EVERTON 1-0 BRENTFORD: MATCH REPORT & INSTANT REACTION | SAFETY CONFIRMED AS GUEYE SHINES AGAIN
Back to back wins at home which included the excellent Merseyside Derby win over Liverpool had Evertonian’s hearts flying. Before the match started, the Blues knew that Sheffield, Luton and Burnley had lost their matches in the 3pm kickoffs. Safety was getting even closer and the hope was another solid team performance to further solidify Everton’s top flight status for next year.
Everton were looking to get their second league double against Brentford, previously doing so in 1953 in the second tier. Brentford had lost the last two Premier League meetings, having been undefeated in the opening three. The Toffees had opened the scoring in the last four Premier League games against the Bees, including in the opening 10 minutes on three occasions. Another fast start looked to be the key to getting the three points.
Team News
Everton full-back Vitalii Mykolenko was out of the team and is expected to undergo a scan on the ankle injury that forced him off at half-time in the Derby. Ashley Young was called on to deputise. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who played despite illness in the Merseyside derby, was not in the squad. He was replaced in the starting line-up by Youssef Chermiti who made his first start for the club after being on the pitch for 17 stubstitute appearance totalling 70 minutes. Seamus Coleman missed a third game.
The big news was the return of Ivan Toney following two games out. Christian Norgaard was also back in to skipper the side. Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter both dropped to the bench. Everton’s on-loan striker Neal Maupay was ineligible to face his parent club.
Match Review
The Goodison crowd was up for this one as the teams walked out to Z Cars. Darren England was the man in the middle and it was Everton who won the toss and captain James Tarkowski chose to defend the Gwlady Street End in the first half. Both teams were trying to assert themselves in the early going. An early corner for Brentford saw Everton look somewhat shaky but they were able to deal with it. Everton were a whisker away when McNeil fizzed the ball across the face of the goal with which Chermiti could not connect.
Some nice work down the right for Everton was encouraging and it looked like McNeil had more speed than the Brentford right back Ajer. Would the wings be Everton’s path forward? A loose ball was picked up by Garner who went left and delivered a nice cross but Brentford snuffed out the chance.
Pickford looked to be up for the match with him racing out to head a ball away from the onrushing Toney. He was then controlling his box and punched well clear to negate a Brentford corner. Not surprising, Everton were well organized at the back and they were comfortably handling the Bees attack in the first twenty minutes. However, Everton were nearly undone when Janelt pulled it back to Jensen but Branthwaite came up with a goal saving block.
Everton started to get more of the ball but could not make the final pass. Chermiti got the fans into it when he brought the ball down in the box and forced a corner. The deep corner was ineffective. A period of control led to their second corner which ended with Godfrey getting a weak header on net. A lovely ball over the top was tapped back Chermiti but his shot was blocked. The young Portuguese forward was then on the ground needing treatment from the physios and he was able to return with a new pair of boots!
Everton were continuing to press and they had a couple of long range efforts from Harrison and Garner but the Brentford defenders were blocking them effectively. Garner was then down after Reguilon made a wild slide tackle and caught Garner on the knee. It was a yellow card for him.
The best chance of the half fell to Doucoure who had a point blank volley go well wide after a lovely touch with Chermiti. Two minutes of extra time arrived and Chermiti held up the ball well but again Harrison’s shot was blocked. The half time whistle was blown and the coaches headed into the tunnel trying to figure out what to change to effect the game with neither team able to conjure up one shot on net.
No changes to the lineups as the second half kicked off. Toney was struggling to get in the game after having zero touches in the Everton box in the first half. It was Toney’s first touch in the box that almost broke the deadlock but Pickford made an excellent save.
Some nice buildup play ended up with McNeil clattering the bar with a shot from the edge of the box. A free kick for Everton just outside the box was taken by McNeil and the back stick had several Everton players lurking but Flekken got it clear. Everton were in the ascendency. Another corner was cleared by Brentford but the ball was lobbed into the box by Gueye who then had it returned to him and he dispatched it into the top corner. A VAR check delayed the celebration but it was eventually given and Goodison erupted!
It was The Spirit of the Blues that was ringing around Goodison as the match restarted. Brentford needed something different and as Thomas Frank got a change ready, McNeil was again driving the ball goalward but it slid just wide of the post. Janelt and Wissa were taken off with Lewis Potter and Damsgaard coming on.
Everton were attempting to control the ball which was frustrating the visitors. James Tarkowski ended up getting a yellow card for kicking a second ball on the pitch and delaying the game. Everton were being pinned back with Lewis Potter getting more control of the ball and Pickford needed to make another save when the young midfielder curled a ball goalward.
Frank was not finished with his adjustments as Reguillon and Nørgaard being replaced by Schade and Yarmoliuk. Everton freshened things up by bringing on Onana for the goal scorer Idrissa Gueye. Brentford continued to press but they were being thwarted by the Everton wall that was well organized and determined.
Chermiti was in behind the Brentford back line but he was deemed to be offside. Frank made his final change and took off Ajer for Roerslev. It was Everton who were asking the questions as Brentford started to take risks which was leaving the back exposed. With all of the Brentford forwards on the pitch, Dyche readied Michael Keane for the last few minutes but he was then told to relax as the Blues were controlling the match.
A great run by McNeil was thwarted by Mbuemo who was given a yellow card for bringing down the streaking winger. The resulting free kick from Garner clattered the bar for the second time. Pickford was then called on to make another stop as Mbuemo forced another save. Extra time lasted six minutes but Everton were not to be denied as the final whistle was blown.
Everton were safe for another season and the Goodison faithful showed their appreciation for a solid defensive performance and another great result. The noise around Goodison Park was deafening as the players shook hands and the Evertonians in the crowd sang “It’s a Grand Old Team”.
Man of the Match: Idrissa Gueye scored his second goal in three games but it was his defensive prowess that earned him the accolades today. 87% pass accuracy, 5 of 7 ground duels won, 2 of 2 aerial duels won and 7 recoveries were all a testament to his all action match. His work and determination was excellent and was the standout in a solid defensive display.
Instant Reaction
After the incredible highs of this past week, it was definitely in the back of Evertonian minds that a flat performance could be on the cards before the first ball was kicked. Both teams struggled in the first half but in the second half they controlled more of the match and got the goal that they needed. This was a professional performance that required confidence, determination and focus. After Wednesday night’s draining performance, this was even more impressive after three games in seven days.
The absence of Calvert Lewin was due to an illness that he was carrying when he played on Wednesday. His aerial prowess in the match along with his holdup play and goal contribution was going to be a difficult job to replicate for the young Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti. Before the match, he had made 17 appearances but that had added up to only 70 minutes of action. As the match went on he was gaining confidence and his link up play with Doucoure was encouraging. He is more of a like for like substitution for Calvert Lewin. He received a great reception as he was withdrawn and showed that Dyche does have another option up front.
In Everton’s previous eleven matches, they had never had possession above 50%. With the confidence from the last two matches you would have thought that possession would be something that the Blues would try to control. At the end of the first half the match was fairly even percentage wise but Everton’s possession was further up the pitch than Brentford. That did not change in the second half although the difference in the match was the quality of the possession that was the difference in the match.
Sean Dyche saved us last year and his work this year has to be commended with everything that has gone on off the pitch this year. The winless run was difficult but he stuck to his guns and he has steered the team to safety with three games to spare. Fifteenth place and 36 points on the board. With the 8 points that were taken away we would be on 44 points and tied for 12th. Of course that is water under the bridge but it should not be forgotten when everyone starts talking about another manager for next season.
