A round-up of how the national media reported on Everton's stoppage time 2-2 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium
Going into the fixture level on points, Everton ensured Brentford did not strike a psychological blow on them for the European qualification run-in.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s dramatic stoppage-time equaliser ensured the Blues secured a 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford had looked like picking up a huge victory when Everton nemesis Igor Thiago, who had scored a hat-trick in the Hill Dickinson Stadium reverse fixture, netted his second of the match after Beto had equalised.
But then Dewsbury-Hall struck with one of the last kicks of the match. And here's round-up of how the national media reported on the action...
The Guardian’sBen Bloom wrote: "Two more Igor Thiago goals, yet another solitary Brentford point and a shared dream of European football that remains alive for both clubs. If a game can simultaneously prove drab and pulsating, this was somehow it – all bluster and endeavour forming a peculiar blend of in cohesion in the hope of securing a rare continental prize.
"A draw was, perhaps, a fair outcome, for all of Keith Andrews’ understandable disappointment at his side conceding Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s injury-time equaliser. Brentford have lost just one of their last nine Premier League matches, but the past four have, frustratingly, been drawn.
"They were locked on points with Everton before the match, and so it remains, the two sides in seventh and eighth. These are extraordinary times for the Bees, whose current top-flight tenure barely makes a mark on their overall 136-year history.
"A healthy dose of those who watched their team on Saturday will be more familiar with life in the third tier, where the club spent many decades before the recent climb up the pyramid. That their football viewing now involves an England captain in Jordan Henderson and a Brazil striker in Igor Thiago must be peculiar to comprehend.
"If the latter continues in this goalscoring vein, Brentford could end up with the Premier League’s top scorer this season. Igor Thiago’s double here took his tally to 21 in the top flight this season, surpassing Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford’s most prolific marksman in one Premier League campaign, and putting him within one goal of Erling Haaland at the Golden Boot summit."
In the Daily Mail, Gethin Hicks wrote: *"*Football fans would be hard-pressed to find two more evenly-matched sides than Brentford and Everton. They came into this clash, played in the spring sunlight, level on points and separated only by the Bees’ marginally superior goal difference. It was little surprise whatsoever, then, that this fiercely contested match ended in a draw.
"The game sprang to life early on through Thiago’s penalty before mellowing into something of a stalemate. Both supremely well-organised sides cancelling each other out.
"That was until Beto accurately flicked home an Idrissa Gueye cross on 26 minutes after a momentary lapse in concentration from Keane Lewis-Potter. The second half was far more open and Brentford no doubt hoped that Thiago’s second, scored with 15 minutes to go, would have been enough to earn them all three points.
"But it was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the rescue for the Toffees late on, just as he was a few miles away at Fulham in February.
"A desperate Michael Kayode goal-line clearance fell to the Englishman on 91 minutes and he fired past Caoimhin Kelleher with his ever-reliable left-foot. The Everton fans packed into that corner celebrated as though it was a winner.
"In the fight for European football, that could be a moment both sides reflect on come the end of May. However, for now, Everton and Brentford stay level-pegging."
On the BBC, Timothy Abraham wrote: "This Everton fightback was vintage David Moyes. They may have shown more pragmatism than their travelling supporters would have preferred in London, but it was a savvy approach against a Brentford side that posed a serious threat on the counter-attack.
"Moyes' players rolled up their sleeves and demonstrated the resilience and opportunism required to keep their European hopes alive.
"The stakes were high in what felt like a genuine six-pointer, and defeat would have been a setback. Instead, they remain firmly in the mix, with confidence intact heading into next Sunday's pivotal Merseyside derby.
"Dewsbury-Hall embodied that spirit, continuing his emergence as a key figure under Moyes. The 27-year-old's late equaliser took him to 10 direct goal involvements this season - seven goals and three assists. That is two more than his previous three campaigns in the competition combined, when he registered three goals and five assists in 72 appearances.
"There are still areas for concern, however. Jordan Pickford needs to rediscover his composure. Since joining Everton in 2017, only Jose Sa has conceded more Premier League penalties than Pickford's six. The immediate reaction of Branthwaite, who berated his goalkeeper following the foul on Schade, spoke volumes."
In the Independent, Edward Elliott wrote: *"*The two sides remain firmly in the mix for continental qualification but missed the chance to pile pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea in the battle to secure Champions League football through a top-five finish. Brentford stay seventh after edging on to 47 points following a fourth consecutive league draw, with eighth-placed Everton below on goal difference ahead of next weekend’s Merseyside derby.
"In a game packed with chances, Kevin Schade and Brentford captain Nathan Collins both headed against the crossbar with the score at 1-1. While Everton manager David Moyes has openly embraced the prospect of a European adventure, Bees boss Keith Andrews has been more conservative.
"Andrews, who has enjoyed a fine debut season in management since replacing Thomas Frank last summer, watched his side make a dream start. Schade burst clear of a static defence before being brought down as he attempted to round Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, allowing Thiago to coolly find the bottom left corner from the spot in the third minute.
"By converting from 12 yards, the Brazil international, who netted a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over the Toffees in the reverse fixture in January, moved alongside Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford players to have scored 20 goals in a Premier League campaign. Bees goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher produced a solid stop to deny Idrissa Gueye a 22nd-minute leveller before superbly blocking Beto’s follow-up effort, albeit the offside flag was raised.
"Beto, who scored twice in a thumping 3-0 win over Chelsea prior to the international break, was not to be denied four minutes later. With the hosts appealing in vain for a possible foul by Jake O’Brien as he dispossessed Keane Lewis-Potter deep in Brentford territory, Gueye delivered from the right and Beto rose to nod into the far corner.
"Everton started to take control of the contest but could easily have gone in behind at the break. Pickford atoned for conceding the early penalty by turning wide from Mathias Jensen and then blocking Dango Ouattara on the rebound after Schade headed against the bar from a corner.
"Collins turned Jensen’s free-kick against the frame of the goal within three minutes of the restart as Brentford resumed in the ascendancy before Jarrad Branthwaite made a crucial block to thwart Schade. At the other end, former Liverpool keeper Kelleher denied Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye with his right foot and later produced a key save to keep out Dewsbury-Hall.
"Brentford looked to have won it with 13 minutes to go when Michael Kayode burst into the box from the right and saw his effort deflect in off Thiago. But, following a couple of major scares, there was no reprieve for the Bees at the death. O’Brien’s initial effort was blocked by Kayode, only for Dewsbury-Hall to sweep home and celebrate with the delirious travelling fans."
And the ECHO’s Joe Thomas wrote: "Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s stoppage time equaliser may have split the points but it was clear which team felt like the winner at Brentford.
"When Farai Hallam blew the final whistle, home forward Reiss Nelson dropped to the floor and thumped the turf in frustration. Igor Thiago, who until the 91st minute looked set to be the match-winner once again in this fixture, became embroiled in a row with an emboldened James Tarkowski.
"Home supporters who, 15 minutes earlier, had erupted from a fit of nervous anxiety to celebrate retaking the lead, left disconsolate. Drowning out the PA system in the far corner of the ground, the travelling Blues celebrated as their players marched over to show their gratitude.
"For all the joy in the Everton camp sparked by Dewsbury-Hall’s low finish, the overwhelming feeling on the journey home from London will be one of relief."