Player Ratings: Mykolenko outstanding in defensive masterclass

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·12 September 2026

Player Ratings: Mykolenko outstanding in defensive masterclass

Mohammed Kudus is challenged by Vitaliy Mykolenko during the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

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A tremendously resilient away performance from David Moyes's Everton side yielded a hard-fought 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. Below are our player ratings for the squad, anchored by a superstar defensive outing from Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Jordan Pickford — 7/10 Clean, composure-filled afternoon. Handled Spurs' set-piece threats well, commanded his box with authority, and organized the back line efficiently to secure the away clean sheet but almost gave the farm away with a poor clearance that Bergval hammered back at him.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles — 6/10 Slotting in for the injured Merlin Rohl, he made some errors but mostly held his own against Spurs' wide threats. Put in an honest shift defensively, though occasionally caught out of position when pushing up.
James Tarkowski — 8/10 A dominant leader at the back. Blocked multiple goalbound attempts, dominated in the air, and kept Tottenham's frontline quiet for most of the match.
Jarrad Branthwaite — 8/10 Calm on the ball under pressure and made several crucial interceptions inside the 18-yard box. Complementing Tarkowski well to shut down space.
Vitaliy Mykolenko — 9/10 (Man of the Match) 🏆 An absolute fortress on the left flank. Won 4 out of 4 tackles, made key clearances, and neutralized Spurs' attacks completely on his wing.
James Garner — 7/10 Combative in the engine room, providing necessary defensive cover. Picked up a late yellow card, but his defensive work rate was essential to breaking up play.
Harrison Armstrong — 5/10 Industrious work off the ball, helping out Maitland-Niles on the right wing, but lacked a bit of quality and ashown up for youthful naiety at a couple of crucial mpoments that could have esily led to goals against.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — 6/10 High-energy performance in midfield. Pressed Kinsky into an error in the second half but should have done better with the resulting shot and had a decent chance on goal that was ultimately saved. Did very well to set up Johnson's golden chance.
Tyrique George — 6/10 Not as lively out wide when he should have been Everton's most dangerous creative outlet. Played it far too safe, as if he's been told ot crank it down and concentrate on defensive shapoe and discipline.
Brennan Johnson — 4/10 Ran around aimlessly against his former club, tracking back diligently. Blasted a wonderful second-half chance over the crossbar when he had time to set himself.
Thierno Barry — 5/10 Held up the ball reasonably well under heavy pressure. Got on the end of a Tyrique George cross with a dangerous header, but couldn't beat Kinsky in goal.

Grealish — 6/10 Came on to provide fresh legs late in the second half and helped hold the defensive block together as Spurs pressed late but had little opportunity to push Everton forward and create something.
O'Brien — 8/10 Did really well when he came on for Maitland-Niles, his first intervention to steal the ball off Savio, who had been a live wire for Spurs.
Hackney — 7/10 Played some good balls butwasn't as involved as he should have been.