Follow live coverage as Everton face Brentford today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Everton FC 0 - 0 Brentford FC
Everton vs Brentford
16:37Beto leaps well to meet McNeil's cross but can't generate any power and direct the header well enough to worry Flekken, who claims easily.
Everton vs Brentford
16:36Mykolenko drifts a lovely pass cross to Ndiaye but his pass across goes straight to Thiago and Brentford can clear.
Everton vs Brentford
16:32Substitution Jesper Grænge Lindstrøm Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal
Everton vs Brentford
16:32More groans from the Everton crowd as Mykolenko overhits a cross from the left. Despite the man advantage, the home side have drifted out of the match at a crucial juncture.
Everton vs Brentford
16:32Substitution Yoane Wissa Bileko Igor Thiago Nascimento Rodrigues
Everton vs Brentford
16:31Substitution Mikkel Krogh Damsgaard Kevin Schade
Everton vs Brentford
16:30Brentford are continuing to probe down the left, with Lewis-Potter having the beating of Young. Eventually the play breaks down as Jensen's through pass to Mbeumo has too much on it.
Everton vs Brentford
16:28Brentford are getting stronger as this half goes on, with Janelt freeing up Lewis-Potter down the left but his poor cross is gratefully claimed by Pickford in the Everton goal. A tireless performance from the fullback this afternoon.
Everton vs Brentford
16:27A forceful run from McNeil sees him drive forward but his effort goes well wide of the post once again. He's looked dangerous but the end product from the attacker has been found wanting on numerous occasions.
Everton vs Brentford
16:25CHANCES FOR BRENTFORD! Jansen makes a delightful pass forward for Lewis-Potter down the left, he cuts inside but his effort is straight at Pickford and from the eventual rebound, Jansen can only blast a shot over the bar. Despite being a man down, the Bees have shown how dangerous they can be on the break.
Everton vs Brentford
16:23BEST CHANCE OF THE HALF! Ndiaye plays a ball across the penalty area for the onrushing Mykolenko but he blazes his shot over the crossbar from close-range. It was with his weaker foot but the fullback could have done better there.
Everton vs Brentford
16:21Wissa is down, holding his head following an aerial challenge with Branthwaite. He seems fine to carry on and Brentford are grateful for the breather.
Everton vs Brentford
16:20Lindstrom's shot deflects off Janelt for a corner but McNeil's delivery is tipped over by a back-peddaling Flekken for another one but from the other side. The second successive corner sees Brentford clear their lines.
Everton vs Brentford
16:16A dangerous cross from Young evades Calvert-Lewin while Ndiaye stumbles in his attempt to get on the end of it. He claims his shirt was pulled but referee Kavanagh is having none of it.
Everton vs Brentford
16:15Calvert-Lewin handles the ball when trying to control it and another promising attack from the Toffees breaks down. This frustrates the Goodison crowd who are eager to make the man advantage count for their side.
Everton vs Brentford
16:13Ndiaye has so much space to run into from the left but Collins does superbly to outmuscle the winger and allow Flekken to claim the ball. The keeper is down holding his ankle following contact from his own teammate but he looks fine to continue.
Everton vs Brentford
16:11Flekken punches over a dipping effort by Gueye from 25 yards out, with no Brentford player closing him down.
Everton vs Brentford
16:10McNeil fizzes a cross from the left which Calvert-Lewin is close to getting on the end of, but Flekken is on hand to make a comfortable claim. He's in no rush to get rid of the ball.
Everton vs Brentford
16:09Unsurprisingly, Everton have made a stronger start to the half with Pinnock making a decisive block to deny Ndiaye's shot on the turn.
Everton vs Brentford
16:06Brentford get us underway for the second half.
Everton vs Brentford
15:59That sending off has swung the match in Everton's favour, with the live win probability having them at 59.4% with Brentford at just 11% and the prospect of a draw at 29.6%. Thomas Frank was unhappy with the red card decision and received a yellow card from referee Chris Kavanagh moments after the decision was made.
Everton vs Brentford
15:56Everton and Brentford are goalless after 45 minutes. Both sides have had opportunties, with Flekken denying Calvert-Lewin on two occasions while McNeil fluffed his lines with a poor effort from inside the box after an impressive run. Brentford have not looked as consistently dangerous but had the best chance of the match so far, as Wissa went one-on-one with Pickford but England's goalkeeper made a good stop. The most controversial moment of the half saw Norgaard sent off on a review from VAR for a high challenge on Pickford after he looked to get on the end of a header from Pinnock inside the penalty area. Brentford lead in terms of xG, generating 0.94 to Everton's 0.42.
Everton vs Brentford
15:52HALF-TIME: EVERTON 0-0 BRENTFORD
Everton vs Brentford
15:51Young's cross is headed out only to Gueye but his curled shot isn't troubling Flekken in the Brentford goal and it aimlessly drifts over.
Everton vs Brentford
15:50McNeil comes inside from the left but Janalt stands strong to deny him with an efficient tackle.
Everton vs Brentford
15:49We will have three minutes of added time for this first half.
Everton vs Brentford
15:48Everton are trying to press home their numerical advantage before the break but Brentford are proving to be stubborn resistance, with Lewis-Potter winning a foul from Lindstrom's challenge and able to get up the pitch.
Everton vs Brentford
15:46Brentford have suffered on the road so far this season, and will now have to play over a half with only 10 men. They looked to be in the asendancy just before the sending off.
Everton vs Brentford
15:43Red Card Christian Thers Nørgaard
Everton vs Brentford
15:41Some late pressure from Brentford at the end of this first half sees Pinnock loop a header towards the centre of the penalty area but Norgaard can't connect with it. He ends up making contact with Pickford and the goalkeeper needs treatment.
Everton vs Brentford
15:39HUGE SAVE FROM PICKFORD! Damsgaard is afforded too much space in the centre of the pitch and he threads a delightful pass through to Wissa who's in one-on-one but Pickford denies him with a smart stop. He's continuing his wonderful form after his heroics at West Ham two weeks ago.
Everton vs Brentford
15:36Flekken makes a comfortable claim and Brentford can regroup after another spell of sustained pressure from the home side.
Everton vs Brentford
15:35Some neat interplay between Young and Calvert-Lewin sees the striker tee McNeil up on the edge of the penalty area, and his low shot is deflected away for another Everton corner.
Everton vs Brentford
15:34Brentford have seen 44 goals scored across their 11 Premier League games so far this season (22 for, 22 against), the most of any side. Indeed, only Newcastle United in 1999-00 and Arsenal in 2011-12 have both scored and conceded 20+ goals in fewer games from the start of a campaign in the competition (10).
Everton vs Brentford
15:31Another Everton corner sees McNeil overhit his delivery and Tarkowski fails to keep the move alive. Surprisingly for a team managed by Dyche, they've not looked dangerous from set-pieces in these first 30 minutes.
Everton vs Brentford
15:28FLEKKEN AGAIN! The Brentford keeper makes a strong save with his foot to deny Calvert-Lewin from a narrow angle after a superb pass from McNeil created the opportunity. He seems to be at the centre of all of Everton's most potent attacks so far.
Everton vs Brentford
15:26Everton are hoping to reassert their early dominance from the beginning of the half but wayward passes from Doucoure and then Gueye leads to a chorus of sighs from the Goodison faithful. They are continuinally struggling to progress the ball forward.
Everton vs Brentford
15:25No side has failed to score in more different Premier League games this season than Everton (five), who could do so in three successive league games under Sean Dyche for the third time after August 2023 and January 2024. They've already struggled in front of goal today.
Everton vs Brentford
15:24CHANCE! McNeil holds off the challenge of Norgaard, moves forward with the ball and into the penalty area, but his shot with his weaker right foot is a poor one and another chance is spurned. That was a really disappointing effort.
Everton vs Brentford
15:22The Bees are now getting into their stride, dominating the ball and looking for the likes of Mbeumo down the flanks. They've quietened the Goodison crowd and seem the more assured of the two teams right now.
Everton vs Brentford
15:20Having failed to win any of their first three Premier League games against Brentford, Everton have now won each of their last three against the Bees. Can they continue this run this afternoon?
Everton vs Brentford
15:19Another long Brentford throw sees Branthwaite get the last touch and Everton concede the corner. Jensen engages in a one-two with Lewis-Potter before unleashing a dangerous delivery which just evades Pinnock.
Everton vs Brentford
15:16A half-chance for the away side sees van den Berg chest the ball down and unleash a stiniging shot from a tight angle, but it's always heading wide of Pickford's goal and he is left untroubled.
Everton vs Brentford
15:15Brentford are taking the sting out of the game now, after that early onslaught from the Toffees. The two centre backs are looking to progress the ball forward but the Everton players are closing down any spaces.
Everton vs Brentford
15:13Wissa has space down the right for Brentford and unleashes a dangerous cross for Janelt to get on the end of but Pickford claims the ball confidently. That was the first real foray forward from the away side.
Everton vs Brentford
15:11Mykolenko gallops down the left before finding McNeil who positions himself nicely in space outside the penalty area. He tries his luck but he drags his effort well wide of the post.
Everton vs Brentford
15:10Brentford haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last six away league games against Everton, failing to score themselves on four occasions in that run. Can they defy the odds this afternoon?
Everton vs Brentford
15:07WHAT A SAVE! Gueye volleys a shot from outside the area which flicks off Calvert-Lewin but Flekken gets down to his right to make a superb save with an outstreched hand! Some really early pressure from Everton and it nearly resulted in an early goal.
Everton vs Brentford
15:06Ndiaye wriggles inside the box before unleashing a shot which deflects off Collins for a corner.
Everton vs Brentford
15:06We've seen some early possession from the home side but they've struggled to do anything effective with it. An overhit cross from Mykolenko is dealt with easily by the Brentford backline.
Everton vs Brentford
15:01Everton get us underway!
Everton vs Brentford
14:59The players are in the tunnel and kick-off at Goodison is just minutes away!
Everton vs Brentford
14:34Despite worries around Mbuemo and Wissa, with both pulling out of international duty last week, they have overcome their injury doubts and both start. Pinnock also withdrew from Jamaica duty but passes a fitness test to feature at the heart of the Bees defence. Rico Henry is closing in on a return after a lengthy time on the sidelines. The first eleven is unchanged from the side that defeated Bournemouth two weeks ago.
Everton vs Brentford
14:30McNeil missed Everton's match at West Ham before the international break but makes his return here, with Mangala dropping out of the side and Doucoure reverting to central midfield after operating in a more advanced role at the London Stadium. Branthwaite pulled out of the England squad with an inssue but it seems to have been resolved and he starts. James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam remain out while Armando Broja, who is yet to make his debut for the club, just misses out on making the matchday squad after training with the squad this week.
Everton vs Brentford
14:30BRENTFORD SUBS: Kevin Schade, Thiago, Hakon Valdimarsson, Fabio Carvalho, Ben Mee, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Yunus Konak, Mads Roerslev, Paris Maghoma
Everton vs Brentford
14:30BRENTFORD XI (4-3-3): Mark Flekken; Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins, Ethan Pinnock, Keane Lewis-Potter; Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard, Vitaly Janelt; Bryan Mbuemo, Yoane Wissa, Mikkel Damsgaard
Everton vs Brentford
14:30EVERTON SUBS: Nathan Patterson, Michael Keane, Orel Mangala, Jack Harrison, Joao Virginia, Beto, Jake O'Brien, Harrison Armstrong, Callum Bates
Everton vs Brentford
14:30EVERTON XI (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko; Idrissa Gueye, Abdoulaye Doucoure; Jesper Lindstrom, Dwight McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye; Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Everton vs Brentford
14:30Despite a good start to the season, Brentford have toiled on the road so far, with five away defeats and all of their 16 points in the league coming at home. They held on for a crucial 3-2 victory over Bournemouth before the international break and sit 11th, just two points off a possible European place. Thomas Frank's men will hope to avoid losing their first six away league matches of the campaign, something which has only ever occured to them in 1924 and 1961.
Everton vs Brentford
14:30Everton have suffered just one defeat in their last seven games but also only have two wins to show from it, meaning they sit 16th and just three points above the relegation zone. 10 points from a possible 33 has increased the pressure on manager Sean Dyche and with a tricky run of games ahead, a win today would be a vital one and a real boost to their survival chances. They have only lost two of their last 10 matches at home and victory would see them leapfrog West Ham into 14th in the table.
Everton vs Brentford
14:30Hello and welcome to live coverage of this Premier League clash between Everton and Brentford at Goodison Park!
Everton vs Brentford
13:00Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
