MotM - Vicario
Vicario - 8.5. Did everything asked of him. We wouldn't have won without him. No doubt.
Pedro Porro - 6.5. Mixed afternoon. Some unusually sloppy passing at times. He kept McNeil quiet in the first half but rarely got out of his own half in the second.
Romero - 8. Best outfield player. The defence lost its composure and ability to play out from the back once he left.
Davies - 4.5. The first half, in particular, was woeful. Repeatedly gave the ball away, allowed DCL a free header from which he should have scored, was pulled out of position and had zero understanding with Royal.
Emerson Royal - 7. Struggled with the inverted LB position early on. Didn't seem to know whether to stick or twist. He really grew into the game though and defended very well in the second half.
Sarr - 7. A tough afternoon for him and Skipp. They were outnumbered in midfield but never stopped chasing and tackling. He ran out of energy in the end.
Skipp - 6.5. Ditto Sarr without his touch on the ball. It was important for the team that he kept going for the 90 minutes.
Johnson - 6. Needs to man up. Started really brightly but lacked conviction thereafter. He seemed to shy away from the physical battle and game just got away from him.
Kulusevski - 6.5. Very impressive first half. A few of his trademark runs at the opposition and kept the ball well. His influence waned in the second half though and looked very fatigued.
Son - 6. A frustrating performance. Lot's of good runs with the ball but he either failed to look up, took on one too many opponents and lost possession or misplaced the pass. At least he added a goal although that looked like a scuffed shot.
Richarlison - 7. A lovely finish for the goal. His chasing and harrying, and competing for every ball, contributed to Everton not being able to get a foothold in the game in the first half. Faded in the second half, seemingly through another injury.
Subs
Dier - 6. A rusty performance, as you would expect.
Hojbjerg - 5.5. Nothing to report really. Did nothing wrong and did nothing of consequence.
Lo Celso - 7. Our best outfield player in the second half after he came on. Gave us the little control we had.
Ange - 5. Disappointed with his team selection and substitutes. This really was an opportunity to bring players like Phillips and Donley into the fold. If not now then when?
The Team - 6. Great first 30 minutes. A struggle for the next 60. Some wildly fluctuating individual performances.