Match Report

It’s been said all season of this Everton squad that it lacks bottle and has no leaders. While the denigration of the players’ spirit has been an easy and sometimes harsh leap to make in the aftermath of some of the Blues’ 18 defeats — EIGHTEEN! — so far, there is no question that this team is in desperate need of a Peter Reid-style general to cajole and inspire them when the chips are down.

Richarlison might not be captain material and he hasn’t been anywhere near his best this term but in terms of leadership by deed and action, the Brazilian has emerged as the Blues’ de facto Talisman in recent weeks. Tonight at Burnley, he took responsibility for two penalty kicks and, together with Anthony Gordon — the other player in the ranks with almost unimpeachable commitment — ran himself into the ground at Turf Moor.

Had he put a 52nd-minute shot a few inches to the right, Richarlison might be toasting his first career hat-trick and three priceless points; instead, in what feels, in retrospect, like the pivotal moment of a soul-crushing game, he caught the outside of the post with the left-foot shot effort from the angle with the score at 2-1 and, five minutes later, Burnley equalised. It’s a shame because, having bust a gut for 90 minutes, he deserved to be on the winning side.

There were other opportunities for the Brazil striker to fashion a goal for Everton in what will go down as a colossal missed opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone but, due to flawed decision-making and execution that seems to infect the entire side in the final third, he wasn’t quite able to.

No question, though — if Frank Lampard had half a dozen more players with Richarlison and Gordon’s attitude, the club might not be staring at the very real threat of relegation from the top flight for the first time in 71 years. There again, you can have all the spirit in the world but if the players around you simply aren’t good enough and are making catastrophic mistakes on a weekly basis, it’s going to be very hard to win matches in the Premier League.

And that, after years of dreadful recruitment that continued right up to the January transfer window earlier this year, is where Everton currently find themselves, with the added handicaps of crippled confidence and a difficult run-in to the end of the campaign, even if — thankfully! — five of their remaining games are at Goodison Park.

They dare not lose any of them. They couldn’t afford to lose this one but lose it to a rival club in the relegation dogfight they surely did. The tragedy of it was that Burnley were garbage but they did what Everton are proving incapable of doing – capitalising on key moments, finding their own players in front of goal and taking their chances.

On top of another unfortunate mis-kick in the worst place possible, there was more atrocious defending and another goal conceded from a barely-contested set-piece… all the ingredients for an Everton defeat that club’s long-suffering fans have some to expect.

And yet those two Richarlison penalties in the first half had wiped out a 13th-minute Nathan Collins goal from a corner and put Everton in the driving seat in this relegation six-pointer.

With Michael Keane suspended following his dismissal at West Ham on Sunday, Lampard drafted Jarrad Brainthwaite into the defence to counter the aerial threat of Wout Weghorst and kept Mason Holgate in the central midfield berth he occupied at the London Stadium.

Vitalii Mykolenko and Jonjoe Kenny continued as the fullbacks the absence of Seamus Coleman who hadn’t fully recovered from illness but while the Ukrainian was instrumental in winning Everton’s second penalty, Kenny had an evening to forget and one that could cost him his spot in the side for the run-in.

Beginning the evening four points behind the visitors at the bottom of the Premier League, Burnley started the brighter of the two sides and went close when Ashley Westwood missed with a curling shot from the edge of the box after Everton had failed to clear their lines.

And it was all-too familiar failings defending a set-piece that reared their head soon afterwards when no Everton player got near Maxwell Cornet’s in-swinging corner from the Burnley right and Collins steered it home from close range to give the Clarets the lead.

The Toffees were handed a route back into the game just three minutes later, though, when Gordon was felled in the box by Westwood and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot. Richarlison deceived Nick Pope with a stutter-step run-up and slid the ball into the other corner to level the match.

The Brazilian almost doubled his tally a few minutes later but his shot took a deflection and looped inches over the crossbar and he almost found his striker partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 25th minute after being played in by Alex Iwobi but Connor Roberts blocked off the pass.

Everton did take the lead five minutes shortly before the break, however, when Richarlison tucked away his second penalty of the evening. Mykolenko was tripped by Aaron Lennon as he tried to manoeuvre around the winger and though Dean didn’t initially award the spot-kick, he did so after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Though Burnley started the second half the stronger of the two sides, with Sean Dyche’s half-time assertion that “Everton don’t know how to win a game” ringing in their ears, but it was the Blues who almost extended their lead with that Richarlison chance seven minutes in.

Twisting and turning his marker in the Burnley box, he eventually rattled the shot off the wrong side of the post and three minutes later, Kenny’s overhit cross grazed the same upright and just eluded the Brazil international as he tried to knock it in.

Two minutes after that, it was 2-2. Kenny made the critical error of committing himself against Charlie Taylor down the hosts’ left, giving the left-back all the space he needed to hare forward and deliver a low cross that the untracked Jay Rodriguez met first time and banged home from a central position.

Still, Everton had their opportunities to re-establish their lead. Iwobi jinked in towards the six-yard box but was closed down at the last, Gordon was teed up by Richarlison but the unbeatable James Tarkowski deflected his effort off target and, from the resulting corner, Jarrad Branthwaite could only guide a header narrowly over the bar.

Cornet forced an excellent one-handed save from Jordan Pickford at one end while substitute Demarai Gray had an effort deflected over but successive errors five minutes from the end led to Burnley scoring a heart-breaking winner. Kenny made the ill-fated decision to shoot from 30 yards out that led the back line completely exposed when the rebound fell to a claret jersey and at the of the consequent counter-attack, Matěj Vydra cut the ball back from the byline to Cornet who smashed it home to make it 3-2.

Salomon Rondon was thrown on in Holgate’s place in the 87th minute and the Venezuelan came very close to scoring a dramatic winner off Calvert-Lewin’s lay-off but his volley inches bounced wide.

Lampard now faces the unenviable task of picking this group of players up off the mat once more with a vital home game against a listless Manchester United coming up quickly at lunchtime on Saturday.

For a few glorious minutes tonight it felt as though things were going to be okay. The manager will have taken heart from some marked improvements in his team’s play at West Ham and Burnley over the past few days but he will be acutely aware that he is running out of time to start picking up points.

The return of Allan will be a welcome boost to a midfield lacking fortitude and invention but it might take more tinkering with personnel in order to get a tune out of the squad. Certainly Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s continued lack of productivity is a cause for concern and the fact that Rondon came closer to scoring with one chance this evening than Calvert-Lewin has since the win over Leeds is an argument for starting the much-maligned Venezuelan over the goal drought-stricken Englishman.

Beyond that, Lampard has to tighten up a defence that shipped three goals to a team that hadn’t scored in over 400 minutes of football before today. With Yerry Mina perhaps not ready to return until the home clash with Leicester in a fortnight’s time, that might be hard to do but it’s going to take every ounce of concentration and commitment to the cause to grind out something to start some upward momentum.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton travel to Turf Moor for what is being widely billed as yet another "must-win' game, but it's really all about getting a result to turn the soul-destroying tide of successive defeats dragging the Blues down to the edge of the relegation zone.

The return of Fabian Delph after almost 4 months out is only to the bench, where Seamus Coleman also returns after recovering from an illness that kept him out of the defeat at West Ham last Sunday.

In defence, Jonjoe Kenny, Mason Holgate, Ben Godfrey, and Vitaliy Mykolenko all retain their places, joined by Jarrad Branthwaite in place of the suspended Michael Keane.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the line again with Richarlison playing off him. Anthony Gordon is the other wide player in place of Demarai Gray, with Alex Iwobi continuing in a more central role behind the forwards despite his costly slip-up against West Ham.

The longer-term injured include Tom Davies, Andros Townsend and Yerry Mina while Allan serves out the last of his three-match ban.

The home side kicked off, and pushed up their left wing via a series of throw-ins until Everon won the first free-kick, then one for Burnley and their attack was stalled by Halgate lunging in with his first tackle: yellow card!

It was pinball off the set-piece, a Burnley shot deflected back across goal for a corner, and defended clear. But Burnley were keeping Everton pinned back. Westwood got a chance to shoot but he fired wide with Pickford flailing.

Everton finally got forward and eventually won a free-kick when Brownhill pulled Richarlison back, for a yellow card. But Burnley got forward again, forcing a corner off Mylenko's block and from that a shocking goal to give up at the far post, sidefooted in by Collins with Iwobi tracking his man until he paused for some unknown reason.

Everton tried but failed to mount an attack and instead it was another corner for Burnley, but thankfully not another goal.

Gordon burst into the Burnely area and he was clipped by Westwood, a bit of a dive to be honest, but given as a penalty. Richarlison, after a long wait, stutter-stopped and then scored to put Everton back in the game.

Burnley pushed back up field and Everton's defence looked shaky but held firm with a strong header from Godfrey. At the other end, Richarlison had a chance to line up a shot but Pope helped it fly over the bar. The corner did not beat the first man and a foul was called on Calvert-Lewin, who got a long talking to from Mike Dean.

Iwobi played a great forward pass but Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin together managed to mess it up with neither of them taking a shot. Everton built a half-decent counter-attack, ending when Gordon smacked his shot against a defender.

Everton attacked again and put in crosses from either side but they found no-one in the area. Calvert-Lewin was being targetted by Pickford's long clearances but he wasn't really laying them off well enough.

From a free-kick, Gordon tried a deep cross to Richarlison but he was jumping behind Pope. Everton looked to build an attack again and it fell to Gordon in space but he wanted a second touch and, by the time he shot, it was blocked again.

Richarlison wriggled into space and cross over both Calvert-Lewin and Gordon. Mykolenko overlapped for Iwobi but his weak cross along the ground was very poor, easily cleared.

Mykolenko, attacking again, was caught on his heel in the area and the VAR took an age, with Dean taking another age to go over and look at the pitch-side monitor before he agreed to give Everton a second penalty. Richarlison almost exactly repeated his stutter-stop and again sent Pope the wrong way. Amazing!

Kenny had to be smart to clear Burnley's attack from the restart but it won a corner that was cleared. Richarlison then went on another run but it was stalled.

Burnley attacked again and Kenny had to give up another corner that was headed behind by Richarlison. The next one from the other side led to some pinball and was cleared away by Richarlison. But Burnley came back and won yet another corner that this time was poor, leaving Everton's half-time lead intact.

After the restart, Everton gave up an early free-kick wide right that caused more chaos when it came into the Everon area, a shot blocked by Kenny. Mykolenoko was well involved at one end, trying to attack, then defending Lenon well for a throw but that ended with another Burnley corner, this time played short and wasted by Lennon.

Every time Burnely got forward it was chaotic Keystone Cops defending from Everton, Gordon blocking the last shot with his face and Dean surprisingly not giving Burnley another corner.

Gordon saw Richarlsion in acres of space but the Brazilian farted around and then fairly lashes it wide, a terrible miss. Godfrey took an age to launch a free-kick and went in Dean's little book.

A better forward move started by Richarrlison saw Kehhy cross in deep and kiss the angle of the goal. Burnley attacked down the left and Taylor galloped down the wing and somehow drilled his low cross through the Everton defenders and Rodriguez behind them could not miss.

Everton won a corner but could only deliver it in to defenders and even Gordon's good work recycling the ball saw him pass back to a defender. Gordon put a whipped cross in that was not attacked by the Everton forwards.

Everton piled on the pressure and worked the ball around the Burnley area until an acrobatic chance for Richarlison was powered in on target but saved by Pope. More pressure saw a Mykolenko deliver a cross that Calvert-Lewin at least got his head to.

Gordon got through on goal but Tarkowski made a great recovery to block his shot away, Gordon making the wrong choice of shot. Branthwaite then headed just over as the chances kept coming at both ends.

Cornet beat Gordon and Kenny and then threw himself to the ground but never a penalty. Gordon could not beat Tarkowski but won a corner, that Gordon drove through everyone to Mykolenko who did not have the confidence to shoot.

It was end to end, Godfrey picking up the all and running the length of the field, playing in Rucharlison but his attempt was pathetic, shooting weakly at Tarkowski. A great ball in from Richarlison went right through Calvert-Lewin. Why is he so ineffective?

Everton had the ball but could not create anything and Richarlison in frustration fired a pointless shot well wide. Richarlison then put a cross in but it was far too high for Calvert-Lewin.

Burnley had a spell of attacking, Everton very nervous in defence, Pickford parrying a shot from Cornet over the bar. But Everton were again at sixes and sevens from the corner, Collins shooting into the side netting.

Demarai Gray tried to power his way through, his shot deflected behind for another Everton corner. Gray put it over everybody and Burnley defended the next phases.

Kenny tried to shoot but it was a huge mistake and Burnley surged up the other end, Pickford clearing short. From the Burnley throw-in, it was dreadful from Godfrey and a low cross was powered in to surely give Burnley the winner.

Everton defended a Burnley free-kick and got the ball forward for a long throw from Mykolenko. From that a difficult ball fell to Rondon who stabbed his shot just wide.

Well into added time and Pickford's long free-kick was easily defended. Everton had nothing left and walked away with nothing after leading 2-1 at half-time.

Kick-off: 7:30 pm BST, Wednesday, 6 April 2022 on Sky Sports

Burnley: Pope, Roberts (72' Lowton [Y:75']), Collins, Tarkowski, Taylor, Lennon (84' McNeil), Westwood, Cornet, Brownhill [Y:10'], Rodriguez, Weghorst (80' Vydra).
Subs: Hennessey, Thomas, Long, Stephens, Cork, Barnes.

Everton: Pickford, Kenny, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Godfrey, Holgate [Y:3'] (86' Rondon), Doucouré, Gordon (73' Gray), Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Begovic, Coleman, Delph, El Ghazi, Welch, Price, Dele Alli.

Referee: Mike Dean
VAR: Darren England

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton and Burnley face off this evening in a quintessential relegation “six pointer” at Turf Moor.

The Blues will make the relatively trip for the latest “most important” match in the club's recent history wracked by selection problems that were exacerbated over the weekend with Michael Keane's dismissal at West Ham, an injury sustained during the warm-up at the London Stadium by Donny van de Beek, André Gomes's absence with a knock and the news that Nathan Patterson will require surgery to correct an ankle injury right when he was being primed for his first Premier League start.

Those issues were layered onto longer-term injury lay-offs for Tom Davies, Andros Townsend and Yerry Mina and Allan's three-match ban, the last of which he serves tonight before finally being available again this weekend for the visit to Goodison Park of Manchester United.

A potential crisis in central midfield should be eased, however, by return of Fabian Delph after almost four months out. The Yorkshireman hasn't featured since coming off just before the hour mark against Crystal Palace in the League back in December and has been sidelined by Covid-19 and then another significant soft-tissue injury since but Frank Lampard indicated in his pre-match press conference that Delph will be in the squad.

He will be joined by Seamus Coleman who is, according to his manager, feeling better after coming down with an illness that kept him out of the defeat to the Hammers on Sunday but it remains to be seen if he is fit to start or whether Jonjoe Kenny will be asked to deputise once more.

The rest of what is likely to be a back four should be rounded out by Mason Holgate, Ben Godfrey and Vitalii Mykolenko, unless Lampard opts for three centre-halves and the additional height of Jarrad Branthwaite against Wout Weghorst in Keane's absence.

While the 6' 6” Dutchman will be a concern for a defence that struggles against big attackers, particularly at set-pieces, a back five might be an unnecessarily conservative posture against a Burnley side that will be missing defensive stalwart Ben Mee who is out injured and another centre-half in the form o Nathan Collins who is suspended after being sent off at Brentford before the international break.

Indeed, it's in the forward areas where Lampard has the most options and, potentially, an edge in what could be an attritional scrap between two teams fighting for their Premier League lives.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, certainly due a first goal in 2022, will likely lead the line again with Richarlison playing off him and then it's a case of selecting Demarai Gray or Anthony Gordon as the other wide player with Alex Iwobi a good bet to continue in a more central role behind the forwards despite his costly slip-up against West Ham.

Though the Clarets are winless in their last five games since beating Tottenham in February, they are seldom an easy nut to crack on their own turf. However, Chelsea's recent 4-0 rout of Sean Dyche's men at Turf Moor and Leicester and Manchester City's comfortable 2-0 victories offer hope that if Everton can find more of the penetration they showed on Sunday and marry it with better finishing, they could take three precious points from this one.

First and foremost, though, this is a must-not-lose affair for the Blues; preventing Burnley from closing the gap between the two clubs at the bottom from four to one point is the first order of business. Three points, however, must be the ultimate goal.

Kick-off: 7:30 pm BST, Wednesday, 6 April 2022 on Sky Sports
Referee: Mike Dean
VAR: Darren England
Last time: Burnley 1 - 1 Everton

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Coleman, Holgate, Godfrey, Mykolenko, Delph, Doucouré, Iwobi, Gordon, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Lyndon Lloyd

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