View: 3/10 experiment fails, 8/10 excellent for Moyes - Everton player ratings vs Arsenal

Everton fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal on Saturday.

The Toffees travelled to Emirates Stadium knowing that things would be increasingly difficult against the Premier League leaders.

That didn’t stop David Moyes’ men from having the better of the chances in the first half, but they failed to make those count.

The Blues were eventually made to pay as Viktor Gyokeres scored for the Gunners in the 89th minute before Max Dowman ensured that the three points remained in North London.

Things could have been so different for Everton away to Arsenal, and now Goodison News rates each player’s performance out of 10.

Beto couldn’t make it stick vs Arsenal

There was an expectation pre-match that the 28-year-old would be handed a start to try to deal with Arsenal’s physicality.

On a few occasions, Beto was able to make good on that, but for the most part, he struggled to make his presence known up against William Saliba and Gabriel.

The Guinea-Bissau international featured for 69 minutes before being replaced by Thierno Barry, in a customary Moyes change.

In that time, he completed just four passes and had two touches inside the Arsenal penalty area.

That lack of output certainly wasn’t helped by his failure to win a tackle or make a single block while also losing out on 10 duels on the night.

It wasn’t Beto’s day against Arsenal, and it seems as if the experiment didn’t work to use him from the start.

Jake O’Brien thrives in natual position for Everton

Fear was in the minds of many Everton supporters when a team sheet dropped that didn’t feature James Tarkowski or Jarrad Branthwaite.

The two central defenders are usually so important for the Toffees, but it’s safe to say that O’Brien was able to step up in a big way.

The Republic of Ireland international got the chance to feature as a centre-back, and he thrived on it just as he did against Burnley.

He clocked up 17 defensive actions at the Emirates, with 12 coming by the way of clearances and the other five as recoveries.

Add to that his two ground duel wins and 80 per cent pass accuracy, and you have an ideal showcase for a defender away to a typically excellent attacking outfit.

Everton player ratings vs Arsenal

Jordan Pickford – 7

James Garner – 7

Jake O’Brien – 8

Michael Keane – 7

Vitalii Mykolenko – 7

Idrissa Gueye – 7

Tim Iroegbunam – 7

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 6

Iliman Ndiaye – 6

Dwight McNeil – 6

Beto – 3

Substitutes

Thierno Barry – 4

Merlin Rohl – N/A

Harrison Armstrong – N/A

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