WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton reacts after missing a goal scoring opportunity during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Everton FC at Molineux on March 08, 2025 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Jarrad Branthwaite reacts during Everton's draw at Wolves (Image: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Jarrad Branthwaite’s telescopic legs often enable him to produce jaw-dropping tackles to get the Toffees out of the stickiest of situations in defence but on this occasion those long limbs just couldn’t get themselves in order at the crucial moment. It was deeply lamentable given that the England international was otherwise imperious at the back, but the stakes are high at the elite level and just one momentary lapse can be punished, as we saw here.
Considering ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ had earned three consecutive marks of 8 in the ECHO’s player ratings in the games against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Brentford, he’s been returning to the kind of form and consistency that made him Everton’s breakthrough star of last season.
Given the £80million fee that Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019, the £75million Chelsea paid for Wesley Fofana in 2022 and the £77million Manchester City paid for Josko Gvardiol in 2023, Everton chiefs consider Branthwaite to be in the same bracket and for the most part, it was that same level of performance here but faltering in a game-changing split second demonstrates a steep learning curve for the 22-year-old.
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David Moyes has hinted that the Blues still need to pay one more bill before their PSR troubles are over but while Branthwaite remains their most valuable asset, many Evertonians hope that rather than cashing in on him this summer, at a time when the club are on the cusp of a bright new dawn, he could be the cornerstone to build an exciting, young side around when they move into their future home by the Mersey waterfront.
Things can only get Beto
While Branthwaite is one of four available centre-backs at Moyes’ disposal, one area of the pitch where Everton have a plethora of options, Beto continues to spearhead the attack by default. Perhaps, after a purple patch of five goals in four Premier League games, we have come to expect a bit too much from the born-again prolific marksman though?
Having been left as the last man standing to lead the line after Dominic Calvert-Lewin joined Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti on the treatment table with a hamstring injury at Brighton & Hove Albion, Beto responded with a brace against Leicester City, and then consecutive strikes in the competition against Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Man United.
What was just as impressive as the Guinea-Bissau international’s numbers though was the coolness that he took his chances but after dead-eyed displays in that quartet of fixtures, he’s now found the going much tougher in his last couple of outings.
The trip to Brentford saw a hat-trick of golden opportunities spurned. While the profligacy levels could not be deemed comparable here, Beto should have still restored Everton’s lead when played through on goal by substitute Carlos Alcaraz and while Jose Sa did well to get down low to his left and save his effort, the Wolves keeper should have been worked harder.
Onwards and upwards
The last time Everton went to Molineux, their performance was desperate as they were pummelled 3-0 in what was, until the debacle at Stamford Bridge when they were hit for six, one of their worst displays of last season. On that day, Sean Dyche’s side looked like they didn’t know what day it was, and they couldn’t just blame it on the timing of the fixture, given that it was played during that hazy period between Christmas and New Year (December 30) when we all tend to feel that way.
The time before that, the Blues were just desperate full stop, but Yerry Mina’s last-gasp equaliser proved to be a morale-booster ahead of their final game of the 2022/23 season when the team were playing for Premier League survival, but – unlike 1994 and 1998 – at least went into the last day with their fate in their own hands.
The timing of this fixture was also a factor but while there were justifiable grumbles about the late start on Saturday night, Everton are now a different beast under Moyes.
Nudging above Man United and West Ham on goal difference might be a temporary elevation given the pair both have home games in hand in the next couple of days, but what is more telling is that the Blues – who went into this match knowing that Ipswich Town had already been beaten – have gone from being a point above the drop zone when Moyes was appointed to now having a 16-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three.
Given the fights for survival that the club have been through in recent years, it’s become second nature to keep looking over their shoulders but incredibly, points-wise, Everton now find themselves closer to a Champions League qualification spot than the relegation places.