Manchester United vs Everton Player Ratings: Dewsbury-Hall and Pickford inspire hard-fought win

Everton secured all three points following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night.

A game riddled with drama and chaos, including an unsavoury moment of madness that saw the Blues reduced to 10 men with Idrissa Gana Gueye completely losing his head and engaging in a physical altercation with Michael Keane, was marked by a resilient performance from David Moyes’ men.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s brilliant solo goal lifted spirits after the sending off and gave the Toffees something to defend. The backline held Manchester United’s attackers at bay as they kept launching waves of attack in the second half and Jordan Pickford was decisive in goal, making a couple of stunning saves to protect his clean sheet.

Everton held on to secure only their second win in 33 Premier League matches at Old Trafford and climbed to 11th in the standings with 18 points, level with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Here are the player ratings from Everton’s 1-0 against Manchester United:

Jordan Pickford: 9

Pickford was stellar in goal and had a big hand (excuse the pun) in protecting the three points for Everton after Dewsbury-Hall’s opener. He made a fine save off Bruno Fernandes towards the end of the first half. It was his first major contribution in the game after previously playing the role of peacekeeper and separating Gana and Keane from each other.

He was fabulous in the second half as United got increasingly closer to his goal. He kept out Bryan Mbeumo’s low shot and made two excellent saves off Joshua Zirkzee’s headed attempts to keep a well-deserved clean sheet.

Seamus Coleman: N/A (replaced by Jake O’Brien at 10’)

Seamus Coleman’s first Premier League start since the final game at Goodison last season was unfortunately short-lived as the Everton captain went down injured and was taken off after 10 minutes.

James Tarkowski: 8

Tarkowski was a rock at the back and defended the backline fearlessly. He made two important blocks off Casemiro and Mason Mount and cleared plenty of balls in the second half.

Michael Keane: 8.5

Keane kept his head despite the early skirmish with Gana Gueye and carried on like a true professional. He was decisive in defence and mopped up any loose balls. Timed his tackle to perfection to prevent Mbeumo from having an attempt at goal shortly after the restart. 

Vitalii Mykolenko: 7

Facing Mbeumo and Amad on his flank, Mykolenko endured some moments of pressure but had a good game overall. He made well-timed sliding challenges in the first half and held his ground in the second half, making an important clearance towards the end.

James Garner: 8

Despite losing his midfield partner, James Garner remained unfazed and continued to soldier on. With Thomas Tuchel watching on from the stands, he gave the England head coach plenty to think about, with his unwavering commitment. 

Returning to the stadium he began his football career in, Garner led the press, screened the backline, recycled possession, ran his socks off and laid the ball to Dewsbury-Hall that led to the goal. 

Idrissa Gueye: 1

What was he thinking?! Yes, he had every right to be angry at Keane for not reacting to his pass in a danger area but Gana Gueye crossed a line. We could also argue that the red card was harsh, but there’s no place for a professional to be laying his hands on his teammate in the modern game.  

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 9 (replaced by Charly Alcaraz at 87’)

A moment of sheer brilliance from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall put Everton in front and saved them a world of trouble following the sending off. He weaved his way out of a couple of challenges by Bruno Fernandes and Leny Yoro, got the ball on his weaker foot and curled it towards the far corner, beating Senne Lammens in goal. 

He was Everton’s driving force on the counter and won a lot of fouls with his nifty footwork. Dewsbury-Hall also dropped deeper in midfield in the second half and showed active defensive involvement.

Iliman Ndiaye: 7.5 (replaced by Tim Iroegbunam at 81’)

While Ndiaye is always a joy to watch, his performance at Old Trafford on Monday required more steel than his usual silk. The Senegalese drove towards the opposition defence from the byline at every chance he got and was a willing runner off the ball.

Thierno Barry: 7.5 (replaced by Beto at 81’)

Thierno Barry won 14 aerial duels in the game, the most for a player in the league this season, as he provided a strong outlet for Everton to escape following wave after wave of pressure from United. He also led the press on a number of occasions but had to abandon the idea as his teammates preferred to cut off the passing lanes instead. However, his hold-up play could’ve been better.

Jack Grealish: 8 (replaced by Dwight McNeil at 87’)

It was not the kind of game for Jack Grealish to take on his full-back constantly and lay the ball off, as he had to be smarter in possession with the numerical disadvantage. Grealish became an outlet to win free-kicks in the second half and relieved the pressure off his teammates with a smart touch and retained possession with a cool head. He also worked his socks off defensively.

Substitutes 

Jake O’Brien: 7

Jake O’Brien probably didn’t expect to come on as early as he did following Coleman’s injury. He slotted in at right-back seamlessly and did well to keep Patrick Dorgu quiet. He also kept Mason Mount at bay in the second half.

Tim Iroegbunam: N/A

Beto: N/A

Charly Alcaraz: N/A

Dwight McNeil: N/A

 

---

Reader Comments (22)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

How to get rid of these ads and support TW