Everton 2 – 3 Bournemouth
Everton looked like a different side as Ndiaye and Iroegbunam inspired a tremendous performance that gave them a 2-0 lead with 3 minutes to go. But three tremendous crosses saw three ridiculous goals given up in the last 10 minutes to turn the game on its head.
With the transfer window now closed, Evertonians will be wondering just how many of the six new players who arrived they will get to see in action today against Bournemouth at Goodison Park.
The answer is just two: Tim Iroegbunam, and Iliman Ndiaye, with Jake O’Brien, with Jesper Lindstrøm not making a sufficient impact yet, and Armand Broja coming in injured and unlikely to be seen for at least the next 2 months.
With Coleman and Garner returning against Doncaster Rovers, there is hope that the injury crisis is waning, but Chermiti, Branthwaite and Patterson are all still recovering from surgical procedures, and now they have another in the shape of Broja to keep them company in the overused Finch Farm treatment room.
And Orel Mangala is ineligible, having been signed after the 12 noon Friday deadline for this game.
Some great high pressing from Harrison and Coleman following the visitors kicking off in the glorious Goodison sunshine, but The Cherries were not fazed. Bournemouth using Everton’s long-ball tactic to get the ball upfield quickly for their main threat the Brazilian Evanilson.
The first chance fell for Seamenyo facing away from goal and scoring an Australian Rules ‘behind’. Harrison was played in brilliantly by Iroegbunam and cross well but of course Calvert-Lewin was 3 yards behind the defenders and unable to connect.
More positive play saw Harrison’s cross deflected behind for Everton’s first corner, McNeil playing it short and then getting a second bite, this one to the far post, just too far despite Calvert-Lewin getting ahead of the ball and putting it into the side netting.
Iroegbunam stole the ball well off Christie but Everton failed to push forward and Bournemouth countered with threat but Evanilson got in mix-up. At the other end, Iroegbunam burst forward and put in another perfect cross but guess what? Yes, Calvert-Lewin jogging in 3 yards behind where he should have been. The ball fell to Gueye for his customary rugby conversion from just inside the penalty box.
A decent cross in from Harrison but Calvert-Lewin was the wrong side of the defender. Harrison picked up the rebound and dribbled in to the middle only to shoot very poorly well wide of the goal. The next attack broke down before it got very far, with Calvert-Lewin offside.
Calvert-Lewin was then crowded out by four defenders after McNeil fed him a decent ball. Iroegbunam played a great ball for Ndiaye but Araujo slid in with a brilliant tackle to deny him the shot. Nothing came of the corner, Keane heading wide.
Pickford kept putting forward, Calvert-Lewin winning most, but the second ball falling to Bournemouth, who came right back at the Gwladys Street goal with annoying regularity.
On one such foray, they won a corner taken very poorly but still not immediately cleared, Pickford coming out for the second ball and missing to completely. When Everton did get forward, Ndiaye had strayed offside.
It was scrappy at times but Calvert-Lewin won a corner, McNeil delivering it a long way beyond the far post but Calvert-Lewin did very well to get the ball back across goal for Ndiaye to shoot strongly but too close to Kepa.
A Bournemouth free-kick was well-defended, stopping any real chance from developing. At the other end, Iroegbunam tried a clever backheel but Calvert-Lewin had moved out of range. Bournemouth countered to win another corner, falling eventually for Tavernier to welly high and wide.
Some great passing and movement from Harrison got Mykolenko to the byeline for a cross but it hit a defender. Keane gave an easy ball to Kluivert but he was so surprised, he quickly lost it. At the other end, McNeil shot weakly from too far out.
Lots of effort and endeavour in the warm sunshine but nothing to show for it at half-time.
From Pickford’s restart punt, it was worked to Iroegbunam but his strong shot hit Cook before Coleman was denied a corner. Calvert-Lewin face-palmed Araujo. That saw a strong drive forward by The Cherries that needed some topping, at the expense of a corner, headed away well by Calvert-Lewin.
Ndiaye drove back down the left and was fouled but the free-kick did not reach Calvert-Lewin but the second phase came back and fell remarkably to Michael Keane who hammered home Everton’s first Premier League goal of the season on his 200th start for the club.
From the restart, more good work saw a difficult ball powered into the ground by Gana and it was easy meat for Kepa. A deep free-kick by Pickford bounced behind.
A tremendous play by Harrison got Coleman in behind but somehow Kepa touched his shot over the bar when a low shot would surely have scored.
Still it seemed the game since half-time had been played in The Cherries’ half and a great play saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin finally set up perfectly by McNeil and a lovely little chip took it over Kepa and into the net for a wonderful second goal.
Some fantastic individual persistence by Ndiaye really got the crowd going and should at least have earned a free-kick. More brilliant work by him set up McNeil but wanted to pass it to Calvert-Lewin. rather than shooting, and got it all wrong, missing a fabulous chance for the third goal.
But it won a corner that led to another from the other side, but The Cherrries countered and Pickford came out of his area smartly to head the cross away from Tavenier. It was end to end and Ndiaye came so close to scoring, his shot taking a deflection off a defender and toward Kepa.
Ndiaye went on another surging run, but the end product was a bit of a let-down as he powered his shot over the bar. Harrison was next but his shot was straight at Kepa.
Another wonderful run down the left by Ndiaye with tremendous ball play and a superb cross that seemed to fall perfectly for Calvert-Lewin but he just didn’t shoot! Put off perhaps by the defender tracking him.… From the corner, Tarkowski powered his header into the side netting.
Iroegbunam stepped in for a vital interception to stop a Bournemouth attack in its tracks. A McNeil free-kick saw Keane dragged off the ball by Semenyo but incredibly no penalty given as the Everton players reacted to his aggression with some serious handbags. Yellow cards brandished.
Iroegbunam’s persistence was almost rewarded but his shot sizzled inches over the bar as Everton continued to press forward into the final 10 minutes. But following a corner, Tavernier tested Pickford with an angled shot before Sinisterra’s shot needed saving, as Ndiaye went off to a fine ovation with the game surely won, Doucoure on in his place.
But Ouattara got behind the Everton defence and put in a tremendous cross that Semenyo beat Mykolenko to get a late goal back.
Everton went up the other end and put not one but two balls across the Bournemouth goal without them being converted as things became unnecessarily nervy with 6 minutes added on.
But another fantastic cross by Bournemouth saw Cook power home a tremendous header to equalize. And Bournemouth came forward again, with another incredible chance for Tavernier this time saved by Pickford, who was then called again to get down and parry another tremendous shot.
And in the final minute of added time, the seemingly inevitable collapse was complete as another tremendous cross from Kluivert was headed in at the far post by Sinisterra. An unbelievable end to a game that Everton seemed to have won with what had been an excellent display until these shocking last 10 minutes.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Keane [Y:76′], Mykolenko, Gana, Iroegbunam [Y:90+2′], Harrison, McNeil, Ndiaye (83′ Doucouré), Calvert-Lewin (88′ Beto).
Subs not Used: Virginia, Dixon, O’Brien, Young, Lindstrøm, Garner, Armstrong.
Bournemouth: Kepa, Kerkez (66′ Ouattara), Senesi (77′ Huijsen), Zabarnyi, Araujo (77′ Smith), Christie (66′ Scott), Cook, Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo [Y:76′], Evanilson (66′ Sinisterra).
Subs not Used: Aarons, Brooks, Hill, Travers.
Kick-off: 3 pm, Saturday 31 August 2024
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Graham Scott
Attendance: 38,305