For the record, I love Gaz Baz, but he was balls last night and barely completed a pass of note. Alcaraz was shaky as fuck to begin with, but grew into the game as time went on and if Seamus Coleman hadn't had the season he had last year, I'd think he was a limited clogger who can't do much but run (the ball out of play) this season.
Garbutt continues to do well, even if he hasn't quite got the nous to be truly effective in the back end as well as his frankly offensive set piece delivery, but I wouldn't want to praise him too much in case he goes and up sticks to someone else for fuck all in the summer. Sign it!
Jagielka was magnificent. His supporting runs on the counter attack put the rest of our midfield (the committed McCarthy aside) to shame whilst taking no prisoners at the back. He's a proper centre half and I adore him like no other since Dave Watson.
Actually, to say McCarthy was committed is an understatement, he sets the tone and it's up to the rest of the team to go with him, when they do (like the 31-90th minutes last night) the opposition cannot live with our style. It's aided of course by the effort and deadly finishing of Naismith, even if his link up play continues to be wayward at best.
Every time Tim Howard comes off his line a member of his family dies, but Kyiv's goal was fairly savvy and I don't really place the blame at anyone's feet, not even Ross Barkley whose confidence looks absolutely shot, couldn't control a television if you gave him a remote and then concedes a free kick trying to win it back 'enthusiastically'. He'll still come good, but it won't be this season, and I continue to blame Roy Hodgson and his constant public shaming of a twenty year old kid whose potential talents are a million miles above that dinosaur.
Who have I missed?
Mirallas did well but he looks a bit out of form himself lately, and I thought he was unlucky to get the hook for Koné, even if it was a system change. Koné continues to do 'alright' but looks like a player who's been out for a year and is still working his way back, but he looks an athlete which always seems to make a difference in these situations, whilst Leon Osman looks anything but an athlete, but looks alot better since coming back, even if he didn't quite show it last night.
Which leaves only the main man, the greatest Evertonian striker in Europe since Victor 'The Arse' Anichebe. The type of performance that we have been calling for all season, a committed, powerful, borderline violent performance from this Jonah Lomu of a man, running with the ball whilst mere mortals are torn away by the very slipstream he leaves in his wake.
To expect him to do that every week is unrealistic, and I still believe he'll be better next year after an injury free summer break and pre-season, but if that performance appears more regularly, then £28 million is absolutely fuck all.