Everton entertained Rotherham at Goodison Park earlier this afternoon hoping to win and book a place in the next round of the FA Cup. The Toffees made a bright start to the game and took the lead in the ninth minute courtesy of Cenk Tosun’s goal. The home side protected their narrow advantage well and went into the half-time break one goal to the good.
The Millers refused to give up without a fight in the second 45 minutes and found the leveller via Matthew Olosunde’s goal. The contest finished 1-1 after normal time with everything to play for in extra-time. Abdoulaye Doucoure popped up with the winning goal in the 93rd minute which gave Everton a hard-fought 2-1 victory after extra-time.
Let’s take a look at how each Everton player performed during the clash against the Millers.
GK: Robin Olsen – 6.5/10
Olsen pulled off some solid saves but will be disappointed after conceding a goal in the second half. However, he was a bit untidy with his ball-distribution out from the back.
RB: Seamus Coleman – 8/10
The Toffees right-back was often quick to scan the danger and cleared his lines when needed. He also completed some dangerous dribbles down the right flank and managed to engineer a few decent chances for his teammates in the final third.
CB: Ben Godfrey – 7/10
Godfrey did what was asked of him in the defensive end of the field but won’t be happy after failing to keep a clean sheet today.
CB: Michael Keane – 7.5/10
The English centre-back was not shy of putting his body on the line to make some important defensive contributions for his side. He was a rock at the back and did well to restrict the opposition from scoring in extra-time.
LB: Lucas Digne – 6/10
The French full-back was far from his best in the first half. He got replaced just after the hour mark.
CM: Tom Davies – 6/10
Davies provided adequate protection for his teammates in defence but struggled to influence the game in the Rotherham half.
CM: Andre Gomes – 7/10
He was defensively solid and made a few driving runs from midfield. The Portuguese playmaker also made a couple of crucial interceptions for his team.
RM: Alex Iwobi – 6/10
Iwobi had a few bright moments in the first half but never looked like he had a goal in him. He got subbed at the hour mark.
CAM: James Rodriguez – 7/10
The Colombian attacker created many problems for the Millers defenders and came off the field in the 94th minute with an assist to his name after setting up Doucoure’s winning goal.
LM: Anthony Gordon – 7/10
The English youngster deserves credit for providing Tosun’s early goal in the first half. He ran out of gas and got subbed out of the game in the second 45 minutes.
ST: Cenk Tosun – 7.5/10
The Turkish forward was by far Everton’s most potent threat in the attacking third. He opened the goal-scoring in the ninth minute and probably should have added to his tally with the chances he got throughout the game.
Substitutes:
LM: Bernard – 7/10
The Brazilian winger produced a decent cameo after coming on in the 60th minute.
CB: Yerry Mina – 7/10
He brought more bite and steel to the Everton defence and did well to keep a clean sheet during his time on the field.
CM: Abdoulaye Doucoure – 7.5/10
He came off the bench and ended up scoring the winning goal in extra-time. His manager Ancelotti cannot ask any more than that.
CM: Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7/10
Sigurdsson was not afraid to get stuck in with a few tackles but didn’t make an impact going forward.
LB: Niels Nkounkou – 6/10
He got some valuable minutes under his belt.
