Everton came crashing back down to earth as Southampton eased to a comfortable 2-0 win over the Toffees at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.
Stuart Armstrong and substitute Shane Long netted for Southampton as they outplayed an error-prone Everton side to bag a deserved 2-0 win at St Mary’s Stadium. The scoreline largely flatters an abysmal Everton display.
Everton started the game ever so brightly and had two penalty calls denied, but lost that initial momentum and were forced onto the back foot for the rest of the game. The visitors were beaten to every second ball and lost the physical battle against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s energetic Saints, who have now recorded a run of just one defeat in their last ten games in all competitions.
Jordan Pickford had a busy afternoon as he denied Tino Livramento brilliantly from point-blank range to keep Everton in the game. But the Saints were rewarded for their dominance when the visitors sloppily gave the ball away in the 52nd minute to allow Oriol Romeu to drive into the box before finding Che Adams, who in turn laid it off for Armstrong to drill into the bottom corner.
Shane Long came on as a substitute and made an immediate impact, scoring his first Premier League goal in 728 days to double the Saints’ lead and put the tie to bed with six minutes remaining. The result strengthens Southampton’s position in the top half of the table and drags Everton further into the relegation scrap.
Jordan Pickford: 8/10
Despite being beaten twice, Pickford was Everton’s best player by a mile, which rings alarm bells. He made three excellent saves before pulling off a world-class stop to deny Tino Livramento and keep the score even at half-time. If it had not been for Pickford in the Everton goal, it could easily have been a hammering for the Toffees.
Seamus Coleman: 5/10
Coleman was solid enough defensively, as he completed five tackles and three interceptions during the game. But due to the constant pressure from Kyle Walker-Peters and Elyounoussi, the Blues skipper could not inspire his side going forward. He also appeared off the pace and made a number of critical errors, being easily beaten to the ball by Long for the second goal.
Mason Holgate: 6/10
Setting aside the handball penalty incident which was a lucky escape for Holgate, the Englishman was the only other player who could come out of the game with some credit. He did an admirable job at containing Che Adams and was the most composed defender in Everton’s backline, even heading a goal-bound strike clear. His positioning looked shaky at times but he made vital interventions and kept the scoreline respectable.
Michael Keane: 3/10
Michael Keane and Andre Gomes are the two standout players for me who look like they’ve just had the life drained out of them when things aren’t going well. You can visibly see how scared they are. It’s embarrassing
— Paul Brown (@PaulBrownEFC) February 19, 2022
Another underwhelming performance from Keane, whose inconsistency has continued this season. The Englishman was frequently dragged out of position and failed to contain Armando Broja and Armstrong as they threatened the Toffees. His sloppy pass put Andre Gomes in trouble and directly led to Southampton taking the lead. The 29-year-old was run ragged by Broja, who was constantly getting in behind him.
Jonjoe Kenny: 5/10
Kenny put in a fairly decent performance, given he was deployed out of position. However, he also struggled to get forward as much as he would have liked. He produced a great block to deny Broja, but was guilty of not putting enough pressure on the cross when Southampton scored the decisive second goal.
Alex Iwobi: 4/10
Compared to Iwobi’s stellar performance last time out, he was a shadow of himself here. Though he started the game in a lively manner, he seemed lost out of possession and constantly took the wrong decisions. The Nigerian lost the ball far too many times and lacked the explosiveness to offer any threat. He was subbed off for Andros Townsend, with the Toffees chasing the equaliser at 1-0 down.
Allan: 3/10
'Only option' – Frank Lampard explains 'important' Allan substitution after Everton defeat #EFC https://t.co/pR9hNt3OAU
— Everton FC News (@LivEchoEFC) February 19, 2022
Another woeful display from Allan, who was booked early on in the game for a rash challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters before coming extremely close to being sent off for another reckless foul soon after. He spent the rest of the half walking on thin ice without ever putting in the required challenges in the engine room. Lampard rightly hooked off the Brazilian at half-time.
Donny van de Beek: 5/10
Van de Beek looked comfortable on the ball in his second successive start ahead of Andre Gomes. However, as the game went on, he became pretty anonymous with the Toffees surrendering possession way too easily. He looked leggy late on and missed a few easy passes.
Anthony Gordon: 5/10
Anthony Gordon huffed and puffed as he tried to come up with some much-needed spark, showcasing some flashes of brilliance in the first half. But his involvement dwindled away in the second period. Overall, he failed to create anything of note that posed a threat to the hosts and lacked adequate support.
Richarlison: 4/10
One cannot fault Richarlison’s effort as he worked tirelessly to win aerial duels and churn out opportunities, but none of them resulted in clear-cut chances. Like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, it was a pretty mediocre and uninspiring display from the Brazilian international as Everton lacked the penetration and incisive touch in the final third.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 4/10
I know he’s only just back from injury but Calvert Lewin looks like he’s playing football for the first time in years. Touch is heavy, off the ball movement is bad and he has no idea when to take a touch or let it bounce
— Jack (@EFC1878JM) February 19, 2022
Calvert-Lewin was starved of any service and was largely feeding off scraps in what was another frustrating afternoon for the Everton talisman, who failed to get a shot on target. He worked hard up top after being left isolated on his own and was fortunate enough to escape with a yellow card for a nasty challenge on Mohammed Salisu.
Substitutes
Andre Gomes: 3/10
Subbed on at the break for Allan to give Everton more midfield options, Gomes struggled to get to grips with the proceedings and ended up costing the Blues big time as he lost the ball in the lead up to Armstrong’s goal. Clearly not cut out for the intense nature of the Premier League.
Andros Townsend: 3/10
One could be forgiven for forgetting Townsend made it onto the pitch, as he barely got a touch of the ball out wide.
Dele Alli: 5/10
Replaced Anthony Gordon in the 75th minute. Alli looked eager to get on the ball and tried to make things happen, but could not inspire a comeback.
