Gomes (7) – Could’ve read a copy of his favourite lad mag undisturbed for most of the game. Little chance with Gibson’s strikes.
Hutton (4) – The heart sinks when his name’s on the team sheet. I think we’ve seen the best of him and it’s not good enough.
Bale (7) – A very positive & direct performance. Should cover well for Assou-Ekotto in the coming weeks and months. Exempt from the general criticism.
Bassong (7) – Also one of the better displays.
Dawson (6) – A typical Dawson effort, distribution as ever lets him down.
Lennon (5) – Out of position and starved of the ball. Generally anonymous
Palacios (5) – The odd good tackle as usual but a liability when given the ball. Caught in possession several times.
Jenas (5) – I’m a Jenas fan but this was very poor.
Bentley (4) – It breaks your heart that he tries so hard to do well and can’t do it but his free kicks and corners said it all. When Bale curled in a free kick near the end that didn’t hit the first man or go straight into touch it seemed like a revelation. He looked so slow as well.
Keane (4) – Shocking first touch meant he never influenced the play or got the chance to link with Defoe effectively.
Defoe (5) – One more than Robbie as he did have a couple of shots. Should’ve scored to make it 1-1 though.
Redknapp (3) – Inappropriate team selection and tactics. No effort to change things that weren’t working until too late.
By MF