James Garner singles out the one positive after Everton’s FA Cup defeat vs Sunderland

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Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup by Sunderland at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Everton were pretty threadbare due to injuries and players at AFCON, so there were a lot of tired legs out there.

But, there were also just many underperforming players, as Tyler Dibling received a lot of criticism for his display.

Who was your most underwhelming player for Everton? 🫣

Surely there's only one to take the crown here…

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Merlin Rohl wasn’t much better and hasn’t actually looked up to speed in any of his recent games since returning from injury.

That said, James Garner was keen to single out a positive after the penalty shoot-out defeat yesterday.

• READ MORE: Everton have just made approach to sign £6m Serie A record holder

James Garner reflects on Everton’s progress in the last year after Sunderland defeat

It’s been a whirlwind 12 months at Everton, from replacing Sean Dyche with David Moyes, to avoiding relegation and now challenging for Europe.

Speaking to Everton’s media team after the game, Garner was keen to highlight that and reflect on just how much progress has been made at Finch Farm, despite the disappointing result.

“You know, if you are going to look at the positives, we are a much better side than we were last year,” the Toffees midfielder stated.

Aznou surely has to be handed more minutes after THAT display…😫

He showed more in his cameo than Mykolenko has all season

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“That’s facts. But at this very moment in time, this last week, we are on a bit of a bad patch. So, we need to get back to winning ways, get back to positive ways and we’ll be looking to do that in the next game or two.”

Adam Aznou’s performance was certainly another positive to note, and David Moyes praised him after the game.

Garner also added: “Three games in a week is tough with a full squad, never mind half a squad. But like I said, I’m making no excuses. I think I’ve said in the past that we’re all here for a reason. 

“So, when the boys do play, and myself, we need to go out there and play more like the second half rather than the first half. We should be doing that from the off. And I’m pretty sure we would have had a different result if we did so.”

Everton back on action vs Aston Villa

Everton are back in Premier League action next Sunday, as they take on high-flying Aston Villa in the West Midlands.

Moyes will be hopeful some of his injured players are back for then, although Idrissa Gana Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye will still be at AFCON after Senegal’s advanced to the semi-final on Friday.

A home game against Leeds United ensues before a clash on the south coast against Brighton and Hove Albion to close the month.

Everton should be targeting a minimum of four points from those games, with a win against Leeds and a result at the Amex.