Everton defeated AFC Bournemouth 2-1 in a tight affair at Goodison Park, relieving some of the pressure on still under-fire manager Roberto Martinez.
Everton
Tim Howard – 6.5: Solid outing from the American. Was thrust into a sticky situation as Bournemouth levelled and could do little about it.
Mo Besic – 3.5: A shaky start out of position at right-back and was substituted at half time in favour of Tony Hibbert.
John Stones – 8: Was a casualty of the early defensive mix-up but can be very pleased with his game otherwise.
Matthew Pennington – 6: Was partly at fault for Bournemouth’s equaliser. The youngster did not play to the whistle after Wilson’s apparent nudge was waved on, leaving him in no-man’s land. Will learn from the error on his full debut.
Leighton Baines – 7.5: Found himself in plenty of promising positions but the delivery was often lacking. However, he made up for it with a crisply finished goal.
Darron Gibson – 6: Saw plenty of the ball and was able to ping a number of his trademark long passes, but could not create any openings.
James McCarthy – 6.5: Became more involved as the play wore on and covered plenty of ground.
Aaron Lennon – 6.5: Nabbed an assist for Baines’ emphatic finish. Was quiet beforehand.
Ross Barkley – 5.5: Looked good in flashes but seemed off colour for the most part.
Tom Cleverley – 7: Settled early nerves with a cool finish across the keeper in the sixth minute.
Oumar Niasse – 5: Like Barkley, Niasse enjoyed some positive moments sporadically but showed he is still yet to fully adapt to his new surroundings. Finished 50 minutes before being replaced by Romelu Lukaku.
Substitutes
Tony Hibbert – 6.5: Something of a surprise to see him on the pitch but the 35-year-old was solid in what was likely his second-last home game.
Romelu Lukaku – N/A: Did not really influence the match after his introduction.
Kieran Dowell – N/A: Provided glimpses of why he is so highly regarded in his short cameo.
Click NEXT for AFC Bournemouth player ratings
