Everton’s dismal record at Hill Dickinson Stadium got extended after Bournemouth beat the hosts 2-1 to end their five-game unbeaten run in the league.Despite taking the lead through Iliman Ndiaye fr...
Everton’s dismal record at Hill Dickinson Stadium got extended after Bournemouth beat the hosts 2-1 to end their five-game unbeaten run in the league.
Despite taking the lead through Iliman Ndiaye from the penalty spot in the first half, the Toffees failed to score the insurance goal. They ended up imploding in the second half as two quick goals from Rayan and Amine Adli stunned the home fans into silence.
The second goal from Adli was controversially allowed to stand despite Enes Unal being offside when Alex Scott delivered the free-kick into the box. It’s worth keeping in mind that the Blues had a goal disallowed recently when Harrison Armstrong, in a similar position as Unal, was adjudged to have “been involved” in the buildup.
Jake O’Brien saw a straight red minutes later for colliding into Adli, with the latter perceived to be in a clear goalscoring position and the implosion was complete.
Despite being a man down, the hosts showed a lot of spirit and fight to keep pushing for the equaliser but Andoni Iraola’s men were well organised at the back. Thierno Barry missed two gilt-edged opportunities earlier in the game and his distraught face after being subbed off summed up Everton’s night.
Here are the player ratings from Everton’s 2-1 loss to Bournemouth at home:
Jordan Pickford: 6
Made a decent save off Evanilson in the first half and while there was nothing he could’ve done about the second goal, Pickford would be disappointed to not have dealt with Rayan’s header at the backpost, even though he was let down by his defenders.
Jake O’Brien: 4
O’Brien was defensively sound but didn’t offer too much going forward. He was sent off for bringing down Adli which was perceived as a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
James Tarkowski: 6
Tarkowski held his ground defensively and making a great block on Enes Unal and using his outstretched leg to deny Bournemouth a chance.
Jarrad Branthwaite: 6.5
Branthwaite, starting as a centre-back for the first time this season, looked shaky in the early moments and gave away possession cheaply. He atoned for it by winning the ball from Rayan before getting clipped by the youngster inside the box to win a penalty for his side.
He also made an excellent last-ditch tackle to block the pass to Eli Junior Kroupi in injury time
Vitalii Mykolenko (replaced by Michael Keane at 90+2’): 5
Mykolenko clearly didn’t do enough to check Rayan’s run and header at the backpost and had a tough time against dealing with the Brazilian winger and Alex Jimenez. Had chances to venture forward in the second half and sent in a couple of good crosses into the box.
Idrissa Gueye: 5
Gueye has looked jaded since returning from AFCON and could desperately use some rest. With that being said, he made a crunching tackle on Rayan late in the first half and innocuously clattered into Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the second.
James Garner: 7.5
When the chips were down, it was Garner who shouldered the burden of responsibility. With O’Brien sent off, he shifted to right-back when out of position before using the ball to drive through the middle of the park and influence proceedings in the final third.
It was his clever knuckle-ball free-kick from distance that was spilled on to Barry’s path that the Frenchman should’ve capitalised on. Garner also made a crucial intervention when Bournemouth had a 4v2 situation late in the game.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 5.5
Dewsbury-Hall delivered an inviting cross across the face of goal to Ndiaye which was saved by Petrovic. However, his decision-making in the final third wasn’t the best.
Iliman Ndiaye: 7
Ndiaye showed great early involvement forcing danger in the opposition box and he got to the end of Dewsbury-Hall’s driven cross, but Petrovic saved his shot from an acute angle.
The Senegalese stepped up to the spot and coolly converted his penalty to fire the hosts into the lead. He also set up Barry for what but the Frenchman’s tame shot was blocked in front of goal. Ndiaye, however, allowed Truffert too much time on the ball and it led to the Bournemouth equaliser.
Thierno Barry (replaced by Beto at 62’): 2
Awful, awful night for Everton’s number 11. Had he converted the two gilt-edged opportunities he was delivered on a plate, it would’ve been a completely different contest.
Barry squandered a huge opportunity from two yards out after Petrovic spilled Garner’s initial effort on to his path, however, his left-footed effort was wide off the mark.
After being set up by Ndiaye, his tame effort was blocked by Alex Jimenez at the goal line. Barry was distraught in the dugout after he was taken off.
Tyrique George (replaced by Harrison Armstrong at 62’): 5
Had a couple of nice moments but the teenager isn’t exactly on the same wavelength as his some of his teammates. He had a breakdown in communication with Dewsbury-Hall and Mykolenko on a couple of occasions. George was also guilty of dwelling in possession for too long before getting robbed which led to the Evanilson chance.
Substitutions
Beto: 5
Beto made a rash challenge on Christie to enter the referee’s book and he should’ve done better with Ndiaye’s floated ball into the box.
Harrison Armstrong: 5
Couldn’t get enough power on his header from the corner in injury time
Michael Keane: N/A
Reader Comments
Category: General Sports