Everton vs. QPR: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith scored for Everton as the Toffees beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 on Monday.
Bobby Zamora, who came on as a 59th-minute substitute, notched the lone tally for the guests, who remain in the Premier League's relegation zone with the defeat.
Everton, meanwhile, are back in the top half of the table and ahead of city rivals Liverpool on goal difference.
Following are some of the winners and losers from this Monday Night Football encounter at Goodison Park.
Winner: Muhamed Besic, Who Made Life Difficult for the QPR Attackers
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It wasn't always the tidiest of performances, but Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic generally made life difficult for the QPR attackers on Monday.
Over the course of the 90 minutes, the 22-year-old was responsible for snuffing out numerous pieces of opposition buildup play, and according to Squawka, he contributed five clearances and two interceptions to the cause.
Crucially, he moved to his left to bail out team-mate Leighton Baines after the left-back had lost track of Joey Barton and blocked the QPR midfielder's attempt at a cross.
"Not for the first time tonight, Mo Besic goes for a hard sliding tackle against Barton and wins," remarked the Toffees official Twitter feed.
Loser: Rob Green, Whose Giveaway Gifted Everton a 3rd Goal
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Rob Green was without fault on each of Everton's first two goals on Monday.
In the 33rd minute, Ross Barkley's left-footed shot hit Mauricio Isla before finding the back of the net, and 10 minutes later Kevin Mirallas' free-kick took a fortuitous deflection before beating Green in the QPR goal.
But eight minutes after the restart, the 'keeper's misplaced goal-kick gifted the Toffees a third of the night.
Mirallas picked out Aiden McGeady down the right-hand side and the Republic of Ireland international crossed to the head of Steven Naismith at the far post.
As the Sun's official Twitter feed remarked after the incident, Green's was "a hash of a clearance."
Winner: Kevin Mirallas, Who Scored a Goal and Lent a Hand Defensively
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Unfortunately for Everton and Kevin Mirallas, the Belgium attacker was carried off the field on a stretcher after being fouled by Jordon Mutch in the 90th minute.
Before his ill-fated exit, however, the 27-year-old was one of the better performers in a sloppy Everton team—his contributions including a free-kick goal, a hand in Naismith's header and some important track-backs.
As the WhoScored's Twitter account pointed out during the encounter, Mirallas has scored three goals and assisted three others in his last five appearances.
Loser: Joey Barton, Who Conceded a Game-Changing Free-Kick
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Joey Barton and Steven Naismith were at one another's throats all night at Goodison Park, and in the 43rd minute, the former's foul on the latter ended up providing Everton a chance to go 2-0 up with half-time approaching.
They took it.
Kevin Mirallas' free-kick deflected off Eduardo Vargas before beating QPR goalkeeper Rob Green, but it was Barton's selfish single-mindedness in his duel with Naismith that created the chance in the first place.
Winner: Ross Barkley, Who Was by Far the Best Player on the Pitch
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Despite the 3-1 win, Everton manager Roberto Martinez won't have been all that pleased with his side's sloppy play on Monday.
He will, however, have had only good things to say about Ross Barkley.
The 21-year-old was by far the best player on the pitch at Goodison Park, and shortly after the half-hour mark, his left-footed drive opened the scoring after taking a slight glance off Mauricio Isla.
Overall, Barkley completed 87 percent of his passes, won three tackles in a duel with Yun Suk-Young and created a pair of goalscoring opportunities, according to Squawka.
Loser: QPR's Away Form, Which Is Yet to Yield a Point This Season
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Queens Park Rangers have been absolutely dreadful away from home this season.
All four of their wins in 2014-15 have come at Loftus Road, and they've only managed three goals away from their own patch in eight outings.
Charlie Austin, who was suspended for Monday's match at Everton, has scored two of them, and Bobby Zamora's consolation marker at Goodison Park represents the other.
In fact, as Squawka's Twitter account revealed, Zamora's tally was QPR's third in their last 11 away matches going back to last season.
