Seamus Coleman acknowlegdes the few fans that remained after his final game at Hill Dickinson Stadium
The morning after the night before... what can be said of the individual performances that comprised yesterday's dismal second-half collapse after taking the lead against the mighty Sunderland — who have now won almost as many games this season at Hill Dickinson Stadium as Everton have!
I've never really been one for summing up the contribution each player makes to a game as a mark out of 10. They are all doing their best, we know that, but things sometimes just don't work out for them.
Some like to say "so-and-so was a passenger" or my special favourite: "Pickford should have done more to stop the goals going in." But it's 90+ minutes of football that ranges widely for each player from good to (in this case) absolutely abysmal. Can you really sum all that up in one number?
Mistakes loom large in the reckoning. I think that is unavoidable, largely because, as we have heard so often, it's a game of fine margins, and in the split second when a mistake is made, it can lead to a goal that could have, and perhaps should have been prevented.
And then there's the Man of the Match award that seems traditionally to be required -- no matter how awful the match itself and the overall team performance were, as was the case yesterday. My own personal take on this is that — if we don't win — then there is no "Man of the Match". Simple.
The ridiculousness of this whole effort is encapsulated for me in the conundrum of how you mark substitutes, especially very late ones... and especially if they do something that is either exceptional or awful?
So, with all this in mind, let's go through the motions...
Another Spine-Free Capitulation on a Day of Goodbyes
If there was ever a match that perfectly distilled the frustrating, circular nature of Everton Football Club in the 21st Century, it was yesterday's miserable, soul-crushing 1-3 defeat to a Sunderland side from the Championship who quite literally wanted it more.
With a Top 8 finish and European qualification dangling like a carrot, David Moyes’s side chose the final home game of the season to largely forget how to play sensible football in the second half. We went from comfortably leading at the break through Merlin Röhl's deflected opener to being shamefully booed off by those who stayed until the final whistle.
Worse still, this spineless collapse ruined what should have been a proud, emotional send-off for Seamus Coleman. Our legendary captain deserved a guard of honour on the back of a famous victory; instead, he was tossed into a burning building in the 88th minute when the damage was already done.
Moyes admitted after the match that we "messed up big-time" and aren't ready for European momentum. He's not wrong... which makes it all the more puzzling how he keeps getting it so wrong when it comes to his muti-million pound job of managing this club.
Six games without a win to close out the business end of the season tells its own pathetic story. Tottenham away next week feels like a sentence rather than a fixture.
Player Ratings
The Starting XI
Jordan Pickford – 4
Hardly had a save to make all afternoon because everything Sunderland hit went past him. Could do nothing about Brobbey’s powerful near-post blast after being hung out to dry by his center-halves, but looked utterly static for Le Fée's second. A miserable afternoon against his boyhood club.
Jake O'Brien – 2 (Flop of the Match)
A complete horror show of a second half. His misplaced pass gifted Brian Brobbey the ball for Sunderland's equalizer, and he was repeatedly turned inside out by the visitor's attack. To compound a disastrous day, he missed an absolute sitter of a header from Tyrique George’s fantastic pinpoint cross that would have made it 2-2. Topped it all off with an early second-half yellow card. Dragged for Coleman late on. Dismal.
James Tarkowski – 4
Supposed to be the rock of this defense, but he was completely bullied by Brobbey for the first goal, lacking the strength and anticipation we usually rely on. Looked heavy-legged and disorganized as Sunderland carved the backline apart at will late in the game.
Michael Keane – 4
Somehow credited with the assist for Röhl’s opener, but defensively it was the same old story. When Sunderland raised the tempo and began moving the ball quickly with Le Fée and Rigg, Keane looked stuck in quicksand.
Vitalii Mykolenko – 4
Offered next to nothing going forward and was constantly pinned back. Kept reasonably busy, but completely lost track of his positioning during the chaotic sequence for Isidor’s stoppage-time killer.
Tim Iroegbunam – 3
An early yellow card for a clumsy trip in the 24th minute completely compromised his ability to put a tackle in. Walked a tightrope for the rest of his 73 minutes before being rightly hooked for Tyrique George. The midfield engine room completely dissolved around him.
James Garner – 4
Lacked any semblance of creativity or forward drive. When Granit Xhaka dictates a game, you expect it, but Garner allowed the entire Sunderland midfield to bypass him. A frustrated, cynical booking deep in stoppage time summed up his day.
Merlin Röhl – 5
He got the opening goal via a lucky deflection just before the break and showed flashes of the drive we’ve desperately lacked. Replaced by McNeil late on as Moyes scrambled for a goal.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 4
Supposed to be the creative hub, but he spent 90 minutes drifting aimlessly. Had one speculative shot that failed to trouble Roefs. We needed someone to demand the ball and steady the ship when Sunderland turned the screw; he stumbled and bumbled into annonymity.
Iliman Ndiaye – 4
A highly frustrating afternoon for the Dynamic Dribbler. Zero shots, zero creation, and spent most of the match running into blind alleys or turning backward. Sunderland’s defence had him completely figured out.
Beto – 3
A performance that personified a blunt instrument. Given a decent ball to make something of but he was just incapable of anticipating or controlling the bounce, and the chance was gone. One off-target effort before being hauled off in the 73rd minute. Never looked a threat.
The Substitutes
Tyrique George (on for Iroegbunam, 73’) – 7
Actually injected a bit of urgency. Delivered a superb, pinpoint cross that O'Brien somehow failed to convert. Showed more fight in 17 minutes than most of the starting XI did in 90. For that alone, he is almost worth the Man of the Match accolade.
Thierno Barry (on for Beto, 73’) – 4
Brought on to provide a focal point but barely got a kick as he ran around chasing .
Dwight McNeil (on for Röhl, 88’) – 2
A desperation sub when the game was already lost. Did next to nothing.
Seamus Coleman (on for O'Brien, 88’) – 1
A criminal way to treat a club legend on his final Goodison appearance. Moyes should have sent him out there bang on 60 moinutes to a tremendous ovation... but instead he was sent on into a toxic atmosphere with the team 1-2 down, only to watch Isidor bag a third moments later, and was guilty of ball-watching as he failed to intercept the coross for the final ultimate emnarasment of the thrid Sunderland goal. He deserved a standing ovation in a routine win — not a token cameo in a shambles — but thanks for the memories.
The Manager
David Moyes – 0
Set the team up to be passive, relied on a deflected goal to take the lead, and had absolutely no tactical answer when Régis Le Bris adjusted things at half-time. His substitutions were reactionary and too late. Pulling a midfielder for an 18-year-old George was his only roll of the dice, and using Coleman as a late sub under those toxic circumstances felt completely misjudged. A massive missed opportunity that encapsulates why this team remains stuck in mediocrity under his old-fashioned uninspiring management.
Reader Comments (2)
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2 Posted 18/05/2026 at 11:16:50
Yesterday was one where reality bites.
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1 Posted 18/05/2026 at 11:02:24