Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on the draw with West Ham and upcoming game against Crystal Palace
Everton were forced to settle for a point after Jarrod Bowen’s deflected strike helped Nuno Espirito Santo start his reign as West Ham United boss with a battling 1-1 draw. Michael Keane had headed the Blues ahead after just 18 minutes, but Bowen struck midway through the second-half.
The England internationalcollected the loose ball on the edge of the box before cutting onto his left foot and arrowing a fantastic shot – which brushed Keane’s head – beyond Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal.
Next up for the Blues is a home game against Crystal Palace. And our Everton jury have returned to have their say...
Paul McParlan
It was a very frustrating evening for Evertonians at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night. It was a match we should have won, and equally, it was one that we could so easily have lost.
In the end, it was a 1-1 draw, but it was the home fans who left feeling deflated after we failed to build on our early lead and allowed our opponents far too much time and space in the second half.
After the timid exit from the League Cup last week, with manager David Moyes’ team selection drawing widespread criticism, this was a chance to respond and restore that early season optimism.
When West Ham United sacked Graham Potter on Saturday and appointed Nuno Espírito Santo, this fixture, against a team second from bottom in the table, immediately became more challenging.
Everton took the lead with a stunning header from Michael Keane, and with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye tormenting the Hammers' defence with their trickery, it seemed inevitable that we would score another goal. However, we didn’t take our chances and Nuno’s men grew in confidence.
David Moyes, James Tarkowski and Michael Keane prior to Everton Carabao Cup tie against Mansfield Town
David Moyes, James Tarkowski and Michael Keane prior to Everton Carabao Cup tie against Mansfield Town
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In the second half, Everton couldn’t cope with the blistering pace of El Hadji Malick Diouf down the flank and it was no surprise when his cross set up Jarrod Bowen to equalise.
The eerie silence of the home fans being loudly outsung by the away following told its own story. Changes were needed upfront and in midfield, but the manager, apparently not sensing the crowd’s urgency, seemed reluctant to make them.
Our attacking midfield of Grealish, Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is one of the best in the league, but elsewhere we are lacking similar quality.
Jake O’Brien has done a remarkable job as a right back, but in this game his weaknesses were ruthlessly exposed. Beto laboured to make an impact upfront, and his replacement
Thierno Barry fared no better. We have to find a system that utilises their skillset more. Neither can play as a traditional target man who can hold the ball up. I’m starting to look at Michael Keane as an option here!
Whilst I totally understand the reasons behind signing young players with potential, how do they improve if they are not given game time?
Adam Aznou and Tyler Dibling may prove to be astute acquisitions, but we have hardly seen them and it is concerning to hear from his former coach that we may have signed an injury-prone player in Merlin Rohl.
On the positive side, we are still unbeaten and have only conceded one goal at our new stadium and we are just outside the European places with eight points from six games.
Nevertheless, our recent performances have exposed some worrying cracks in the depth and quality of the squad and the manager’s decision-making.
The only way to respond is to get back to winning ways against Crystal Palace on Sunday and go into the international break with a positive vibe!
Mark McParlan
The past two weeks have been an extremely harsh reality check for all Evertonians, and following a combination of derby day defeat and limp League Cup exit, we required a fightback, a reaction on Monday night.
This initially arrived courtesy of a lively first period and an excellent headed goal from the rejuvenated Michael Keane but was severely undone by a truly abysmal second half.
It was a very different draw by comparison with the Aston Villa home match – this time we were barely clinging on to the point, whereas Villa was a match we were much the superior side in.
At the close of the transfer window, I accepted that Beto and Thierno Barry were our two strikers and resolved to get behind them vocally, giving them all my support come-what-may, rather than (pointlessly, in my view) drag them down.
Thierno is young and new to the Premier League, whilst we know from last season that Beto is something of a confidence player. But it’s impossible to escape the feeling that there is a void at the heart of our attack and that we are trapped in a cycle of ‘start one: ineffective, sub on the other: ineffective’ - to no particular avail. Presumably it might be Barry’s turn again next.
Monday also provoked other questions, such as at full back – it is a concern, especially at home, that both of our starting players in those positions, Jake O’Brien and Vitalii Mykolenko, make minimal contributions in forward areas.
If the options in midfield were more extensive, dropping James Garner back to full-back again could be an option. I would also argue that in the second half we saw a frightening glimpse of how our team plays when Jack Grealish has a sub-par performance by his hitherto lofty standards.
Nonetheless, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s wrongful absence on Sunday does allow for an experimental tweak in the midfield and forward positions. Iliman Ndiaye or Grealish perhaps may move centrally, and one of Tyler Dibling or Carlos Alcaraz should start.
Regardless of Crystal Palace’s scintillating past six months, this remains a home fixture, and one we should be seeking to win. It’s still worth saying that we remain in the top half of the Premier League table, and remain resolutely unbeaten still down by the docks.
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