Everton followed up their whirlwind 6-3 win against Bournemouth with a 0-0 stalemate against Middlesbrough which sees the gap with Manchester United increase to 7 points. Koeman would have badly wanted a win and 3 points and keep the pressure on Manchester United but it was not to be as Boro held on and to be fair, at the end of the 90th minute, the Toffees wouldn’t have been too unhappy with a point.
Alvaro Negredo and Rudy Gestede both came close to notching a late winner, but while Boro’s wait for a league win in 2017 continues, positives can be taken on a day when rivals Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Hull City all lost. Lukaku was looking to join, or even surpass, Duncan Ferguson as Everton’s record Premier League goalscorer, but the Belgium striker endured a frustrating game against an organised Boro defence and Valdes in particular and failed to add to his tally.
Let us take a look at how the players performed.
ROBLES- 8/10
The match saver for Everton. Kept out Gestede brilliantly at the end. Stayed big to deny Stuani in the first half, and his handling was spot on.
COLEMAN- 6/10
Did a fairly good job in handling the dangerous Traore but the marking limited his usual attacking verve.
WILLIAMS- 6/10
Not his best game. Was beaten by Gibson which luckily did not end up as a goal. Was the better of the two central defenders, though.
FUNES MORI- 4.5/10
A jittery performance without any composure. Error-strewn display. Understandable why Koeman wants a big name signing at centre-back.
BAINES- 6.5/10
Had to deal with Traore in the first half and like Coleman, did a fair job. Cleared the ball off the line and potentially got a point.
DAVIES- 7/10
A good display given his age. Tailed away after a bright start but it is excusable. A good mixture of skill and graft.
GUEYE- 6/10
A nice comeback. Came out of some tight areas with the help of a good range of passing. Misplaced a couple passes, but good overall.
SCHNEIDERLIN- 7/10
Slowly settling in the Everton midfield. Made a couple of important tackles, not least the one on Traore.
LOOKMAN- 6/10
Had a great chance to score but fluffed his lines. Good first half display.
LUKAKU- 5/10
Had the best chance probably to score but was denied by Valdes. Seldom involved in anything other than that. Frustrating inconsistency on show.
BARKLEY- 6/10
Nothing extraordinary other than a deft backheel to set up Lookman. Quiet game other than that.
SUBSTITUTES
VALENCIA- 5/10
Nothing to write about.
LENNON- 5/10
A Valencia like display.
BARRY- 6/10
Shored things up.
