game which lacked quality.

    Here’s how the players rated at Goodison Park:

    Everton

    Jordan Pickford – 6 – Was hardly tested by a misfiring Arsenal attack.

    Djibril Sidibe – 6 – Handled Martinelli well and showed off a good offensive repertoire. Combined some nice passes with some awfully sloppy ones.

    Yerry Mina – 6 – Had very little to do defensively. One of the few players who didn’t seem to insist on needlessly giving the ball away.

    Mason Holgate – 6 – Was solid in defence and in holding midfield later in the game. Added some much-needed intensity towards the end of the 90 minutes.

    Lucas Digne – 6 – Didn’t get tested by Nelson anywhere near as much as he should have done. Heavily involved like Sidibe but no telling contribution.

    Tom Davies – 5 – Seemed to be fairly involved but didn’t really do anything. Worked hard.

    Fabian Delph – 6 – Kept things ticking over but didn’t control anything. Will be valuable for Everton once he’s got more minutes under his belt.

    Gylfi Sigurdsson – 5 – One would want more from a player with his ability in a game like this. Epitomised a lot of the attacking players on the pitch: ineffective.

    Alex Iwobi – n/a – Went off after 10 minutes with an injury.

    Richarlison – 6 – Probably Everton’s brightest spark. Moved out wide early and was lively but didn’t produce any magic.

    Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 5 – Certainly improving and competed well. Didn’t have any clearcut chances to add to his brace against Chelsea during his last Goodison appearance.

    Substitutes:

    Cenk Tosun (for Iwobi 11′) – 5 – Would have been forgiven for forgetting he was on the pitch for large spells. Was the second victim of a Duncan Ferguson double substitution in as many weeks and was far from happy as he was hauled off.

    Michael Keane (for Delph 72′) – 5 – Misplaced more passes than he completed while he was on.

    Moise Kean (for Tosun 80′) – 6 – Ironically replaced the substitute Tosun late on.

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    Arsenal

    Bernd Leno – 6 – Didn’t make a save all game.

    Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6 – A typically steady performance. Sometimes struggled defensively but didn’t do too much wrong.

    David Luiz – 6 – A minor miracle that he wasn’t booked but looked more comfortable as the game went on. His passing certainly helps Arsenal offensively.

    Calum Chambers – 7 – An impressive display. Arsenal’s centre-back slots are up for grabs and he did his chances no harm whatsoever.

    Bukayo Saka – 6 – Sometimes looked a little lightweight but did a decent job all things considered.

    Lucas Torreira – 6 – Spent half the game looking lively and the other half looking as though he couldn’t wait for full-time. Made a great block to deny Calvert-Lewin but was often guilty of slacking defensively.

    Granit Xhaka – 7 – One of the best players on the pitch. Controlled the midfield and played with an authority which Arsenal often lack.

    Reiss Nelson – 5 – Was fairly tidy on the ball but didn’t offer any sort of outlet.

    Emile Smith-Rowe – 5 – Given a rare chance in the Premier League and didn’t take his chance. Gave the ball away far too often and didn’t create anywhere near enough.

    Gabriel Martinelli – 6 – Another industrious display and his battle with Sidibe was good to watch. Cannot fault his endeavour.

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 4 – Aubameyang has never been a player to get heavily involved in the build-up but he appeared totally disinterested. Played like a player who is seriously considering his future at the club ahead of the January transfer window.

    Substitutes:

    Joe Willock (for Smith-Rowe 66′) – 5 – Did very little apart from pick up a booking.

    Alexandre Lacazette (for Aubameyang 78′) – 6 – A late change. Given no service whatsoever.

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