Everton player ratings v Brentford: James Tarkowski shines as Beto struggles again
Everton finally got their first win of the Premier League season as they ran out 3-1 winners over Brentford on Saturday 23 September.
The Toffees took the lead in the opening five minutes thanks to an excellent volley from Abdoulaye Doucouré before the hosts hit back midway through the second half thanks to Mathias Jenson’s finish. But second-half goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Tarkowski ensured all three points would be heading back to Goodison Park.
All in all, it was a much-improved performance from Sean Dyche’s side as they showed they are capable of winning games and scoring plenty of goals, even against strong opposition. The win sees them climb to 15th in the Premier League.
Goodison News have rated the players out of 10 below;
Jordan Pickford – 5
Having so often been the Toffees’ saviour, will feel as though he should’ve kept out Mathias Jensen’s equaliser from a narrow angle having got a hand on the shot. Hard to be too critical of the England number one as the shot was hit with so much power. Other than the host’s equaliser, he barely had a save to make and went about his business as expected.
Ashley Young – 5
Had the tough task of marshalling Keane Lewis-Potter and earned a yellow card after only 47 seconds of action as he couldn’t keep up with the Brentford winger. Was occasionally wasteful on the ball as he failed to complete a single cross and struggled to contain Lewis-Potter for the majority of the match. By no means a disastrous day at the office, but a slight worry.
James Tarkowski – 8
The former Burnley defender showed his aerial ability with an excellent header to set up Doucoure for the Toffees’ opener and was always a threat every time Everton had a set-piece. That pressure told as the skipper headed home McNeil’s corner to restore the Toffees’ lead. Didn’t have much to do in defence but was strong at the back.
Jarred Branthwaite – 7
Was steady and assured at the back including keeping Wissa quiet for a lot of the game as the Bees piled on the pressure. Was lucky to avoid a booking having seemingly fouled Bryan Mbeumo after the Brentford forward nutmegged him, but overall impressed whenever he was called into action.
Vitaliy Mykolenko – 7
A typical sort of strange performance from the Ukrainian full-back. His first touch let him down on a couple of occasions, putting him under immediate pressure and he found himself in the box with a bouncing ball, but his right-footed effort was incredibly weak. Did make several important interventions in defence, however.
Amadou Onana – 6
Battled in the middle of the park as the main defensive force in midfield for the Toffees, won the most duels of any player during the game and got stuck in with plenty of tackles. Could have been more creative on the ball before he was substituted after 77 minutes.
Idrissa Gana Gueye – 5
Possibly due to the good performances of the midfielders around him, but the 33-year-old struggled to impact the game in a particularly positive way. Excellently weighted through ball to feed Beto and should have provided an assist but lost the ball twice late in the first half and was very fortunate that Thomas Frank’s side didn’t profit from his mistakes. The weak link in the middle of the park.
Abdoulaye Doucoure – 9
Whenever Everton need saving, Doucoure steps up, his finish for the opening goal was an excellent volley that left Mark Flekken with no chance between the posts. Nearly scored an even better second as he smashes the bar with a right-footed effort midway through the opening period. The Frenchman was the Toffees’ best player in the first half but did fade as the game continued.
James Garner – 7
The former Manchester United man ran his socks off all game and did provide a different dimension to the Everton side. His ball in for the Toffees’ opener showed his excellent range of passing, before finding the excellent pass to feed Calvert-Lewin in for his first goal of the season. He has to start for the Toffees next time out.
Dwight McNeil – 7
A mixed afternoon for the former Burnley winger. Was unlucky to not score his first of the season in the opening 15 minutes as he dragged an effort wide, wasted a few opportunities in good crossing areas but then found the excellent delivery to assist Tarkowski in the second half. The sort of player who can produce magic even when he’s not at his best.
Beto – 4
The Portuguese forward could have and maybe should have come away with a hat-trick let alone his first Premier League goal. Should have scored at least once as he scuffed wide his one-on-one effort. Was picked to lead the line on his own and despite being isolated he excelled in the air bringing his teammates into the attack, but he was brought in to score goals for Everton and he wasted far too many chances against Brentford. He may now face the axe.
Subs
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 8
Replaced Beto just after the hour mark and found the net only ten minutes later showing great composure to score his first goal of the season. Looked a much bigger threat in his cameo from the bench than Beto had been for most of the game. Also played his part in the goal-mouth scramble to keep the home side out as well.
Arnaut Danjuma – 6
Replaced Onana after 77 minutes, and looked bright with a few touches but struggled to be too involved so late in the game.
In other Everton news, reports suggest the Toffees could face cash flow issues should their potential takeover be delayed