Match Report

Abdoulaye Doucouré scored the game's only goal as Everton rounded off their 2023-24 home campaign with victory over Sheffield United in the sunshine at Goodison Park. 

The Frenchman nodded in a simple finish with half an hour gone to settle a contest that had more than a whiff of  "dead rubber" about it at times.

The Blades, their relegation back to the Championship already confirmed, became the first team in Premier League history to conceded more than 100 goals in a season while, at the other end, they hardly troubled Jordan Pickford.

Sean Dyche made a couple of changes to the side that started at Luton the Friday last night, handing Seamus Coleman a start at right back and bringing Amadou Onana back in to replace Jack Harrison whose season is over after he sustained an injury.

James Garner moved out to the right flank in his absence and Everton made the early running as Dominic Calvert-Lewin tested Wes Foderingham with an ambitious effort from the angle after he had cut inside from the right.

The Blues probably should have gone ahead in the 13th minute, though, when Calvert-Lewin brilliantly brought a deep ball forward under his spell and squared it to Doucouré but Foderingham spread himself well to block his shot from close range.

DCL saw a deflected low saved before Cameron Archer at Sheffield United's first sight of goal when he bent a shot a yard wide before Everton took the lead.

Calvert-Lewin won another long ball forward and laid it off to Onana who found Dwight McNeil to split the defence with a low pass. The striker took it wide of Foderhingham and clipped a cross back into the six-yard box where Doucouré arrived to nod into the empty net.

A flare-up between Calvert-Lewin and Jack Robinson where the Blades defender ended up shoving the forward to the ground with two hands to the chest saw him escape with only a yellow card.

The visitors then had a brief flurry but were denied by Pickford who put in an excellent tackle in his own box and then foiled Andre Brooks with a low save at his near post.

The first half ended with Doucouré's looping header off a Garner cross looping wide and the Toffees went into the interval a goal to the good.

Though Onana had the first real shot in anger five minutes into the second period that deflected over and, not the first time in what was a terrible refereeing performance overall, Stuart Attwell erroneously awarded the Blades a goal-kick, Everton's urgency to pad their lead largely dissipated until the final quarter of an hour.

Ben Brereton Diaz blazed a decent chance over the bar and failed to find the target with a header from a dangerous cross a few minutes later while Gustavo Hamer went close on the counter-attack when his shot was deflected behind.

Dyche withdrew Doucouré and McNeil for Lewis Dobbin and André Gomes and Garner just missed the far post with a skidding shot-cum-cross but it was Archer back down the other end who almost wiped out the lead when another 25-yarder flashed past the upright.

Then, in the closing stages, it was the appetite of Youssef Chermiti, on for Calvert-Lewin in a 79th-minute change, to score his first Everton goal that saw the hosts twice threaten to seal it.

First, the young Portuguese smashed an effort just wide of the angle of crossbar and post before Foderingham denied him with a save in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Finally, after Gomes had been forced off again with a laceration to his brow from a flailing elbow, Chermiti's great in off the byline ended with him cutting the ball back invitingly for Garner but he skied a left-footer with the goal at his mercy. 

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton go into their last home match of a fraught and at times maddening 2023-24 season with Sheffield United the doomed side who are already relegated.

Both Vitallii Myklenko and Nathan Patterson miss this game with long-term injuries that have ended their seasons, while Seamus Coleman is determined that this will not be his last appearance at Goodison Park as Sean Dyche names his strongest line-up, with Amadou Onana and Seamus Coleman come in for Jack Harrison and Ben Godfrey. 

Sean Dyche explained Harrison's absence before the kick-off:

"Unfortunately, Jack is injured and it looks unlikely we’ll get him back before the end of the season. It’s unfortunate as he’s played a lot of football and done very well."

Youssef Chermiti, Lewis Dobbin and Lewis Warrington will be hopeful of time off the bench at some point before the curtain comes down on the penultimate season for Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League.

The visitors got things underway in the bright sunshine, pushing Everton back and eventually winning an early corner that Tarkowski headed clear. At the other end, Calvert-Lewin found himself in the channel and crossing to an empty space where he should have been. 

Everton forced a good turnover outside the Blades area but were denied a corner despite Young's valid protestations. Coleman was tested by Archer. Hamer came in hard on McNeil in full flight. In the second phase, McNeil picked out Doucoure with a decent ball over the defence but he had strayed offside.

Onana had a great opportunity to run at goal but his second touch was far too heavy. Calvert-Lewin did a lot better with the next, a brilliant ball forward from Tarkowski that he brought under control superbly to then set up Doucoure perfectly only for him to hit it straight at the advancing Foderingham.

A barge on Gana set up a great attacking free-kick opportunity that was totally wasted. Everton built another half-decent attack until Gana overhit his crossfield pass. McNeil benefited from a loose pass but Young's deep cross to the far post was fielded by Foderingham.

Sheffield United looked to get forward but Branthwiate had other ideas, diverting the ball back to Pickford. At the other end, the ball fell nicely for Calvert-Lewin but his low shot spun off the studs of a Blades defender and was saved by Foderingham. At the other end, Archer strode forward and shot across Pickford's goal in a rare forward foray.

Everton went down the other end and Calvert-Lewin pounced on a ball to beat Foderingham, then chipped over a delightful reverse ball that made it child's play for Doucoure to head into the empty net from 3 yards out.  

An impromptu session of handbags ensued when Robinson aggressively shoved Calvert-Lewin with full force to the ground after some innocuous shoulder barge with Calvert-Lewin, both players getting yellow cards. 

Garner and Doucoure forced their way forward but Doucoure's cross was dreadful. Branthwaite got drawn into an attack that broke down, leaving the Everton rearguard exposed to a break that required a precise tackle from Pickford to take the ball away from Archer. 

Then Brooks got all the way in and lashed a good shot that Pickford saved.  The Blades came back for a third attack that needed to be cleared by Ashley Young. 

A great ball forward found Doucoure who seemed set to repay Calvert-Lewin with a nice cross but the offside flag went up. A great ball from Tarkowski found Calvert-Lewin but his header went forward into no-man's land.  Archer got forward for the Bades and they won a corner that almost caused angst before it was cleared and the Blue shirts broke at pace until Doucoure fumbled and crumbled. 

Coleman's cross won a late corner in added time, McNeil's corner punched and then caught by Foderingham. Garner put over a cross that was too difficult for Doucoure to convert, before the whistle went for half-time. 

Onana restarted the game and it soon saw McNeil swing in a great cross to Calvert-Lewin near the far post but too close to Foderingham. Garner got down the wing and cleverly played in Calvert-Lewin but his touch as too heavy. 

some well-worked passing ended with an Onana shot that was deflected over. From the corner, it was Gana's turn but the obvious deflection was apparently not seen by the various officials. Graner then tried to do it all himself but got it all wrong in the end.

But the game was being played almost entirely on the opposition half and Garner this time shot on al but it was blocked at source. Arblaster caught Garner and he got a yellow card. When Sheffield Utd attacked, Brereton DIaz lashed over. 

But The Blades were having a spell, and Tarkowski had to marshall Brereton Diaz to stop him scoring. Souza then overhit his cross. Everton were not playing with the same intensity and were increasingly at risk of conceding. 

Garner seemed to be taken out as Sheffield United created their best chance, Brereton Diaz's header deflecting behind off Ashley Young, but not given as a Blades corner.  Dobbin and Gomes then came on, and Gomes tried to play in Garner with a clever pass. 

At the other end Archer forced a mistake from Branthwaite to give away a corner, and Robinson's shot could have deflected anywhere, out for another Blades corner, cleared by Calvert-Lewin, with Young getting wiped out on the break, but nothing given. 

The Blades countered and Everton came back in shape quickly to defend Pickford in goal at the expense of another corner that was dealt with. Ashley Young played a great ball up to Calvert-Lewin but he was flagged offside. Tarkowski was next to pick out Calvert-Lewin but Foderingham was out quickly.

Garner ran forward and as space opened up he fired beyond the far post as Chermiti replaced Calvert-Lewin. Archer fired wide before he was replaced. Chermiti chased down a forward ball but Fodergham was out sharply to deny him. 

The Blades surged forward and Brewster crossed dangerously just ahead of Lowe. Despite… or because of the substitutions, Everton were struggling to make their attacking efforts count, whilst the visitors seemed determined to come away with something.  

Branthwaite resorted to a long ball that went straight to Foderingham, CHemiti took things into his own hands and carried the ball forward to shoot with excellent determination and power, but just curling wide of the angle. Would have been a wonderful goal. 

The Blades kept getting forward and Everton thankfully remained alert enough to deny them. Gana put in a tempting cross for Chermiti but too close to Foderingham before Gomes got smacked in the face by Slimane, 21-year-old Lewis Warrington finally getting his Premier League debut with barely 2 minutes left.  

A forward move saw the ball deflected forward to CHermiti but he could only shoot at Fderingham from a narrowing angle. A tremendous move in by Chermiti beating two defenders then saw him set up Garner, whose shot was very disappointing from a perfect position to make it 2-0 just before the final whistle sounded on the 5th consecutive Blues win at home without conceding a goal. 

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young, Gana, Onana, Doucoure (69' Dobbin), Garner, McNeil (69' Gomes (90+2' Warrington)), Calvert-Lewin [Y:36'] (79' Chermiti).

Subs: Virginia, Keane, Godfrey,  Danjuma, Beto. 

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton will play their final match of 2023-24 in front of the home faithful this weekend when they face  Sheffield United in the first Goodison finale that hasn't had anything riding on it since May 2020.

The Blades' demotion back to the Championship was confirmed a fortnight ago, on the same weekend that the Toffees secured their safety from relegation with victory over Brentford, which means Everton and their fans can enjoy a weekend free of stress from on-the-field matters even if matters off the pitch remain desperate.

It promises to be a close season of upheavel and plenty of departures from the Club but Sean Dyche says that this weekend's game is unlikely to be Seamus Coleman's last at Goodison Park because his "thirst" is to keep playing for Everton.

With the end of the season nigh and thoughts turning towards contract extensions and the summer's transfer business, there has been talk of Coleman hanging up his boots and calling time on a 15-year playing career with the Toffees.

However, despite the injury problems that have dogged him this season, the Club skipper is keen to keep playing amid reports that he is to be offered another one-year deal by Everton.

"There are another couple of weeks left, and I said, ‘Reflect on where you’re at,’ but I think his thirst is to keep playing, so we’ll be looking into that'," Dyche said at his press conference ahead of Saturday's clash with the Blades.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to wonder about his last game – or not at this stage – and certainly, that’s his words and not mine. He’s made it clear that, at this stage, his mindset is to keep playing.”

Given Coleman's standing in the dressing room and the example he has set for years at Goodison, it has often been said that the Irishman would make an excellent coach and even manager one day.

Dyche says that the experience he has gained with the Toffees through years of different managers and coaching styles will stand him in good stead should that be his chosen route after he calls time on his playing career.

“I think he’s learning to have that in him," Dyche said. "He’s absorbed a lot from a lot of different experiences here.

“The good side of all the turnover of managers, is you can learn a lot from the varying input, the varying styles, and the varying ways of working. I think he’s like that, and I think he will absorb that. He certainly knows the Club like the back of his hand.”

Regardless of his intent to stay, Coleman could well start this one after coming off the bench at Luton last Frday to replace Ashley Young and, if so, it's a toss-up between the latter veteran and Ben Godfrey over who starts at left back in place of the injured Vitalii Mykolenko.

Few other changes are expected in the starting XI, with Dyche no doubt looking to sign off the home programme with a win that could, depending on how Brentford fare at Bournemouth, secure 15th place.

Idrissa Gueye and James Garner will likely keep their places in central midfield but a number of players will be hoping to make an appearance off the bench, particularly André Gomes and Arnaut Danjuma who will almost certainly be leaving at the end of the season and Amadou Onana who is the subject of significant transfer speculation.

In terms of the younger players, Youssef Chermiti and Lewis Dobbin will be itching for more minutes while the likes of Jenson Metcalfe, Lewis Warrington and Mackenzie Hunt will be hopeful of inclusion in the squad in case Dyche is moved to hand one of them a Premier League debut.

Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 11 May, 2024
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Graham Scott
Last Time: Everton 0 - 1 Sheffield United

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Godfrey, Gueye, Garner, Harrison, McNeil, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin

Lyndon Lloyd

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