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Niasse the hero with two-goal salvo

Saturday, 23 September, 2017 2comments  |  Jump to most recent
Everton 2 - 1 Bournemouth

Oumar Niasse followed up his midweek goal with his first in the Premier League for Everton to turn the game on its head
Mark Robinson/Getty Images

Everton came back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth thanks to a quick-fire double from substitute Oumar Niasse.

The Senegalese striker stepped off the bench to score his first goal for the Blues in the League Cup on Wednesday evening and he went one better this afternoon with two in five minutes to deliver what had looked to be three unlikely points.

Ronald Koeman restored Davy Klaassen, Wayne Rooney, Leighton Baines and Gylfi Sigurdsson to the starting line-up but Everton toiled in familiar fashion the first half, registering just one shot on target as the two sides largely cancelled each other out.

Relying mostly on switching the ball to engineer space from crosses from the flanks, Everton tried to provide service to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Wayne Rooney and the young striker went close early on when he nodded Baines's centre just wide.

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Ashley Williams had a deflected effort saved, Sigurdsson had a penalty claim waved away and Rooney kicked the ball into his standing foot from a good position late in the half but it was generally toothless fare from the home side.

Bournemouth had started the game in lively fashion but were contained by the Blues' back line until four minutes into the second half when Charlie Daniels found Josh King following a throw-in and the striker was allowed by Mason Holgate to drive into the Everton area where he drilled a shot into the bottom corner.

1-0 to the visitors almost became 2-0 a couple of minutes later after an awful giveaway in midfield by Rooney but Jordan Pickford came to the rescue with an excellent save with his foot to deny Jermain Defoe.

Rooney, who had been felled by an unpunished elbow in the box from Francis in the first period that left him with a gashed eyebrow, was withdrawn a few minutes later in favour of Niasse while Klaassen made way for Tom Davies and 25 minutes later the double change paid dividends.

Holgate had almost levelled following a corner when Andrew Surman cleared his header off the line via a post but when Davies combined well with Calvert-Lewin and found Niasse with an incisive pass into the heart of the Cherries' area, the striker bulged the net with a powerful shot.

Five minutes later, the Senegalese forward doubled his tally a storybook winner. Davies was again the provider as his deflected cross looped to the back post where Niasse's header was initially saved by Asmir Begovic but he swivelled the loose ball home before wheeling away in delight in front of the Gwladys Street End.

Bournemouth went very close to levelling with six minute left but Mousset glanced wide from an unmarked position while Calvert-Lewin almost scored what would have been a deserved goal from Jonjoe Kenny's cross but he couldn't steer his effort under the crossbar.

The win marks Everton's first Premier League goals and points in over a month and, combined with the cup win over Sunderland, will help to lift the gloom at Goodison Park following three straight defeats.

 

Reader Comments (2)

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Neil Lawson
4 Posted 23/09/2017 at 19:11:35
I was working and missed the game but, along with all Blues, moaned at the team selection. Strange how we were all correct and Koeman was, again, wrong.

So much was abundantly clear to see when the subs were introduced. Pace, innovation, creativity. Question now is, does Koeman have the balls to accept and admit he has got it wrong, and select the best players, week-in & week-out, regardless of their background.

Brendan Fox
5 Posted 23/09/2017 at 19:16:44
Well done, Oumar, what a way to show all of your doubters wrong. Well done,Tom, showing what a bit of endeavour does in midfield, both players came on and turned the game on it's head.

Jonjoe getting on and showing what everyone has been raving on about and why he should have been playing from the start of the season.

Nick @ No 6 I would also love to see that line up.

Let's hope the penny has finally dropped for Ronald that the best for of defence is attack and playing two up top should be the Plan A and not a last resort.

Ronald needs to realise that the likes of Schneiderlin, Klaassen, Sigurdsson and Rooney need to earn their place rather than being automatic picks to start when, bar Wayne at the start of the season, none of the others have earned the right to be automatic picks.

Dropping players might prompt them to up their game and their standards benefitting the team in the long run. Not rocket science this managing lark...

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