Everton started their Premier League campaign with an entertaining 2-2 draw against newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Toffees were a man down after 40 minutes as Jagielka was shown red for a nasty challenge on Diogo Jota, but managed to put in a sturdy display despite that.
Marco Silva’s side kept their nerve as summer signing Richarlison put them ahead twice but they couldn’t keep their lead as Ruben Neves and Raul Jimenez scored a goal each.
Here are the Everton player ratings:
Jordan Pickford: (7/10)
Could have done better for Ruben Neves’ free-kick goal but made amends by saving a one on one with Jimenez who was poised to score.
Seamus Coleman: (6.5/10)
Coleman was excellent going forward and linked well with Theo Walcott on the right. He had a poor pass completion rate of 67.7% and needlessly gave possession away at times.
Phil Jagielka: (3/10)
The veteran endured a disastrous start to the season as he was given his marching orders for a dangerous lunging tackle on Jota.
Michael Keane: (7/10)
The youngster stepped up and looked solid for the majority of the match. He even got himself an assist after winning the initial header from the set piece which resulted in the opening goal. However, Keane was unlucky to get caught under the ball for the second goal.
Leighton Baines: (7/10)
A brilliant delivery from the set piece for the initial Richarlison goal and offered attacking impetus from the left flank.
Morgan Schneiderlin: (7/10)
The Frenchman was a robust figure in the midfield and offered protection to a young centre-back pairing of Holgate and Keane. Played some good passes and was an important figure in the middle.
Idrissa Gueye: (7/10)
He offered the energy in midfield and was a key cog in the Everton press.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: (5/10)
Played almost like a secondary striker in attack and made a few good runs. He was sacrificed for Mason Holgate after Jagielka’s red card.
Theo Walcott: (5/10)
Walcott was relatively quiet going forward but displayed impressive work rate.
Cesk Tosun: (7/10)
His hold-up play was commendable and he pressed the defenders into making mistakes. He played a crucial role in Richarlison’s second goal as he showcased impressive strength holding off Ryan Bennet and played a nice one-touch pass for Richarlison. A goal could have capped off a brilliant performance by the centre-forward.
Richarlison: (8/10)
The Brazilian had an impressive debut as he was a menace on the left wing and ran at the opposition at every given opportunity. He was at the right place to score his first goal and then scored an even better second when he ran into the box and slotted it calmly past Rui Patricio much to the delight of the Everton faithful.
Substitutes
Mason Holgate: (6/10)
The young centre-back put in an assured performance alongside Michael Keane and stood tall to the daunting task as Wolves attacked in search for an equaliser.
Oumar Niasse: (5/10)
Offered a threat on the counter-attack when brought late on.
Lucas Digne: N/A
Was brought in to close the game.
