Match Report

Everton returned to Vitality Stadium hoping to make amends for the second-string side’s abysmal showing in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday but left having been comprehensively beaten again by Bournemouth and hovering above the relegation zone going into the break for the World Cup.

A horrible mistake by Jordan Pickford gifted the Cherries the opener in the 18th minute, refereeing controversy surrounded the home side’s second while uncharacteristically poor marking at a set-piece allowed Jaidon Anthony to score against the Blues for the second time time in four days to wrap up a miserable afternoon for Frank Lampard.

The manager and many of his players faced irate fans in the away end after the final whistle but he will be concerned that recent results might prompt a similarly unpleasant response from Everton owner Farhad Moshiri who has a six-week hiatus to contemplate Lampard’s future.

Having made 11 changes to his team for the cup tie, Lampard restored nine of his starting XI to the line-up, with only Nathan Patterson and Neal Maupay keeping their places, the latter deployed up front with Dominic Calvert-Lewin ruled out through injury.

Maupay would have a torrid afternoon before being replaced by youngster Tom Cannon with 15 minutes to go but he had an early chance to make his mark when a cross from the left arrived at his feet but after swivelling to get a shot away, he could only watch it fly narrowly wide of the angle of crossbar and post.

That would be the sum total of Everton’s early efforts and it was Bournemouth who emerged as the more dangerous side as the first half progressed. James Tarkowski was called upon to charge down an effort from Dominic Solanke and from the resulting corner in the 14th minute, Kieffer Moore’s back-post header was repelled by Patterson.

Four minutes later, Gary O’Neil’s side took the lead and it came from a howler by arguably Everton’s best player. Solanke’s cross was inexplicably batted into trouble by Pickford and Marcus Tavernier gratefully seized on the loose ball to knock it into the empty net.

11 minutes after that it was 2-0 as the Toffees failed to adequately deal with a corner but then stopped to appeal for referee Craig Pawson to halt play for an apparent head injury to Tarkowski. The official allowed play to continue, Pickford parried Phillip Billing’s shot away but when Tavernier put the ball back into the six-yard box, Moore was there to power a header in from close range.

The Welsh striker had clashed heads with Vitalii Mykolenko in the process and the Ukrainian left-back was forced off, with Seamus Coleman coming on to replace him.

Everton didn’t manage their first shot on target until the 40th minute, a fairly tame shot from Alex Iwobi that was comfortably gathered while Maupay’s appeals for a penalty in first-half stoppage time fell on deaf ears where Pawson was concerned.

With Lampard no doubt appealing for his charges to step up their efforts after half-time, Everton produced arguably their most dangerous moment of the contest when Amadou Onana muscled his way past his man but elected not to shoot, choosing instead to lay it back. Unfortunately, his cut-back fell to Idrissa Gueye who blazed over rather than work Travers in the Bournemouth goal.

Meanwhile, Everton continued to look vulnerable in transition, with Pickford having to save from Solanke and then Tavernier before Tarkowski dropped a header onto the roof of the net from a corner at the other end and Patterson saw a commendable volley fly over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Any hope that the visitors had of clawing their way back against Bournemouth in the manner that both Tottenham and Leeds did in the Cherries’ previous two games went out the window with 20 minutes left.

Lewis Cook swung a free-kick into the Blues’ box and with no one tracking the runner, Anthony was left unimpeded to head powerfully past Pickford to make it 3-0.

Patterson spurned a potential lifeline almost immediately afterwards when Iwobi’s cross just eluded Maupay and McNeil in the middle and the Scot couldn’t turn it in from a tight angle at the back post.

Solanke, meanwhile, thought he had made it 4-0 a couple of minutes later but his goal was chalked off for offside as Lampard prepared to withdraw Maupay and McNeil in favour of Cannon and Anthony Gordon.

The two substitutes combined almost immediately, with the 19-year-old striker, who had made his senior debut off the bench on Tuesday, connecting with the winger’s cross but managing only to head straight at the goalkeeper.

Demarai Gray had a late shot deflected wide and slashed another shot well off target while Billing almost compounded Everton’s misery when he drilled a shot across the face of Pickford’s goal and inches past the far post.

The defeat leaves Everton going into the break for the World Cup sitting a two point off the bottom three but with larger concerns looming over the team, the manager’s inability to find any consistency from his players and the erosion of the defensive solidity that had been one of Everton’s strengths so far this season.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton returned to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth in the Premier League with an almost completely different team to the one that was beaten there on Tuesday but the result was painfully similar – another shocking three-goal defeat.

Franks Lampard makes nine changes to Tuesday's disastrous line-up, with only Patterson and Maupay retaining their places. However, the line-up should perhaps be compared to the one that lost at home to Leicester City last weekend: 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is ruled out with not one but three injuries since it was revealed that a dislocated shoulder has compounded the hamstring problem he picked up against Leicester, and the knee problem from the beginning of the season, that seems to be far from resolved. 

The Blues got things going in the bright autumn sunshine and tried to retain possession but with far too much sideways and backwards passing, as is now the norm, with Bournemouth interested in giving the forwards any space, forcing long balls that generally went to Bournemouth players.

Gray did get forward and played in a cross that reached Maupay who spun and lashed it high and wide, spurning Everton's first chance. Everton were getting plenty of possession. Iwobi fed Patterson for another decent cross, this one inches over the diminutive Maupay's head.  

Everton continued to have most of the play, working the ball forward but Bournemouth were not in a giving mood and repelled them until they came forward themselves and won the first corner that created a decent chance for the home side, a header at the far post.

Solanke forced himself forward as the Blues invited him into space and he shot at goal, Tavenier was given the easiest of tap-ins as Pickford parried the ball directly to him. Absolutely dreadful from Pickford. 

Everton looked to respond and McNeil was fouled, setting up what should have been a good chance from the set pieces but it was not very clever from Gray,  however, it did give Everton a corner that was cleared. 

In Bournemouth's next attack, Zemura got past Patterson and collided with Pickford, the home side wanting a penalty rather than another corner and the defending of it became a ridiculous joke as Tarkowski went down with a head injury, Pickford was seriously distracted as he parried another ball into the air and Tavenier looped it to the far post where Moore headed in from close range. What an utter fiasco!

In amidst the chaos, it was Mykolenko who was forced off, holding his chest after trying to block Moore in the act of scoring,  and Coleman had to replace him. Maupay was next in the wars, getting a hefty challenge in the back. 

Everton now had a mountain to climb as the VAR resolutely refused to intervene and the Blues were once again forced to try and attack, but Patterson's cross was way over-hit. Then Maupay drew back from chasing down a cross, wanting a corner that was not given. 

Another free-kick from Gray was floated in and too easily defended with the Everton first team showing about as much attacking gumption as the second string had on Tuesday. Coleman tried to get them moving forward but he could only head a cross behind.

Iwobi produced what was laughingly described as Everton's first shot on target, which was little more than a feeble backpass to Travers. Everton then somehow created a chance forSolanke that he drove wide.

Maupay held up ball and felt someone behind him, going down far too easily, never a penalty. 

Just before that, Cook had come in on Onana with tremendous force in a full-blooded two-footed challenge, but the VAR did not think it was serious foul play because he touched the ball fractionally before Onana – not even a yellow card.

Patterson put in a good challenge only to be fouled from behind by Senesi, who was shown a yellow card. 

Another highly controversial moment that drove the Everton players, fans and management mad, as Tavenier ran into Coady and went down, the referee Craig Paulson eventually responding to Bournemouth demands that he stop play. No end of Blues protestations ensued but to no avail. What an utter joke the Premier League refereeing has become. 

The dreadful half for Everton fizzled out with Gray straying offside to abruptly stop a possible attack, before Paulson ended 6 minutes of added time. 

From the restart, Onana powered forward on a great run, Maupay then setting up Gana for a poor shot off target. Bournemouth came closer, Billing glancing a cross wide. Another attack, Zemura fed Solanke for a bobbling shot that Pickford saved. 

Some crazy defending saw Bournemouth surge forward and Tavenier produced a decent low shot that was parried by Pickford as somehow the Blues scrambled the ball away. Stiill, with the ball, Everton's plodding pace was continually thwarted in the final third, while on the turnover, Bournemouth players scampered forward in acres of space. 

Coleman tried to pick out Onana in an advanced position but the big man could not get his head to the ball. In one of their 'better' attacks, the ball at least found the 6-yard box but was easily cleared. Pickford, idiotic as ever, took a goal-kick with the ball still obviously rolling... why?

Gray tried to force an overlap and at least won a corner, with Tarkowski getting around the back of the pack but heading over. Patterson following in on the next attack blazed his shot over;, while at the other end, Solanke fired wide. Then a classic Gray cameo: he takes an age to beat two men with repeated switchbacks before making space to launch his cross... to the corner flag. 

Another surging Bournemouth attack had red shirts thronging the Everton area when Tavenier overhit his cross. 

Then Everton were literally torn apart for the third goal. A wicked free kick was fired in with fantastic pace and accuracy for the sub Anthony to get behind the massed defensive line, evading any markers to nod past Pickford. Easy as piss. 

Iwobi created a glorious triple chance that evaded Maupay and McNeil for Patterson to smash into the side netting beyond the far post. Solanke had the ball in the Everton net for a fourth but it was ruled offside. 

More proactive subs by Lampard with barely 15 minutes left: Maupay, McNeil and Onana were replaced by Cannon, Gordon and Doucoure. Tom Cannon immediately got a headed chance off a good cross from Gordon but it was straight at Travers. 

Zemura almost wriggled his way through five defenders, as Everton played the ball square in defence. A dreadful cross from Gana summed up how utterly awful the game was for Everton, although Tom Cannon was doing his best to make something of this exceptionally rare opportunity to show Lampard what he could do. 

Gray tried the direct path, his shot blocked for a corner that Billing headed behind; the next cleared away and The Cherries were on the break again, Billing getting loose but firing across goal when he could have really punished this sorry Everton crew.    

More good work from Cannon but he couldn't find a blue shirt with his hard-won cross. After Cannon was fouled, Iwobi heard something negative from the aggrieved fans, and reacted. Of course, nothing came from the Everton free-kick. 

Gray tried a repeat of the goal he scored on Tuesday but this time it flew high and wide. 

Bournemouth: Travers, Smith,  Stephens, Senesi [Y:44'], Zemura, Billing, Cook, Lerma, Tavernier (79' Christie), Moore (67' Anthony), Solanke.
Subs: Fredericks, Rothwell, Stacey, Stanislas, Dembele, Pearson, Plain.

Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, Coady, Mykolenko (29' Coleman), Iwobi, Onana  (75' Doucoure), Gana, McNeil (75' Gordon), Maupay (75' Cannon), Gray.
Subs: Begovic, Keane, Mina, Davies, Mills.

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton return to Vitality Stadium this weekend, the scene of Tuesday’s horror show in the Carabao Cup, to face Bournemouth in a Premier League fixture that has taken on huge significance in the context of the upcoming break for the World Cup.

The Blues travelled to the south coast earlier this week looking for a fillip following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Leicester but left with the second string having been thumped 4-1 by the Cherries’ own reserve side and the gloom around the club having further deepened.

In making 11 changes to his starting XI, Frank Lampard extended an opportunity to a host of players to stake a claim for more regular involvement in the first team but he inadvertently signalled a marked de-prioritisation of the cup and made a rod for his own back when it comes to Saturday’s rematch.

The majority of the players who featured against Leicester will almost certainly be back in the line-up but with a significant amount of pressure on their shoulders to get a result that would send the club into hiatus for Qatar 2022 feeling somewhat at ease about Everton’s prospects of avoiding another fight against relegation.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin ruled out with a hamstring injury, a dislocated shoulder and ongoing problems with his knee, Neal Maupay is surely certain to start but whether he is the only one of those who keeps their place from the team that lined up at Vitality Stadium on Tuesday will likely depend on the respective fitness of Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana and whether Lampard opts for the experience of Seamus Coleman over the more dynamic but more raw Nathan Patterson at full-back.

With only an apparent ankle sprain, Onana is, perhaps, the more likely to be passed fit but if Gueye’s quad muscle complaint keeps him out, it will be between James Garner, Abdoulaye Doucouré and Tom Davies for who starts in midfield… that is assuming the manager doesn’t persist with the five-man back line he went with in the cup tie.

In the wide positions, Demarai Gray will have enhanced his standing with a beautifully-taken goal on Tuesday while neither Anthony Gordon nor Dwight McNeil will have done much to further theirs.

For his part, Gary O’Neill is expected to revert back to his regular line-up that will see the likes of top-scorer Phillip Billing, Dominic Solanke, Kieffer Moore and Jefferson Lerma return.

Scott Parker’s interim replacement had overseen an impressive uplift in Bournemouth’s fortunes following that 9-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool in late August, with the Cherries going on a six-match unbeaten run that lasted until mid-October.

They have lost four on the bounce now in the League, however, and have thrown away two-goal leads to both Tottenham and Leeds on their last two outings.

It’s that ability to score goals and Everton’s struggles to do the same that could be the problem for Lampard this weekend. His Toffees had the best defensive record in the division not too long ago but they have allowed opposition teams to average almost 20 shots a game in their last three fixtures, a tendency that severely tests the law of averages.

Get Conor Coady, James Tarkowski and Vitalii Mykolenko back along with Jordan Pickford to shore things up and get the approach right at the other end of the pitch in terms of desire, tempo and tenacity and Everton should be able to make their superiority on paper tell.

A repeat of Tuesday’s ineptitude, sloppiness and questionable desire would surely only lead to another damaging defeat. Over to Frank, his staff and the players to send us into the extended international break in more buoyant mood…

Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 12 November, 2022
Referee: Craig Pawson
VAR: Tony Harrington
Last Time: Bournemouth 3-1 Everton

Predicted Line-up*: Pickford, Coleman, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gueye, Onana, Garner, Iwobi, McNeil, Gray, Maupay

*updated following injury update from Frank Lampard's press conference

Lyndon Lloyd

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