By Daniel Feliciano
Everton were held to a 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane in their Premier League clash with Sheffield United in another frustrating afternoon.
The Toffees started the game well and took the lead thanks to Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first goal of the season as he bundled in the rebound from Amadou Onana’s header.
Arnaut Danjuma wasted good chances before Cameron Archer scored a fine equaliser on his debut after Oli McBurnie set the ball back to him, before Archer fired a beautiful strike off the post on the stroke of half-time which bounced back and hit Jordan Pickford on the back before going in to give the Blades a 2-1 lead at half-time.
FT. We’re forced to settle for a point on the road.
⚔️ 2-2 🔵 #SHUEVE pic.twitter.com/pXiS3LCVbi
Dyche put a rocket up his Everton team at half-time though as they came out quickly, with Danjuma netting an equaliser before the hour mark to make it 2-2. Despite pushing forward though they couldn’t find a winner and both teams had to settle for a point.
Here is how we rated the performance of each Everton player at Goodison News.
Jordan Pickford – 5/10
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Could do absolutely nothing about the second goal coming off the back of his head, but he didn’t deal with set-pieces too well in the game. His distribution was largely just about hitting it long too, so hard to go above an average performance.
So unlucky for Jordan Pickford… 🫣
Sheffield Utd take the lead as an shot off the post bounces off the Everton keeper and ends up in the back of the net… 😳#SHUEVE pic.twitter.com/u1oaunrOYl
Nathan Patterson – 6/10
Patterson struggled in the first-half with getting back after being high for attacks, but he corrected that in the second half and put in a fantastic cross for Danjuma’s equaliser to get an assist too. Much more like the Patterson we saw last season.
James Tarkowski – 4/10
Last season Tarkowski was Mr. Reliable, but this season he looks a shadow of himself and is struggling. He wasn’t as dominant aerially as usual, got caught out by McBurnie for the first goal, lost Archer for the second and overall just wasn’t good. Arguably his worst showing in a blue shirt.
Jarrad Branthwaite – 5/10
Branthwaite is building his way into this team but you can see why Dyche likes him next to Tarkowski. He is comfortable in possession, physically gifted and won most of his duels against the opposition. An okay showing, but there is more to come.
Ashley Young – 4/10
Young looked every bit like a 38-year-old right-footed winger playing at left-back. Constantly caught out of position, offered little support going forward for Danjuma and lacked a yard of pace. We need Mykolenko to find his form again.
James Garner – 5/10
Garner had a tough game in a wide midfield role, but he showed what we all know he’s capable of. Hard running, strong in the tackle, good on the ball and played a big role in Danjuma’s equaliser too. A decent showing.
Idrissa Gueye – 3/10
The veteran midfielder had a really sloppy showing in the centre of the park. He constantly gave the ball away under no pressure, gave away a couple of fouls in dangerous areas and looks to be off the pace compared to last season. Needs to improve if he’s going to remain a regular starter.
Amadou Onana – 7/10
These are the games that the Belgian is supposed to dominate in midfield, and he did exactly that for the majority of the 90 minutes. He won so many duels, was imperious in the air, made an impact in both boxes and had a big input for the opening goal. A strong performance.
Arnaut Danjuma – 7/10
Danjuma showed why we wanted him so badly in January and why we were willing to forgive for this summer, because he was a constant threat to the opposition. His dribbling caused problems, he got his goal and with better decision making he could potentially have got one or two more.
Abdoulaye Doucoure – 6/10
One of the most important members of Dyche’s team because of his energy and threat in front of goal, and he delivered once again. Was in the right place to score the opener, did his defensive duties well and earned his starting spot again.
Beto – 8/10
Easily Everton’s man of the match in this game. Constantly running in behind the defence and holding up the ball, a huge role in the goal and seems to fit Dyche’s style of play perfectly. Dominic Calvert-Lewin who?
Substitutes
Dwight McNeil – N/A
In other Everton news, BBC journalist shares how much Gbamin was paid to terminate his contract early.