In a game of two halves at Goodison Park, Everton took a 2-0 lead into the break only for Arsenal to score two goals to finish the match 2-2. Here are the player ratings:

Everton

Tim Howard – 5

Didn’t have a lot to do with only three shots on target against him but conceding two goals does ask the question if he could have done more.

Seamus Coleman – 6

First half, the Irish full back played brilliantly and was rewarded with a goal to give Everton the lead. Second half, he faded and made mistakes. No pressure on Cazorla for the cross, which gave Arsenal their first goal.

Sylvain Distin – 6

Was strong and disciplined, like he always has been in his career. Was weak against Giroud for the equalizer, which ultimately lost Everton all three points.

Phil Jagielka – 6

Similar to Distin in the way he played today, was strong and controlled the back four well. Missed the header, which resulted in Giroud scoring, which again was similar to Distin.

Leighton Baines – 6

Had a somewhat quiet game by his standards. Was involved in the build-up to Everton’s first goal and had points in the game where he delivered well.

Gareth Barry – 7

Very good game for the central defensive midfielder. Kept the Arsenal midfield quiet for most of the game, which is not an easy thing to do. Assisted for Coleman’s first goal with a brilliant cross.

James McCarthy – 6

Had a quiet game, kept the game ticking throughout but didn’t do a lot to influence the game. His role in the team is to keep it simple and he did that very well. He just needed to put more of a stamp on the game when Everton were holding on to the lead.

Steven Pienaar – N/A

Only played eight minutes before injury ended his game early.

Kevin Mirallas – 7

Always looked a threat whenever he had the ball. His pace was devastating and had Arsenal by the scruff of their neck. Did tire towards the end but did enough throughout to cause problems.

Romelu Lukaku – 7

Was deployed on the right wing as he did against Arsenal in the 3-0 victory last season. Played very well first, setting up Naismith for the second goal. Was strong and played smart. Fitness was an issue towards the end before he was substituted.

Steven Naismith – 8 (Man of the match)

The Scottish player was asked to be the point of the attack and he did very well. Coming in deep to collect the ball, the Arsenal defenders were unable to stop him. Endless in his running and scored Everton’s second goal after great work from Lukaku.

Substitutes:

Leon Osman – 6

Coming on for Pienaar, he was very sloppy when distributing the ball. Already having McCarthey on the pitch that does the same role as Osman saw him look lost at times.

Aiden McGeady – N/A

Had little of the ball in the fifteen minutes he was on the pitch.

Christian Atsu – N/A

Only played five minutes.

Arsenal

Wojciech Szczęsny – 5

Similar to Howard’s performance where he had little to do, Everton only had two shots on target with both shots resulting in goals. Could have done more in both goals especially the Naismith shot that went through his legs.

Mathieu Debuchy- 7

Had a solid game. With Ozil unwilling to track back and help, the right back did cause him to get overrun at times. Did the basics very well. With more games under his belt with his new team, he will demand more from his wingers for support.

Calum Chambers – 5

The young centre back had his work cut out for him today. Too eager to win the ball back led to silly fouls and a yellow card. Sliding in recklessly against Lukaku saw the Belgian striker skip past him leading to a goal. Will need to learn from this performance.

Per Mertesacker – 4

Not a great game for the World Cup winner, looking slower than he usually does and clearly lacking in match fitness. Mertesacker is at his best when he can sit deep and read the play in front of him, trying too hard to win the ball back saw him looking foolish. Picked up a yellow card and will want to forget about this performance quickly.

Nacho Monreal – 6

Was very quiet in the game. He started to show promise as the game drawn out. Doing the basics throughout the match, he didn’t do a lot to make a difference in the game except for a pivotal moment where he chased the ball near the corner flag to sail the cross into the box for Giroud to head home the equalizer.

Aaron Ramsey – 6

Poor game by his standards but still got the goal that gave Arsenal hope. Passing and shooting was sloppy throughout and if it wasn’t for his goal, it would have been one of his worst performances in recent months.

Jack Wilshere – 5

Trying too much saw the English midfielder substituted for Cazorla. Trying to add speed when attacking is a great trait to have but when other midfielders aren’t on the same wavelength, it will cause mistakes. Got yellow carded for a bad challenge on Barry.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6

Similar to Wilshere, trying too much saw his efforts as wasteful. Had two decent chances in the first half which went wide, he will be disappointed he didn’t at least work the goalkeeper. Was substituted for Campbell after fading in the second half.

Mathieu Flamini – 7

Typical performance for the French midfielder. Was strong and vocal throughout the game. Got little support when Everton attacked but dealt with it very well.

Mesut Özil – 4

Whether he is lacking match fitness or is out of form, Ozil had a very poor game. Was played out on the wing and looked lost for the majority of the match. Gave little support for Debuchy when Everton attacked.

Alexis Sánchez – 4

Was only given the first half before being substituted. Given the role as striker, we saw him lack any influence on the match. Not knowing whether to come deep to receive the ball or stay up top resulted in Arsenal creating little in the first half.

Substitutes:

Olivier Giroud – 7

The game changed when the French striker came on. Knowing how to play the role of striker when coming on for Sanchez saw Arsenal have an outlet upfront. Should have scored more than the one he did but with the goal resulting in points being saved for Arsenal, he can only be seen as a influence.

Santi Cazorla – 7

Only having fifteen minutes to make an impact, he assisted for one goal and put more control into Arsenal’s midfield. Was typical in the way he plays and will want to start the next game.

Joel Campbell – N/A

Had little of the ball in the fifteen minutes he was on.