Heading in the right direction
Everton knew they were going to have to deal with an aerial bombardment to prevail here given the number of impressive headers of the ball within Brentford’s side but the Blues stuck to their task to ensure they clung on to secure what could prove to be a massive victory for them.
While manager Sean Dyche is now something of a wily campaigner when it comes to Premier League survival battles after almost a decade in his previous post at Burnley, after steering the west London club to top flight football for the first time since 1947 last season, opposite number Thomas Frank has yet to experience anything really resembling a relegation fight.
After finishing a comfortable 13th on their return to the big time, many might have considered the Bees as prime candidates to suffer from second season syndrome but while it was unlucky 13 for them here, a 12-match unbeaten run going into this fixture had ensured they were one of just three clubs across Europe’s top-five leagues to be unbeaten this calendar year.
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The respective gaffers got to know each other when attending a game last season during Dyche’s time out of work and as the Blues boss acknowledged, neither of them are precious in terms of how the game should be played and that’s no bad thing. Far too often in recent times, Everton sides have tried to run before they could walk in terms of over-playing whereas here they rolled up their sleeves and did the dirty work effectively which is just what they’ll need to do to survive in this division.
Ref justice
Once again Evertonians were left scratching their heads over a big refereeing decision following the controversy in their previous fixture at Nottingham Forest. Given that their frantic match at the City Ground ended with honours even at 2-2, not getting a second spot kick in front of the Trent End when Seamus Coleman went to ground following Jack Colback’s challenge proved pivotal but while that thankfully didn’t prove to be the case here, the fine margins that the Blues are dealing with could have easily made that the case again.
Unlike Dwight McNeil’s early opener that saw Goodison Park erupt, there was always something of a slightly muted celebration when the ball went into the Brentford net off Demarai Gray from close range because it was a strange goal and many were unsure just what had actually happened. The difference here was that referee Simon Hooper, unlike the much-maligned John Brooks who managed to provoke the ire of both managers, made the call in Everton’s favour in real time inside the stadium.
Video replays at the ground seemed to prove inconclusive but back in Stockley Park, David Coote decided to overrule Hooper’s decision and rule out an effort that would have put the Blues 2-0 up in the first half of a game since the 3-0 victory over Leeds United in Frank Lampard’s first Premier League home match in charge some 13 months ago.
This potential watershed moment left Everton clinging on after the break and while Dyche insisted he didn’t want to “cry in luck” after being unfortunate in his side’s previous home fixture against Aston Villa, the Blues are still awaiting a huge slice of good fortune when it comes to match officials.
Singing the Blues
Guy Mitchell’s 1956 hit Singing the Blues rang out across Goodison Park after the final whistle and long-suffering Evertonians might have thought ‘why not?’
Such is the severity of Everton’s precarious Premier League position, home fans found themselves in what is the unusual position for many of them in cheering on Liverpool during the day’s early fixture as they travelled to the Blues’ relegation rivals Bournemouth.
Despite Jurgen Klopp’s previously rampant side smashing nine goals past the hapless Cherries at Anfield earlier in the season – a result that prompted Scott Parker, subsequently sacked by Club Brugge to suffer his first dismissal of the campaign – and then plundering seven against old foes Manchester United in their last outing, the Reds found themselves crashing back down to earth with a bump at the Vitality Stadium in a shock 1-0 defeat that saw Gary O’Neil’s side, that started the day propping up the table, temporarily leapfrog Everton.
While out on Spellow Lane reporting on the pre-match fans’ protest rally march against the club’s owner and board, this correspondent even heard one irate Blue bemoaning Mohamed Salah’s penalty miss, complaining that Liverpool were supposedly misfiring on purpose. But although the nature of the beast when you’re in a scrap to stay up ensures that you’re always looking at what your fellow strugglers are doing, Everton have to be the masters of their own destiny.
Given the challenging fixtures that lie ahead and a 16-day gap that follows the trip to Chelsea before the Blues are next in action on home turf against Tottenham Hotspur on April 3, the Brentford game was always looking like a ‘must win.’ Dyche rightly maintains that the only league table that matters is the final one and there is still so much more work to do but even with just six points separating the bottom nine clubs in the division, climbing back out of the drop zone is a good feeling.
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