Player ratings vs Arsenal: a hiding to nothing

Everton’s abysmal run of results at the Emirates Stadium continued on Saturday afternoon as goals from Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães condemned the Blues to an all too predictable 2-0 defeat against reigning Premier League champions Arsenal.

Conceding early from a set-piece always makes an uphill battle at North London near-impossible, and while the defensive block held firm for stretches, the Blues were so totally focused on defending, they utterly failed to create anywhere near enough meaningful openings in the final third.

Everton Player Ratings

• Jordan Pickford — 3/10 Beaten by two close-range efforts where he had little chance, but made a few solid interventions to keep the score down.
• Jake O’Brien — 4/10 Stuck to his defensive task reasonably well under heavy sustained pressure, though distribution out from the back was frequently cut off.
• James Tarkowski — 6/10 Typical battling display from the skipper, throwing his body in the way of shots and winning his aerial duels before picking up a late yellow card.
• Vitalii Mykolenko — 4/10 Found it to be a tough afternoon tracking the movement down his flank and picked up a booking before being substituted in the second half.
• Merlin Röhl — 5/10 Tried to inject energy into the midfield, but struggled to impose himself against Arsenal’s physical and technical dominance.
• Harrison Armstrong — 6/10 Showed flashes of industriousness in the middle of the park, working hard to close down spaces even if possession was hard to retain.
• James Garner — 5/10 Off the pace in the engine room and found it difficult to get a grip on the tempo, getting caught chasing shadows for long stretches.
• Brennan Johnson — 2/10 Failed to contribute anything of value and he was hooked just past the hour mark.
• Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — 6/10 Tried to carry the ball forward whenever Everton managed brief spells of possession, though he was largely crowded out.
• Tyrique George — 4/10 Far too quiet on the flank, seems to have been told to play saff and keep possession.
• Thierno Barry — 1/10 Utterly useless up front against Gabriel and Konsa, completely unable to control the ball or stay on his feet.

Substitutes

• Tyler Dibling (71′) — 5/10 — Brought a bit of direct running when introduced, but the game was already slipping away.
• Hayden Hackney (73′) — 5/10 — Added fresh legs to the midfield as Everton tried to stem the tide.
• Charly Alcaraz (85′) — 3/10 — Failed to escape his marker when set up by Dibling.