Everton are back in Premier League action this evening when they face table-topping Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Sean Dyche was handed his first home defeat in charge of the Blues on Saturday after Aston Villa won 2-0 thanks to Ollie Watkins’ penalty and substitute Emi Buendia’s strike.
But his Everton side will be looking to bounce back this evening with another victory over the Gunners. James Tarkowski··· scored the only goal of the game when the two teams met at Goodison Park last month. It represented the perfect start for Dyche, having been installed in the Goodison Park hotseat earlier that week.
The Blues then lost the Merseyside derby to Liverpool before winning at home to Leeds United. But the defeat to Villa last time out means they head to north London back in the bottom three. However, a win this evening would lift them as high as 15th.
Dyche is expected to name the same squad that faced Villa. Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains sidelined and, while James Garner and Nathan Patterson are closer to a first-team return, neither are expected to feature this evening.
Kicking off at 7:45pm, Joe Thomas will be in the capital for us as Connor O’Neill provides live updates on the action, as well as bringing you team news, analysis and reaction.
Send your thoughts to @LivEchoEFC, subscribe to our FREE Everton FC newsletter, YouTube channel and listen to our Royal Blue Podcast.
KEY EVENTS
-
FT: Arsenal 4-0 Everton
-
GOAL: Arsenal 4-0 Everton (Martinelli)
-
GOAL: Arsenal 3-0 Everton (Odegaard)
-
GOAL: Arsenal 2-0 Everton (Martinelli)
-
GOAL: Arsenal 1-0 Everton (Saka)
Everton summer signing has become major problem for Sean Dyche
Sometimes in football there are moments that leave you speechless.
Moments of magic and moments of horror. Unfortunately for Idrissa Gueye, he experienced the latter at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
If Blues supporters thought his back pass against Brighton & Hove Albion was bad, then this was 10 times worse. A horror moment doesn’t quite cover it in some respects.
With his side 1-0 down thanks to Bukayo Saka’s opener, Everton needed to stay in the game as the clock ticked into stoppage time. Get in at half-time and regroup.
Instead, the opposite happened. And in the blink of an eye, the game was gone. Match over and Everton remain in the bottom three.
As he day dreamed facing his own goal, Saka nipped in and pinched the ball off him before Gabriel Martinelli raced clear and fired past a helpless Jordan Pickford. The goal was only confirmed after a VAR check.
From there, Everton and Gueye never recovered. The midfielder was taken off at the break and his side fell apart, as many feared they would, in the second-half.
What Arsenal fans sang to Sean Dyche makes brutal Everton truth clear
Just as Everton were beginning to look like a competent outfit they produced a performance that will give Sean Dyche nightmares.
The new Blues boss would have known his side was capable of imploding. He would have done his homework upon taking the job. He would have seen, or at least analysed, the debris from the complete collapses against Bournemouth and Brighton, or the moments of incompetence or signs of toothlessness that led to damaging defeats to Wolves, West Ham and Southampton.
But, deep down, he may not have believed such outrageous calamity could happen on his watch. And many supporters would have felt the same. Over the course of a month Dyche has improved this fragile side. He has brought organisation, and fight, and resilience, and those qualities have made Everton competitive. Competitive enough to gain morale-boosting wins over Arsenal and Leeds United at Goodison Park and to have shown, in the defeat to Aston Villa, signs that this team is simply a goalscorer away from being a genuinely effective outlet. Before now, the defeat at Anfield was the only blot of his reign and the Blues specialise in finding ways to snatch defeat on the other side of Stanley Park. At the Emirates, though, Dyche was forced to watch his side crumble as the taunts of “Ole” and “you’re going down” sounded out around him.
Joe Thomas’ player ratings
Jordan Pickford 5
Had little to do for the first 40 minutes beyond acting quickly to gather a through ball to Gabriel Martinelli and resisting claims from the home fans that Aaron Ramsdale should be England’s number one. Then out of nothing his, and Everton’s game, changed. Saka’s goal was rifled in at his near post but it is hard to blame the keeper such was the ferocity and placement of the finish. He was as surprised as anyone when Arsenal’s second developed. In the second half he pulled out a number of good stops but could do little as Martin Odegaard and Martinelli were given the freedom of the box to hammer in Arsenal’s third and fourth.
Seamus Coleman 5
Arsenal posed little threat down the right and appeared to focus elsewhere more, leaving Coleman with limited duties, which he handled well. His performance looked better after his departure, with Arsenal repeatedly exploiting space down Everton’s right as they converted their dominance into goals.
Michael Keane 5
Michael Keane thinks he can play with the ball at his feet and was adept in releasing the Blues as they picked up the pieces on the edge of their own box. His strength was his biggest asset though and he played well up until the goals, neither of which were his fault
James Tarkowski 6
The focal point in both boxes, Tarkowski was too strong for Leandro Trossard and Odegaard while the game was goalless. Was looking set to have a big game before the goals but they changed the game and in the second half the midfield caved before him.
HT player ratings
Jordan Pickford 5
Had little to do for the first 40 minutes beyond acting quickly to gather a through ball to Martinelli and resisting claims from the home fans that Aaron Ramsdale should be England’s number one. Then out of nothing his, and Everton’s game, changed. Saka’s goal was rifled in at his near post but it is hard to blame the keeper such was the ferocity and placement of the finish. He was as surprised as anyone when Arsenal’s second developed.
Vitalii Mykolenko 6
Tasked with marshalling Saka and before the opening goal had actually beaten the England winger and not been bypassed himself. Mykolenko skipped beyond his opponent to deliver a cross into the box as Everton became more adventurous. Saka exploited the space between Mykolenko and Tarkowski for the first goal but it was a piece of magic to find him from Zinchenko.
Michael Keane 6
Michael Keane thinks he can play with the ball at his feet and was adept in releasing the Blues as they picked up the pieces on the edge of their own box.
James Tarkowski 7
The focal point in both boxes, Tarkowski was too strong for Trossard and Odegaard. Was looking set to have a big game before the goals.
Seamus Coleman 5
Arsenal posed little threat down the right and appeared to focus elsewhere more, leaving Coleman with limited duties, which he handled well.
Dwight McNeil 7
Formed a good defensive unit with Tarkowski and Mykolenko to manage Arsenal’s threat down the left for much of the first half. Saw plenty of the ball and fought hard. Found Maupay with a nice cross that the striker could only flick at Ramsdale.
Abdoulaye Doucoure 6
Was central to several Everton counter attacks but while he relieved pressure really well, his end product just stopped the visitors short of creating clear cut opportunities.
Idrissa Gueye 4
Battled well and was a key disruptor on the edge of the Everton box but his lapse in concentration for Martinelli’s goal could prove fatal to his side’s chances in this game.
Amadou Onana 7
A force in the midfield, imposing, disruptive and eager to impress at both ends.
Alex Iwobi 7
A really effective outlet and his energy was crucial to helping Everton get up the pitch. He won his side’s first corner by stealing the ball from Zinchenko and when it was cleared was mopping up trouble in his own box seconds later.
Neal Maupay 6
Busy without being dangerous, had the first two shots on target of the game. Effective at occupying defenders as Everton pressed.
转载请注明原文链接：Knicks make history at the Garden against pathetic Nets
