Pranav Shahaney

Sat 22 April 2023 16:55, UK

Everton went down to ten men courtesy of a Mason Holgate red card but still managed to secure a point against Crystal Palace.

Sean Dyche’s men travelled to Selhurst Park on Saturday, 22 April, and came away with a well-fought 0-0 draw.

Holgate started as the right-back for Everton in Seamus Coleman’s absence and despite being on a yellow card, wasn’t taken off by the manager.

Here are our player ratings for the game:

Jordan Pickford – 7.5

The Englishman did not have much to do until the red card but successfully made the two saves when he needed to and also claimed the ball well. As Pickford’s known to do, he was vocal and constantly marshalled the back line in front of him. He really stepped up after his side went down to ten men.

Mason Holgate – 1

Looked like he was a mistake waiting to happen and it was surprising that he stayed on the pitch for as long as he did despite being on a yellow card. He clearly looked like he was lacking match sharpness and it made no sense to start him. It thus came as no surprise that he got sent off as he struggled to deal with Andre Ayew all game and this decision is entirely Dyche’s fault.

Michael Keane – 6

Made a few important clearances and did his bit to keep the Palace attackers at bay. Was slightly wayward with his passes as he lacked the composure on the ball which is what someone like Yerry Mina or Conor Coady could’ve provided.

James Tarkowski – 7

Made a few wayward passes but his defensive awareness and ability in the air are what makes him a favourite for Dyche. The Everton centre-back was one of the main reasons why Palace struggled to have too many clear-cut chances on goal and fans will surely be thanking him for a great deal if he helps them stay up.

Vitaliy Myoklenko – 7

Looked sharp in defence as well as going forward and offers much more of an attacking threat than Ben Godfrey. He won six out of his attempted duels and also won two tackles and interceptions. [Sofascore]

James Garner – 5

Did not have the sort of defensive impact many thought he would but was extremely tidy on the ball and aware of his position. However, as the game wore on, his impact on proceedings diminished and a case could’ve been made for him to be withdrawn.

Idrissa Gueye – 8

Was imperious in the middle of the park and contributed to all facets of the game for the Toffees. He won both his aerial duels and six out of his nine duels on the ground. His pass accuracy was also around 75 per cent which is pretty high given how direct Everton played this game. He also made four tackles in the game and two clearances.

Demarai Gray – 3

Another player who let his manager down was Gray. He managed to complete just four passes all game despite touching the ball on 31 occasions. He did offer plenty off the ball and perhaps his work-rate was his only saving grace but surely Dyche will want to see him being more of an attacking threat.

Alex Iwobi – 6

Played in a more advanced position and desperately tried to make things happen in the final third. Played some tidy passes to the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dwight McNeil and on another day, he could’ve made the difference in the game.

Dwight McNeil – 4

Attempted six crosses in the game but did complete a single one. That’s a shame given the fact that Calvert-Lewin was waiting in the box to get on the end of these crosses. He certainly looked threatening when he had the ball but his end product was lacking all match.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin -5

Was bullied in the air more often than he would’ve liked to – losing eight of his 14 attempted aerial duels. He also did not make the most of the space the Palace defenders left in behind. However, his mere presence saw Everton playing with more confidence and that’s what made them look threatening going forward when it was 11v11.

Everton subs

Ben Godfrey – 4

Neal Maupay – N/A