26 February 2025
Brentford 1 Everton 1
Brentford welcomed Everton to the Gtech Community Stadium for somewhat of a mid-table six-pointer. This season has been a rollercoaster for The Toffees, something their fans have become accustomed to in recent years. However, victory in West London would see Moyes’ side go level on points with The Bees. As a result, both sides had their motivations to win.
The Toffees had a massive chance to break the deadlock in the match when a move broke down for the hosts. A long ball forward towards Beto seemed to be misplaced as it headed straight towards Pinnock. Incredibly, the defender slipped, allowing the striker a clean run on goal. He almost brought him down accidentally but fortunately for The Bees he managed to get back to his feet.
Beto had the freedom of West London as he headed goalwards with only Flekken to beat. He tried to take it around the keeper but got it all wrong. It was a wasted opportunity for the visitors, one they could live to regret. The striker has been in good form of late but he definitely opted for the wrong option and should have looked to get a shot away.
A long ball forward from Pickford saw it headed over the hosts’ defence for Beto to run clean through again. He used his pace and strength well as he closed in on the Brentford goal. Flekken closed him down and this time the striker opted to shoot. The Bees’ keeper got an important touch as it narrowly missed the far post.
Everton’s front man was stood with his head in his hands, rueing his luck in the capital. On another day, The Toffees would have been two goals to the good. Now they were left wondering what could have been. It is something Moyes’ side have been lacking long before his return, a clinical finisher in the final third. Something they may need to address in the summer.
In a half that the visitors would have felt they had got the better of their opponents, deep into added time Thomas Frank’s side started to put some pressure on the Everton goal. As The Toffees failed to deal with a long throw, Mbuemo arrived, only to see his header come back off the crossbar. Fortunately, Wissa reacted quickest to head into the empty net with Pickford on the floor.
The two sides headed into the interval with the hosts holding a slender lead. David Moyes needed to inspire his team if they were to find a way back into the game. For The Bees, it seemed important that they got the next goal in the game, it felt like it would knock the wind out of the visitors given their wastefulness in the final third.
After the break, The Toffees seemed to have a renewed confidence. They were passing the ball about well and forcing the hosts onto the back foot. As a pass found Alcaraz, just outside the box, he shifted it to his right foot and left fly with a venomous shot. Flekken was beaten but fortunately for The Bees it narrowly missed the far post.
Since joining Everton on loan in the January transfer window, the Argentinian playmaker has impressed. He adds a flair to The Toffees up top, something they have been lacking since the days of James Rodriguez. It will be interesting to see if David Moyes can capture his signing on a more permanent basis from his parent club Flamengo.
It remains to be seen whether the new owners of Everton are planning on getting the chequebook out just yet. PSR rules dictate so much in the modern game, with The Toffees constantly teetering on the edge of breaching it. It has changed the whole spectrum of activity, even forcing clubs with the wealth of Saudi at their disposal to shop in Aldi in the transfer market.
Garner played a short pass to Mykolenko, who put in an inch-perfect cross into the back post for O’Brien to head home with an impressive diving header. It was his first goal in the Premier League for The Toffees but the finish was one of a prolific striker. The young Irishman will not be forgetting that moment anytime soon.
It had been a tight encounter between the two sides but the visitors had deserved their equaliser. Over the course of the match it was probably David Moyes’ side who had created the more clear-cut chances. However, Beto had not had an impressive night in front of goal. The Portuguese forward seems to be a confidence player, it will be interesting to see how this performance affects that.
Moyes’s side were not done yet. As a Brentford attack broke down the visitors transitioned from defence to attack in an instant. Once again Beto got the better of Pinnock but as he looked to bend his shot into the far corner, Flekken made a superb fingertip save to deny him. The Bees’ keeper was proving to be a thorn in the side of the striker.
The points were shared in West London, leaving Thomas Frank’s side in eleventh place in the Premier League. It had not been a good week for The Toffees with many of their rivals winning. That left Everton in sixteenth place but most importantly, they sit fifteen points clear of the bottom three. It is highly unlikely they are going to be dragged into a relegation dogfight this season.
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