By Pranav Shahaney

4th Feb, 2023 | 2:11pm

Everton player ratings v Arsenal in Sean Dyche first game in charge

Sean Dyche began his life as Everton manager with a good 1-0 win against the Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday, 4 February.

The Goodison Park support gave him a good ovation and cheered the team on from start to end as the Toffees gave the Gunners a real fight.

This game showed fans early signs of how Dyche wants his sides to play in order to avoid relegation this season.

Our ratings from the game:

Jordan Pickford – 6

Had a quiet game which was credit to how good the Toffees defenders were. He did well to organise them in an impressive effort all around.

Seamus Coleman – 7

Spent more of his time defending but did not put a foot wrong in the first half. Looked like he was playing to impress the manager and did a good job at it.

Conor Coady – 8

Made a crucial clearance off the line and even blocked a number of shots throughout the game. Wasn’t that good while building from the back whenever they could, but defensively he put in a real shift.

James Tarkowski – 9

Dyche knows Tarkowski well and it was a performance we’ve seen several times from him at Burnley. Put the defensive side to his game first and made it tough for Arsenal to have space in behind the defence. He then went on to score for the Toffees, much to the delight of the home fans.

Vitaliy Mykolenko – 6

Stuck to Bukayo Saka in the first half and put in a defensive performance that would’ve impressed Dyche as he would’ve been thrilled by his display. He also got forward on occasion and had a decent outing.

Dwight McNeil – 7

Proved to be an important threat out wide for Everton and perhaps was told by Dyche to cross as often he can. He attempted six in the first half alone and looked lively in the second period as well.

Abdoulaye Doucoure – 5

Missed a glorious chance to score in the first half. Found himself in acres of space and a free header to slot into the back of the net but he fluffed his lines and certainly would’ve regretted it. He also played wayward passes and did not look confident on the ball.

Idrissa Gueye – 7

Kept it ticking and was inch perfect with his passes. Despite the Toffees not dominating possession, Gueye rarely seemed like he would give the ball away. Calm and mature display.

Amadou Onana – 8

Was the engine room in the three-man Everton midfield and put in an impressive performance against a well-drilled Arsenal side. Onana ensured that the Gunners attacked from the wide areas, giving absolutely nothing away in midfield. Nearly set up a tap in for Calvert-Lewin as well early on.

Alex Iwobi – 6

Played out wide and was given few moments to get at the Arsenal defence. His movement certainly gave the defenders a few hard times.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 7

Started the game strongly and found himself running into spaces and chasing long balls played by the defenders and midfielders. Got involved well in the build-up as well and offered a lot off the ball.

Subs:

Neal Maupay – 5