Haven't seen a thread for this yet, apologies if I've missed it.
Given 7- A relatively comfortable night for Shay, not tested too often but his distribution was vastly improved compared to last weekend's game.
Richards 8- A confident, solid performance which was good to see. Going forward he offers little but he's a good defender. Suffered a lot of criticism over the years but he's still young enough to become a top class player for us. I thought his passing was much, much better too.
Touré 7- Some impressive challenges and looked more assured than in recent games but points off for some wayward passing. It's good to see a defender that likes to bring the ball into midfield but sometimes it's better to keep it simple. Against more experienced players the dispossessions might have led to a goal or two.
Lescott 8- Fantastic stuff from Lescott, he gobbled everything up, made some key challenges and was confident in possession. He's been impressive recently so hopefully the shaky performances from early on have been brushed off and he can keep building on this.
Bridge 7- Solid defensively and ran tirelessly to try and give us an extra impetus in attack. He's been criticised, and rightly so at times, but he's one of the fittest athletes I've seen. He got back into position as well last night was was important.
Barry 6- Not particularly influential but he kept it simple and did that well. Looked more aware of his role and the tactics. Probably better suited to this role than the more adventurous one he's deployed in when de Jong plays.
Ireland 7- Almost nonexistent in the first half but took control in the second and made some lovely passes and moved impressively. Unlucky with his solo run late on but kept going, harassing their midfielders and setting us on the attack again. The dictator of play.
SWP 9- Absolutely brilliant! I think Shaun's been very good all season and could see a performance like this coming before long. He played with the freedom and excitement we used to see before he left and just didn't stop threatening. The goal was out of this world and almost a mirror image of the 4th against the filth five years ago. That's five goals so far along with a handful of assists, out of form my arse.
Bellamy 8- I just don't know where he gets his energy from. Relatively quiet in the first half and should really have scored from the cut back but he came back determined to kill them off and played a huge part. To run 80 yards in one direction to win the ball back and another 80 yards in the other direction to set up a third goal in the last minute says everything about Bellamy.
Tevez 8- Always wanted the ball, passed it neatly and looked menacing from the off. A wonderful goal that he well and truly deserved. I always expected work rate from Tevez but the level of it is amazing. He just doesn't give anyone a second's breathing space and that causes all kinds of problems as we've seen. Five goals so far too, he's not set the world alight but he's doing just fine.
Adebayor 6- Worked hard in pressing for the ball and chasing their men much like Tevez but a lack of service meant he couldn't be influential. Didn't see a huge amount of the ball.
Kompany 7- Shored things up nicely in midfield and takes no prisoners. Definitely the right change to make at that point in the game.
Weiss 8- What a cameo. Looks confident on the big stage and great awareness to be there for the tap-in. There's no such thing as an easy goal.
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