ECHO Everton reporter Chris Beesley examines a talking point from the 2-2 draw at Brentford
liverpoolecho
Don’t leave early from Everton matches...
In fact, don’t leave early from any matches! I’ve never really understood that one.
Lots of people have understandably complained this week after the price of their Everton season tickets went up, yet both when the Blues are playing and in football grounds up and down the land, we regularly see considerable swathes of empty seats in the latter stages of fixtures at arenas that were often full at the start.
Okay, they’d been served up a lacklustre performance from a squad that was down to the bare bones at the time, but a staggering number of Evertonians in the South Stand had got off before Beto’s final penalty in the shoot-out defeat to Sunderland in the FA Cup third-round tie this year was saved, leaving considerable gaps in the supposed ‘Blue Wall’ at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Some might have legitimate mobility issues that make them want to beat the crowds, and we all know about the significant transport issues when it comes to getting away from Everton’s games at their otherwise magnificent new home by the banks of the Mersey, but this correspondent has often wondered just what these supporters do in those extra ‘precious’ minutes sat at home once they’ve made their early dart having forked out an increasing amount of their hard-earned cash to go and watch the fixture in the first place.
No reasonable person would walk out of the cinema before the end of a film or a theatre ahead of the play finishing.
You can argue that football is different and sometimes if it’s been a bad day at the office for your team, the result might seem inevitable before the end, but one of the beauties of the game can be its unpredictability at times. Just look at those West Ham United fans who left early from their FA Cup quarter-final with Leeds United a week ago, and then were unable to get back into London Stadium once the hosts had drawn level and the tie ultimately went to penalties – I’m sorry but it serves them right for not sticking by their team.
You really don’t want to be leaving early from Everton matches now though, with David Moyes back at the helm.
As prolific social media poster and friend of the ECHO Upper Gwladys Blu remarked when tagging in this correspondent on Saturday, when juxtapositioning an image of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrating in the Brentford rain next to one of Andrew Johnson: “Both vital stoppage time goals, both during torrential downpours. Johnson’s goal in March 2007 vs Arsenal at Goodison helped us on our way to European qualification through the league – will Dewsbury-Hall’s goal today prove to be just as vital?”
Only time will tell on that latter point, but stoppage-time goals have become a fairly regular occurrence since the Glaswegian gaffer returned. Since Moyes was reappointed as Everton manager, there have been 11 goals scored in their matches beyond the 90-minute mark and eight of those have been netted by the Blues with just three against them.
All three of the goals that Everton conceded ultimately had no bearing on the outcome of the match. They were old boy Richarlison grabbing a 92nd-minute consolation back at Goodison Park in a 3-2 defeat for Tottenham Hotspur and then both Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic (92) and Arsenal’s Max Dowman (97) added a second in matches their sides were already 1-0 up in.
In contrast, six of the eight goals the Blues have scored in stoppage time have made a difference. The only ones that didn’t were Iliman Ndiaye (90) capping a 4-0 rout against Leicester City and Thierno Barry (91) pulling a goal back in a 4-2 home defeat to Brentford in the reverse fixture to this weekend.
However, twice Everton have enjoyed stoppage-time winners, as Abdoulaye Doucoure (94) secured a 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest last season and Jack Grealish (93) struck to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 this term at Hill Dickinson Stadium. There are also those stoppage-time equalisers that feel like wins for the teams that net them and like defeats for the sides that concede.
The Blues have now produced four of those. First, and most memorably of course – especially ahead of the historic first Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium next up – there was James Tarkowski’s thunderous 98th-minute strike to make it 2-2 with Liverpool and ensure that after 120 matches over more than 130 years, the Reds didn’t finish with a winning record at Goodison Park.
Since then, there has been Jake O’Brien (91) to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Moyes’ previous employers West Ham United last season, and Beto’s 97th-minute strike to also salvage a 1-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion which produced arguably the iconic Everton image of the campaign as the Premier League’s oldest manager danced a jig on the side of the pitch at the Amex Stadium.
And now Dewsbury-Hall (91) to make it 2-2 at Brentford and ensure the Blues didn’t lose ground in the European hunt in their crucial head-to-head.
Such an abundance of meaningful stoppage-time goals are no coincidence. A lot of it is testament to the never-say-die attitude Moyes instils in his teams.
So, strap yourself in for the run-in as there could be more late drama ahead, and like the Everton players on the pitch, always keep going until the final whistle.