Everton vs Sunderland, FA Cup Player Ratings: Adam Aznou the bright spark in a dismal afternoon

Everton crashed out of the FA Cup after losing to Sunderland in a dreadful penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It was a dismal afternoon for the Blues who were outplayed throughout the contest. Everton seemed dead and buried until Adam Aznou came off the bench and turned the game on its heels. The Moroccan full-back, making his official Blues debut after signing from Bayern Munich this summer, caused trouble inside the box with sharp turns and forced a penalty.

James Garner stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick to drag the hosts back into the tie. Up until Garner’s penalty, the Blues had managed just a single shot on target. Their overall game also looked disjointed, with little cohesion between the midfield and forward lines.

Missing Michael Keane and Jack Grealish for this clash due to suspensions picked up against Wolves, Everton started with Nathan Patterson and Tyler Dibling, while Merlin Rohl replaced Tim Iroegbunam in the middle.

Enzo Le Fee put Sunderland ahead in the first half, after the backline failed to get Nordi Mukiele’s long throw out of danger. Merlin Rohl’s header lacked conviction and it fell to Eliezer Mayenda, who teed it up to the Frenchman and he curled it into the far corner delightfully.

Everton chased shadows for the remainder of the contest and failed to test the Black Cats' backline until the final couple of minutes of the game. Beto had an opportunity to fire his side into the lead in extra time after being played through by Thierno Barry, but could only find the side netting with his shot.

The penalty shootout, however, was a trainwreck and turned into an absolute nightmare for the home fans. Everton’s first three takers - Garner, Barry and Beto - produced three of the worst spot-kicks one can imagine, while Pickford couldn’t manage a single save as Everton’s FA Cup campaign came to a brutal end the day it began.

Here are the player ratings from Everton's loss to Sunderland:

Jordan Pickford: 7

There was little he could’ve done for Enzo Le Fee’s opener as the Frenchman found the far corner with ease. However, Pickford kept Everton in the game as Sunderland launched a flurry of attacks late in the first half. he made a wonderful save off Mukiele’s overhead kick and he also kept out shots from Romaine Mundle in extra time.

Pickford failed to make a single save in the penalty shootout, but to be fair to him, all of Sunderland’s penalties were well taken.

Nathan Patterson (replaced by Reece Welch at 115’): 7

Making his second start this season to replace the suspended Michael Keane, Nathan Patterson did well, especially in the second half.  He kept a close eye on Mundle and sent a fantastic deep cross to Beto in the first half, which the striker failed to bring under control. Patterson was replaced late in extra time after struggling physically.

James Tarkowski: 6

Made a vital block off Granit Xhaka in extra time and was solid throughout the game. Was dominant aerially.

Jake O’Brien: 6

Jake O’Brien got drawn in for the long throw that led to the visitors’ opener and couldn’t time it well. He was also beaten for pace by Mayenda in the second half, but fortunately, the latter’s shot went wide. Had a solid game otherwise.

Vitalii Mykolenko (replaced by Elijah Campbell at 103’): 6

Received the brilliant sliced pass from Dwight McNeil and his shot from an acute angle brought out a save off Robin Roefs’ fingertips. While he held his ground defensively, Mykolenko's limited offensive abilities, including some wayward shooting, didn’t help the side’s cause.

Merlin Rohl (replaced by Adam Aznou at 85’): 4

Horrible afternoon for the on-loan midfielder. Playing in a deeper role, he failed to clear the long throw properly, which led to Le Fee’s goal. Rohl also tried to play Beto through on goal shortly before the break but it didn’t work out. Didn’t have any other impactful moments.

James Garner: 7

One of the few Everton players who kept pushing and tired to make things happen. Garner delivered a great cross to Beto in the second half, which the striker headed straight towards the keeper. He also converted from the spot late in the game to bring out the equaliser. Shame he missed his penalty in the shootout.

Harrison Armstrong: 7.5

Another impressive performance from the youngster, who worked his socks off. He had the first chance of the game for his side at the 20th-minute mark after he controlled the ball well at the edge of the box but sliced his shot wide. Armstrong kept plugging away and despite struggling physically in extra time, he didn’t shy away from responsibility, something that cannot be said about many of his teammates this afternoon.

Tyler Dibling (replaced by Thierno Barry at 74’): 4

Dibling showed signs of immaturity throughout the game and his body language didn’t make a positive impression. Shoulders slumped, playing it safe, Dibling often lost the ball with lackadaisical passes and touches.

Beto: 3

Another awful performance from Everton’s number 9 after being awarded a rare start. He had just two touches in the entirety of the first half and couldn’t direct Garner’s cross away from the keeper after the break. Beto also hit the side netting after being played through on goal in extra time and his penalty in the shootout was disgraceful.

Dwight McNeil: 5

Besides the fabulous run and sliced pass to Mykolenko for the full-back to have a stab at goal in the first half, McNeil had an anonymous game. He was often ineffective when coming inside on his weaker foot and either lost possession or was forced to go backwards. 

McNeil moved to the right after Dibling came off and sent a great cross to Barry. No complaints about his work rate, however.

Substitutions

Thierno Barry: 5

Barry did well to create separation and get to the end of McNeil’s cross but his header just missed the near post. He led a couple of good counter-attacks in extra time but on one occasion, he overhit the pass to Beto while on the other, the Guinea-Bissau striker hit the side netting after being played through. Awful run-up and penalty in the shootout, he’s got to do better than that.

Adam Aznou: 8

Adam Aznou came on with five minutes remaining and completely changed the course of the contest. He made a nuisance of himself in the box and won the penalty that forced extra-time. The left flank looked livelier after he came on and the Moroccan also delivered an inviting cross across the face of goal that should’ve been attacked better. His performance this afternoon begs the question of why he had to wait until January to make his Everton debut.

Elijah Campbell: 6

Another youngster who made his debut for Everton, Elijah Campbell made a good interception on Isidor in the final minute of extra time.

Reece Welch: N/A

 

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