Match Report

Everton had their first win of the season within their grasp with seven minutes to go at the Gtech Community Stadium but let themselves down with familiarly abysmal set-piece defending and had to be content with a draw against Brentford.

The Blues had ridden their luck as the Bees hit the woodwork three times during the contest but were heading for three points following Anthony Gordon’s first-half opener. And they could have sealed it in the second period but Demarai Gray wasted a great chance with 15 minutes left.

Then, as they went into retreat trying to see out the game, Frank Lampard’s defence buckled from a corner that Vitaly Janelt converted to give Brentford a share of the spoils.

With new signing Neal Maupay not registered in time to be eligible to face his old club and Salomon Rondon failing to convince in the League Cup tie at Fleetwood last Tuesday, Lampard reverted to the front three of Gray, Gordon and Dwight McNeil that employed in the opening two fixtures.

Despite its ineffectiveness in those games, it was a formation that looked as though it might reap dividends this time, with Everton surviving some early scares to take the lead in the 24th minute.

They were caught out by a long ball forward that Rico Henry centred behind the visiting defence but Bryan Mbeumo missed the target when he really should have scored.

Then, after Alex Iwobi had tested David Raya from 25 yards out and James Tarkowski failed to reach a tempting looping header back over the Bees’ defence following a corner, the hosts countered and came within inches of scoring.

Henry’s cross was only headed out as far as Mathias Jensen by Mason Holgate and the Dane rattled a shot off the base of the post from the edge of the box.

Gordon then had a tame effort saved and Jordan Pickford managed to keep an awkward corner out at his near post before the former notched his first goal of the season to put Everton 1-0 up.

Conor Coady spotted Gordon’s run with a perfectly-weighted ball over the top that the 21-year-old controlled with one touch and then tucked past Raya in composed fashion.

Iwobi and Coady almost got into trouble trying to dribble out of their own box and then an awful error by Nathan Patterson allowed Henry to cross but this time it was Ivan Toney who planted a header onto the post and Yoane Wissa blazed the rebound over the bar with the goal gaping.

Mbeumo then shot weakly from a good position and was presented with an even better chance a few minutes later as Brentford were afforded all the time they needed to pass the ball around outside the Everton box but the forward curled an effort wide of goal.

Everton finished the half with an opportunity for Gordon set up by good by Vitalii Mykolenko but it was Brentford who came within inches of scoring again seven minutes after the interval.

A long throw by Jensen was nodded on into the six-yard box where Christian Norgaard despatched an overhead kick onto the bar that struck Pickford’s hand on the way back out and the keeper was able to gratefully clutch it to his chest.

A decent Toffees move that went from McNeil to Gray saw a Gordon volley parried into the path of Mykolenko but the Ukrainian’s shot was blocked behind while, back at the other end, Mbeumo spurned one more chance when a curled a foot wide of Pickford’s right-hand post.

Everton had to regroup after Holgate was forced off with a knee injury mid-way through the second half and Michael Keane replace him but they were almost undone shortly afterwards when a corner was cleared only as far as Henry and Pickford had to push Janelt’s header away at the far post.

The chance for 2-0 arrived at the feet of Gray after Onana strode into space and split the defence with a great pass but where Gordon had been emphatic in the first half, Gray hesitated and tried to cut back inside and the chance evaporated.

10 minutes later, after a claim for handball against Iwobi had been waved away, Thomas Frank’s side equalised and it was a desperately poor goal to conceded from the visitors’ perspective.

Substitute Keane Lewis Potter flicked a corner from the Brentford right across the box where Janelt was left all alone by a clutch of static blue shirts to convert and deny the Blues two points.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton play the second of three consecutive away games in the space of a week when they travel to the Capital on Saturday to face Brentford.

Rondon is dropped to the bench, with Onana starting behind Anthony Gordon, who continues to be a key player for Frank Lampard in the face of rampant transfer speculation.

Everton kicked off but could no retain possession and Brentford pushed up for a sho that was deflected behind for the first corner, played short, then punched clear by Pickford. The Blues then had some good possession that then went absolutely nowhere, finally, Tarkowski's second ball forward was overhit behind.

Pickford picked out Mykolenko but McNeil just wasn't at the races and wasted his passes. Brentford tried the same move only better when Mbeumo drove inches wide off a Route One layoff. After more farting about, overplaying the laboured build-up, Iwobi actually took a shot at the Brentford goal. 

Gordon chased a ball down but his shot was too easily blocked. Some good pressing of the Brentford defence trying to play out forced the first Everton corner, but it was cleared and sent Brentford on a rampage forward.

Another painfully low build-up won a second Everton corner, McNeil failing to beat the first man but a ball back in looked like a gif for Tarkowski, who could not get his foot around it.

Brentford surged forward again and Jensen's shot hit the post, then Gordon responded but his curling shot was saved. A fairly open game, moving from end to end, ensued with Brentford winning their second corner that caused panic at the near post, Pickford losing track of the ball that was under his arm as he fell. 

A ball over the top from Tarkowski fell perfectly for Gordon who took a slightly heavy touch but recovered well to finish very well past Raya and inside the far post. So he can score nice clean goals!

But they almost gave up the advantage with a daft sequence of defensive play that almost invited danger, Iwobi and Tarkowski at fault. 

Toney and Coady got into it a little. Another brilliant Tarkowski diagonal ball should have been better received by Patterson but he had not stayed onside. And yet another one almost fell for Gray, who won a corner that sailed over Tarkowski's head.  

The Blues did their best to have Brentford equalize, Toney's header hitting the post with Wissa wellying the rebound half-way to Westminster, goal gaping. 

The home side ramped up the pressure in a quest for the equalizer, Mbeumo curling one just past the far post. Somehow, that was given as a corner which didn't trouble Pickford. Next up was Wissa again wafting at the ball as the Everton defenders had another 'moment'. 

Everton had another spelling playing the ball forward but nobody seemed convinced they should make any effort on goal and the ball was squandered behind.  But another brilliant diagonal ball to Mykolenko set up Gordon for a shot that Raya saved. 

Onana got a chance to come forward but seemed to get immediately dizzy and it was left to Iwobi to fashion a shot that was blocked. It ended a good half for Everton who had been written off by so many of their own supporters. 

After the restart, Brenford tried the long diagonal ball but Holgate defended it well. But Hogate then put Pickford in a difficult spot with a lofted backpass the Everon keeper had to control with his chest with ---- in attention. 

Onana was sucked in o giving away a typical Premier League foul drawn by the attacker, but the free-kick came to nothing but on the next phase, Da Silva almost set up a tap-in.  Jensen's brilliant long throw saw Nørgaard acrobatically hit the bar and Pickford gratefully collected the ball.

Wissa was booked for catching Onana's ankle. money when went in late on Holgate. The ball broke for Everton and they should have scored but Gordon took his shot early and straight at Raya. A comedy moment as Ben Mee shoved Gordon into Brian Reamer, bowling him over in the Technical Area. 

Onana was drawing more attention to himself as Everton struggled o play through Brenofrd'd high press. Iwobi lost the ball in the middle and went to win it back in style. But Brentford pressed forward and Mbuemo sent another screamer 1 foot wide. 

Brentford were now pressing hard, Holgate setting up a very dangerous attack for the home side before Frank went for a triple sub. But Holgate went down holding his knee, and Keane replaced him, his first act to gift the home side a corner! From which they almost scored. A brilliant save by Pickford, but palmed out again almost to a Bees player.  

The game entered a crucial stage with the Everton goal leading a charmed life. But Gray looked o get free, beating Mee but failing to shoot before the chance was lost for a corner. Tarkowski headed wide. 

Lee Mason, the VAR, let Iwobi off with a handball as the Brentford pressure mounted. Davies replaced Onana. Then Mykolenko injured his leg. The Blues defence was now under constant pressure with Pckfrd being booked for throwing the ball away and Lampard making changes to seemingly waste time. 

And it all fell apart from a simple corner headed on to Janelt a yard out. Terrible zonal marking. Everton tried but failed to respond, Patterson lashing over, and the Blues put themselves under more relentless pressure as the Bees went for the winner. 

But Everton held ut in a scrappy and disjointed end t a game he, with better discipline, they should have won. 

Kick-off: 3 pm BST, Saturday 27 August 2022

Brentford: Raya, Hickey [Y:90+5'], Henry, Nørgaard (69' Janelt), Jensen, Dasilva (90+3' Sørensen) , Wissa [Y:54'] (68' Lewis-Potter), Zanka (68'  Baptiste), Mee, Toney, Mbuemo (78' Damsgaard).

Subs not Used: Ghoddos, Onyeka, Strakosha, Roerslev.

Everton: Pickford [Y:81'],  Tarkowski, Coady, Holgate, (68' Keane) Patterson, Mykolenko (86' Vinagre), Onana (78' Davies), Iwobi, McNeil (86' Rondon), Gordon [Y:90+3'], Gray.

Subs: Begovic, Allan, Coleman, Warrington, Mills.

Referee: John Brooks
VAR: Lee Mason 

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton play the second of three consecutive away games in the space of a week when they travel to the Capital on Saturday to face Brentford.

Though the Blues beat the Bees handily in the FA Cup in Frank Lampard’s first match in charge, Thomas Frank’s man did the League double over Everton last season and with the latter struggling to find the rhythm without a reliable striker leading the line, Brentford will fancy their chances once again.

Neal Maupay is on the verge of joining from Brighton and the Blues were racing to get him signed in time and registered by noon today so that he would be eligible to play this weekend against his forward club.

Should Everton miss that deadline, Lampard will once again have to choose between Salomon Rondon, who was less than convincing in the centre-forward role at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, and the awkward formation of Demarai Gray, Anthony Gordon, and Dwight McNeil arrayed as a forward trio.

To Gray’s credit, however, he has scored in each of the last two games and would be a good bet to start has the most forward Everton player if Rondon is overlooked for this one.

Gordon, meanwhile, will be in the squad after sitting out of the cup tie on Tuesday evening as speculation continues to swell regarding a big money move to Chelsea.

The prospects of the young winger making a move to Stamford Bridge appear to have diminished as talk around the situation has died down, but with the transfer deadline approaching, anything is possible.

"No it hasn't come in," Lampard said when asked about rumours that Chelsea had increased their offer for Gordon. "He's our player and remains so. He's in the squad for tomorrow. They haven't bid £60m. Let’s not talk about a bid because there hasn’t been a bid of £60m."

With Abdoulaye Doucouré injured, Allan's availability unknown after he missed the trip to Fleetwood and Tom Davies withdrawn from the starting XI for that cup tie, it looked as though Lampard might have been facing another shortage of options in midfield.

However, the manager confirmed in his press conference that Davies is in contention after shaking off whatever issue prompted the medical staff to take him out of the line-up on Tuesday and he will compete for a spot alongside Amadou Onana and Alex Iwobi.

Onana made his full debut at Fleetwood and coped well despite coming in for some unnecessarily rough treatment from Scott Brown's men and after a quiet showing off the bench against Nottingham Forest in the League last weekend, the Belgian international could start out among the substitutes again this weekend.

“I thought it was really mature for a player of his age," Lampard said of Onana's first start against the League One side. "He needed fitness so that was a big plus."

Like last season, their first since gaining promotion from the Championship, Brentford have made a strong start to the season but where a year ago they eventually faded off and looked to be in grave danger of the drop until Christian Eriksen came in for the second half of the campaign, this time they look better equipped to, perhaps, take a run at finishing in the top 10.

Frank has the Bees playing high-tempo football with quick, mobile players who aren't afraid to get forward or use the attacking prowess of Ivan Toney, as Everton found out to their cost at Goodison Park earlier this year when Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off for tangling with the striker as he latched onto a ball over the top.

Whereas last year when Rafael Benitez's impotent outfit struggled to overcome a eminently beatable Brentford side, this time around it looks to be a much more difficult fixture. The Londoners have added the likes of Aaron Hickey, Ben Mee, Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter to their ranks over the summer and look a more rounded, experienced outfit.

Unless Maupay is available – it looks unlikely at the time of writing – it's hard to see how this is going to be anything other than another struggle for Everton. Lampard has been encouraged by the chances his side have been making so far and he will be hopeful that his defence can remain resolute, allowing for his attackers to perhaps nick a goal or two that would allow the Toffees to come away with something ahead of another away-day at Leeds on Tuesday.

Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday , 27 August, 2022
Referee: John Brooks
VAR: Lee Mason
Last Time: Brentford 1 - 0 Everton

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Holgate, Coady, Tarkowski, Patterson, Mykolenko, Davies, Iwobi, Gordon, Gray, Rondon

Lyndon Lloyd

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