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- Cameron Archer heavily involved in both of the host’s goals, while Arnaut Danjuma and Abdoulaye Doucoure bagged for the visitors.
- Everton finally find the back of the net this season, though both sides continue their winless streak.
- Cameron Archer central to Sheffield United’s attacking threat and was a livewire throughout.
Sheffield United Player Ratings: Archer was central to everything up top
Contents
Wesley Foderingham 6/10 – Solid when relied upon.
Anel Ahmedhodzic 6.5/10 – Proved his physicality against Beto. Picked up a yellow.
John Egan 5.5/10 – Subbed off with just over 20 minutes of normal time left. Fared well.
Jack Robinson 5.5/10 – Solid enough. Nothing major to note.
George Baldock 6/10 – Was blessed with acres of space to exploit by Young but struggled to optimise it for the most part.
Vinicius de Souza Costa 6.5/10 – Drew a lot of fouls from his Everton counterparts but struggled to stamp his authority on the encounter.
Oliver Norwood 7/10 – Often used his switch as an out ball and dealt with Everton’s high press well.
Gustavo Hamer 7.5/10 – Tenacious in his approach and often spruced his side into attack. Incisive in his decision making.
Yasser Larouci 5.5/10 – Missed a gilt-edged chance but provided width throughout and looked active. Subbed.
Oliver McBurnie 6.5/10 – Not up to scratch but did provide a lovely cushioned lay off to set up Archer.
Cameron Archer 8/10 – Fantastic, first-time finish. Heavily involved in their second, too. What a debut.
Substitutes
Luke Thomas 6/10 – The Leicester City loanee impressed. Almost scored.
Chris Basham 4/10 – Replaced Egan well.
Benie Traore 3/10 – Little involvement.
Everton Player Ratings: Midfield solidity provided by Gueye
Jordan Pickford 6.5/10 – Could do little for Sheffield United’s first and was unfortunate for their second. Unbelievable double save at the death.
Nathan Patterson 6/10 – Was strong defensively. Picked up a brilliant assist.
James Tarkowski 6.5/10 – Fantastic early block. Good range of passing. Typical captain’s performance.
Jarrad Branthwaite 6/10 – Into the book early on but had a terrific game with the occasional mistake.
Ashley Young 6/10 – Brilliant delivery for the first goal
Idrissa Gana Gueye 7.5/10 – Marshalled well in front of the back four, while remaining a viable option for the defence.
Amadou Onana 7/10 – Seasoned header to set up Everton’s first of the afternoon. His ball winning ability was on show.
Abdoulaye Doucoure 7/10 – Opened the scoring and was a bright spark. Picked up some lovely pockets.
James Garner 6/10 – Quiet.
Arnaut Danjuma 6.5/10 – Poor decision making with his passing and wasteful with his chances. Did score though.
Beto 7/10 – Eager to be involved. Could easily be one of the Toffees’ key stars this season.
Substitutes
Dwight McNeil /10 – Given little time to gain a foothold.
Ben Godfrey N/A
Sheffield United vs Everton Match Summary and Highlights
The stage was set. Two teams squaring up in search of their first win of the Premier League season, though it was the visiting side that came out of the blocks quicker, dominating possession and putting their opponents under the cosh.
A pinpoint delivery from Young’s corner, a cushioned header from Onana and a scrappy finish from Doucoure saw Everton score their first goal of the 2023/24 campaign. Then, a passage of competent passing eventually teed up Sheffield United’s new recruit Archer to caress one past Pickford, who was left bewildered.
Danjuma wasted a decent chance just shy of the 45th minute mark, which was followed by an animated reaction from Everton chief Sean Dyche. And his mistake was pounced on, as moments later, Archer’s curled effort under the other end rebounded off the upright onto Pickford’s back as it nestled into the back of Everton’s net, 2-1 to the hosts.
The chaos continued as the two sides emerged from the tunnel as Ahmedhodzic pulled down Danjuma as he gave away a free kick as the referee waved away shouts for a penalty which was aided by a Stockley Park check. Danjuma’s first-half mishap was quickly forgotten as he latched onto Patterson’s teasing cross to draw the affair level. Game on.
To end, Pickford kept the Sheffield United attack at bay with a spectacular double save as though both sides look back in despair, a solitary point on the board is better than leaving empty-handed.
Player of the Match: Cameron Archer
Archer, on his debut for The Blades, managed to claw one back after his side conceded early on. His audacious – yet cute – effort on goal caused a moment of embarrassment for Pickford as the ball rebounded off the post and onto the goalkeeper’s back as Paul Heckingbottom’s side gained the lead for the first and last time in the match.
To have such an impact on your inaugural game for a new club is a feat in itself but the 21-year-old enjoyed a flurry of chances and was often the centre point of the home side’s threat in the final third. Many Fantasy Premier League managers will be double-glancing at his attractive price point, that’s for sure.
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