The centre back thought there were wider positives to take from Everton's display against Liverpool
Jake O'Brien arrives at the stadium before the Premier League match between Brentford and Everton at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford. Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Jake O'Brien arrives at the stadium before the Premier League match between Brentford and Everton at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford. Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Jake O’Brien is convinced Everton remain at the heart of the battle for Europe despite ‘letting ourselves down’ against Liverpool.
The defender believes the Blues were the better side in the Merseyside derby and lost it due to a “poor goal” at the end, when Virgil van Dijk headed in a winner in the tenth minute of stoppage time.
He did, however, believe there were positives to take from the wider performance and into the final five fixtures of a season that could yet go to the wire.
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With the margins so tight, the late defeat at the hands of Liverpool could prove costly as a clutch of teams battle for the final European spots. For O’Brien, there was misfortune in how the first derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium played out for Everton.
He told the club’s media team: “I thought we played well for the majority of the game and had the better chances, then let ourselves down with a poor goal at the end. It’s not a result that reflects the game, I don’t think.
“Coming into a game like this is huge. Moments in a game can go for or against you but we stayed in it. Moments can be capitalised on, and they scored a goal at the end that was really poor.
“I think we played well and the atmosphere was really good. It was a really good 90 minutes, but just a small moment that let us down, I think we were the better team on the day. The fans were really good, as well.”
The performance was not enough to yield valuable points, but results elsewhere last weekend kept the battle for Europe tight. Brighton seized control of sixth place with their win over Chelsea on Tuesday, but the defeat for the London club and the stoppage time Leeds United equaliser that stopped Bournemouth from a useful win on Wednesday meant two other rivals failed to pull away from David Moyes’ side.
Those results have reduced the pressure heading into the trip to West Ham United on Saturday, but Everton will need to find wins before the end of the campaign if they are to reach Europe, a prize that may yet be available for whoever finishes eighth.
The belief that Europe remains possible is there for O’Brien. The Republic of Ireland international said: “There are still a few games to go and we’re right in it. It’s very tight in the table with a few games to go and we’re looking to go to everyone and get results."