Trouble is at Sean Dyche’s door just as the Friedkin Group waits to walk in as Everton’s new owner. The manager was left in no doubt as to the growing discontent inside Goodison Park after Brentford claimed their first away point of the season despite playing with 10 men for 53 minutes. They did so in relative comfort, which says everything about the paucity of Everton’s attacking game.
Brentford’s captain, Christian Nørgaard, was shown a red card in the 41st minute for catching Jordan Pickford’s knee with his studs. Thomas Frank confirmed his club will likely appeal against the decision. The Brentford manager was incensed at the time but a first Premier League clean sheet of the season, and in these circumstances, lifted his mood.
Goodison’s darkened in step with an increasingly clueless display from an Everton team that performed better against 11 men. It is now five draws in eight league games for them and no goals in three outings. An ominous December – which includes games against all of the top four, Ruben Amorim’s first home league game as Manchester United manager, a revitalised Wolves and Nottingham Forest – awaits.
“They can direct it at whoever they want,” said Dyche of the boos that greeted the small mercy of the final whistle. “They expect us to win. I expect us to win. It’s our responsibility and my responsibility to make sure we do better than we did today. We have to find killer moments more often and we didn’t. It’s been a longstanding thing here. Most managers can change it by chequebook. We can’t do that, so the development continues.”
Brentford had 16 points before kick-off – all won at the Gtech Stadium. Their impressive home form was in stark contrast to results on the road and Frank’s team were immediately on the back foot. Everton had enough pressure and openings to have capitalised before the break. Not for the first time in Dyche’s reign, a lack of ruthlessness and quality in the final third prevented them from doing so. Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal proved another obstacle.
Flekken produced a superb reflex save to prevent Dominic Calvert-Lewin giving Everton an early lead when flicking on Idrissa Gueye’s low volley. Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil also had decent opportunities, three times in the case of the latter, before Flekken denied Calvert-Lewin again when the striker was played in behind the defence.
Everton’s continuing search for a killer touch left Goodison with a familiar sense of foreboding. Brentford looked to take advantage and Pickford made an important block to prevent Yoane Wissa scoring from Mikkel Damsgaard’s fine through-ball.
The visitors’ performance was improving when an intervention by the video assistant referee left them down to 10 men. It appeared a harsh red for Nørgaard at first glance. He and Wissa attempted to play the ball when Ethan Pinnock’s header sailed across the Everton area towards the unmarked pair. Neither connected, when they might have scored, but Nørgaard’s raised studs embedded themselves into Pickford’s right knee when the Everton keeper spread himself to save. The midfielder went in high and made no attempt to avoid Pickford’s knee.
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Chris Kavanagh, sent to the pitch-side screen, showed a red card for serious foul play. The incident was shown on the giant TV screens, causing uproar among the Brentford support. Frank also joined the protests and received a yellow card for his mounting troubles.
“It was not a red card,” the Brentford manager insisted. “Christian’s eyes are clearly on the ball. There is no force, no intention to hurt Pickford. If the law says that is a red then the law has changed. I will have to tell my players they can’t jump in and try to score in the six-yard box.”
Everton toiled against the 10 men and were almost punished on the counterattack by Keane Lewis-Potter. Pickford saved his low shot and Mathias Jensen was unable to convert the loose ball from 18 yards out. Vitalii Mykolenko should have broken the deadlock but skied over from Ndiaye’s pass. Beto, on as a late rescue act substitute again, might have won it in stoppage time but for a vital block by Pinnock. Brentford were soon celebrating a deserved point in front of their jubilant fans. Boos rained down elsewhere.
