Sunderland vs Everton: Player Ratings - Superb Iliman Ndiaye scores a wonder goal

Everton held Sunderland to a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light on Monday despite Iliman Ndiaye's outstanding goal.

The Blues dominated the opening half hour of the contest and created several chances while Sunderland struggled to get out of their own half. Despite taking the lead, David Moyes’s side disappeared from the game for the remainder of the contest and by the end, clung on to secure a point.

Ndiaye put the Blues ahead with a contender for the goal of the season. The Senegalese beat the attention of four Sunderland players to unleash a shot off his weak foot that nestled into the left corner.

Jack Grealish tested the woodwork with a shot from outside the box soon after. Thierno Barry should’ve doubled the Toffees’ lead with his first goal for the club after being provided with a delightful cross from Grealish to tap home, but failed to keep his wits about him.

The Blues completely collapsed following the adventure of the first 30 minutes and allowed Sunderland to grow into the game as time went on and were lucky to hold on to their lead at half-time.

Regis Le Bris’s side pulled one back 40 seconds into the second half with Granit Xhaka’s shot taking a big deflection off James Tarkowski’s boot to beat Jordan Pickford. It was all Sunderland from that point on as the Blues failed to stitch any meaningful moves together.

There was a late flurry from Moyes’s side following the double introduction of Tim Iroegbunam and Charly Alcaraz and the latter should’ve made more out of the late chances that fell to his feet.

Here are the player ratings from Everton’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland away from home:

Jordan Pickford: 7

Barely had anything to do in the first half and can’t be blamed for the goal that Everton conceded as his vision was blocked by Tarkowski and Xhaka’s shot also took a deflection off the latter’s boot and was unsaveable. Made a vital stop just moments later to prevent things from going from bad to worse.

Jake O’Brien: 6 (replaced by Tim Iroegbunam at 83’)

Provided a strong outlet going forward, especially in the first half and was on his toes defensively. However, O’Brien can succumb to opposition pressure especially in possession and gave the ball away a few times when pressurised in the second half.

James Tarkowski: 5.5

Tarkowski’s attempt to block Xhaka’s shot inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net.  Passing was not up to the mark either, as he kept hoofing the ball away under pressure. 

Michael Keane: 7.5

The Blues wouldn’t have made it to halftime with the one-goal lead if not for Keane’s decisiveness at the back. Keane made a fantastic block on Isidor when it seemed like he’d have a stab at Pickford’s goal late in the first half. 

However, his action before the Xhaka goal made little sense as he just jogged past the ball instead of trying to help out Gana and clear the ball from the danger area but Keane had a flawless game otherwise.

Vitalii Mykolenko: 6

Mykolenko had a decent game against Bertrand Traore on the left flank. While the Ukrainian didn’t particularly stand out, he was safe in possession. Mykolenko tested Ruben Roefs with a long shot from outside the box to spark some hopes in attack for Everton after a long period of lull. 

Idrissa Gueye: 6

Idrissa Gueye was fantastic to mop up loose balls and maintain Everton’s superiority in the final third during their dominance in the opening 30 minutes. Faded as the game went on. 

James Garner: 6

Had a strong shot from outside the box that just missed the frame of goal in the first minute to set the marker for Everton at the Stadium of Light and kept things ticking as the game went on. Slotted in at right-back after O’Brien went off in the final minutes of the contest.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 6 (replaced by Charly Alcaraz at 83’)

Dewsbury-Hall made a lovely pass to Ndiaye into the box in the opening minutes. During the visitors’ period of dominance, he made several smart runs in behind the defence and showed a strong connection with Grealish on the left. Much like his midfield partners, his impact wore off as the game went on.

Iliman Ndiaye: 8.5 (replaced by Dwight McNeil at 61’)

What a joy it was to see the Senegalese channel his inner Messi and weave past four defenders to slot the ball into the back of the net using his left foot! We’ve seen him do it from the left flank, but to drive with the ball on his weaker foot before a calm finish into the corner was a sign of true genius.

However, Ndiaye’s evening came to an early end after he had to go off injured and the Blues lost a major component of their attack in the second half.

Thierno Barry: 4 (replaced by Beto at 55’)

Showed grit to win the ball that led to the Ndiaye goal, but Thierno Barry won’t be keen on tuning into the match highlights any time soon. He was guilty of missing the frame of the goal from just a yard out after being played in by a fantastic cross from Jack Grealish. Should’ve doubled the Blues’ lead before the half-hour mark as he’s still searching for his first goal in a royal blue shirt. 

Barry showed immaturity by making a silly challenge on Sadiki to enter the referee’s book before being hooked just 10 minutes into the second half.

Jack Grealish: 7

You don’t often see Jack Grealish shooting from outside the box, but he almost doubled Everton’s lead at the stroke of 20 minutes before being denied by the woodwork. Grealish delivered an outstanding cross that fell right into Barry’s right foot, but the young striker failed to make the opportunity count. The Manchester City loanee was invisible for most of the second half, except for the chance right at the end, where he played Alcaraz in behind.

Substitutions

Beto: 5

Nothing came off for Beto after coming on as he struggled to provide an outlet for Everton with long balls and didn’t win his duels against the Sunderland centre-backs.

Dwight McNeil: 5

Failed to make any significant impact from the right flank as Everton missed Iliman Ndiaye’s dancing feet after he came off injured.

Charly Alcaraz: 4

He was played in behind by Grealish in the 93rd minute on the counter but Alcaraz ended up wasting that opportunity by being indecisive. Also played an awful pass at the general direction of Beto and Iroegbunam when the Blues were embarking on another quick break.

Tim Iroegbunam: N/A

 

---

Reader Comments (9)

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