Lille vs. Everton: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game
Everton and Lille played out an instantly forgettable 0-0 draw on Matchday 3 of the Europa League.
Both sides struggled for creativity and barely fashioned out any clear-cut chances of note.
The point leaves Everton on top of Group H with five points, one ahead of Wolfsburg, two ahead of Lille and three ahead of Krasnodar, in what is becoming a particularly close-run group.
Here are the winners and losers from this clash.
Loser: The Pitch
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One of the main reasons for this match being such a dour spectacle was the very poor quality of the pitch.
The generally uneven surface prevented the Toffees from enforcing their natural passing game, which contributed to such a disjointed affair.
Any time the visitors looked to inject pace into their attacks, players needed additional touches to gain control, which greatly affected the game's fluency.
Roberto Martinez was quick to point out his dissatisfaction with the pitch during a post-match interview.
"I thought the condition of the pitch didn’t help either team to be as brilliant as you can be on the ball," he said, per Everton's Twitter feed.
Winner: Sylvain Distin and Everton's Defence
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Everton put in their most compact performance in Europe this season, as every defender was near the top of his game.
Phil Jagielka and Tony Hibbert were perhaps the strongest performers, but Sylvain Distin deserves recognition for a timely return to form.
The Frenchman has endured a terrible start to the season, cast aside by his manager for some uncharacteristically poor showings.
Before this game, Everton had conceded 16 goals in the five games played by the centre-back, compared to just five goals in the six games he missed—clearly underlining his struggles.
Distin showed signs of rediscovering some form during this game, keeping close tabs on Divock Origi throughout.
Loser: Manuel De Sousa
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Another key factor that led to such a frustrating encounter was the overly pedantic refereeing on show.
Manuel De Sousa's combination of fussy officiating mixed with an unwillingness to hand out bookings played a large part in the grisly showing.
Any form of contact was generally deemed a foul, which hurt both sides. Players knew they could halt an attack by brushing past an opponent without getting booked.
In total, 32 fouls were awarded, the most (by three) in any Everton game this season.
At the same time, only one yellow card was handed out for a challenge (Franck Beria and Steven Pienaar received a booking for an off-the-ball altercation), which provided a testing platform for players to perform from.
Winner: Simon Kjaer
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Just as Everton's defence excelled, so too did Lille's, mainly led by the excellent Simon Kjaer.
The Denmark international completely nullified Samuel Eto'o, who lost possession more than any other player on the pitch (seven times).
Aside from the first few seconds after his introduction, he also suppressed the threat of Romelu Lukaku and led a well-organised unit in a near-faultless showing.
Statistically, Everton created a measly three chances in this entire game.
That total is the fewest created by an Everton side in any game over the past three seasons, thanks in no small part to Kjaer's commanding display.
Loser: Aiden McGeady
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As well as Everton played in defence, the same cannot be said for those lined up in attack.
Eto'o struggled with his hold-up play, Ross Barkley appeared understandably rusty and Steven Pienaar was far too erratic.
The worst offender, however, was Aiden McGeady.
For all his intelligent runs, he remained on the periphery of the action, making fewer touches (39) than any Everton starter.
The few times he was found in space, his final ball repeatedly found a Lille defender.
The Irishman will forever be an inconsistent player, capable of brilliance but generally hot and cold. Sadly, this was some of his iciest work.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
