Idrissa Gueye’s second-half strike was one of few highlights in a largely dreadful game and proved enough to guarantee Everton’s Premier League survival
Premier League: Despite two separate points deductions totalling eight points and doubts over their financial future and ownership, Everton have secured their top flight status for a 71st year in succession. Andy Hunter reports from Goodison Park …
Jordan Pickford: “Perfect,” says the Everton goalkeeper. “It was a big bounceback from Chelsea and now we’ve three games to go and enjoy it. There’s been a lot of pressure the last two years and after the deductions this year, the lads dug in massively. It’s been a perfect week: three wins, three clean sheets. I criticise myself but I made some crucial saves tonight.”
James Tarkowski: “[The 6-0 defeat by Chelsea] was the toughest moment of the season and we were in a very dark place after that,” says the Everton captain in an interview with Sky Sports. “It’s been amazing. It’s been some week. Three wins. Today is the toughest game of the three. The lads turned up again. Incredible. The work Idrissa Gueye gets through is incredible.”
The final Premier League match of a busy Saturday kicks off at 8pm (BST) and you can follow the action with Tim de Lisle …
A quick recap: Things could only improve after a dreadful first half in which both sides failed to muster a single shot on target between them. Jordan Pickford saved at the feet of Ivan Toney shortly after the break, before Idrissa Gueye scored from 10 yards out after the ball broke his way when Brentford failed to clear a corner. Everton hit the woodwork on two occasions, with both Dwight McNeil and James Garner sending thumping efforts against the cross-bar either side of Gueye’s strike.
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeeeep! A fairly dire game is put out of its misery but Everton fans won’t care about the lack of quality or entertainment on show at Goodison Park, where their team has won its third match in a week. They win courtesy of Idrissa Gueye’s second-half strike and guarantee their top flight status for another season.
90+7 min: Brentford teammates Bryan Mbeumo and Mathias Jensen have a frank exchange of views over something or other. I’m not sure what.
90+6 min: Michael Keane is playing as a centre-forward. Did we ever think we’d see the day?
90+5 min: Everton substitution: Keane comes on for Chermiti, who receives a warm round of applause from the Goodsion Park crowd.
90+3 min: Pickford dives to his left to save a low Kevin Schade rasper from distance. The Everton goalkeeper spills the ball but retrieves it before Ivan Toney can pounce.
90+1 min: Everton free-kick, wide on the left. With everybody expecting a cross into the penalty area, James Garner tries his luck and rattles the cross-bar with a fine effort.
90 min: Michael Keane was about to come on for Everton but has his hi-viz bib back on and is leaning against the dugout. He was to replace Chermiti, presumably in a bid to help Everton see out the win. The young Portuguese striker hasn’t had much to work with in this game, but did show a lack of bravery with the one half-decent chance that came his way.
86 min: Onana advances on the Brentford penalty area and dithers before passing the ball to Doucoure on his right. Shooting from an offside position, he loses his balance and sends the ball wide. The flag goes up, rendering his effort redundant.
84 min: Chermiti runs on to a ball in behind by Dwight McNeill but is unable to get a shot off under pressure from Nathan Collins. The flag goes up for offside. Brentford substitution: Mads Roerslev comes on fror Kristoffer Ajer.
83 min: A long Pickford kick-out sails over the head of its intended target, Chermiti, but Everton manage to win a throw-in deep in Brentford territory on the back of industrious ferreting by Harrison.
80 min: Kevin Schade immediately wins a corner for Brentford after leaving Brantwaithe in his dust. Nothing comes of the set-piece, which Everton clear in instalments.
78 min: Brentford double-substitution: Kevin Schade and Yegor Yarmolyuk on for Sergio Reguilon and Christian Norgaard. Everton substitution: Amadou Onana on for Idrissa Gueye.
76 min: Pickford sticks up an arm to save a rising long-range drive from Keane Lewis-Potter.
75 min: Reguilon’s low corner finds its way to Toney, who tries to steer the ball past Pickford at the near post. The Everton goalkeeper saves comfortably.
74 min: Tarkowski is booked for – I think – kicking a second ball on to the pitch to prevent Brentford from taking a quick throw-in or corner. He pleads his case with the referee, claiming innocence, but to no avail.
72 min: Chermiti sprints on to a ball through the centre but bottles his attempt to win it, pulling out of a 50-50 challenge with Brentford’s goalkeeper and allowing Flekken to hack it clear. That’s poor from the Everton striker – he could have beaten Flekken to that ball.
70 min: Gueye fouls Norgaard in the centre-circle and Brentford have a free-kick, which they waste. The ball is sent sailing out of play for an Everton goal kick.
68 min: Brentford double-substitution: Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter come on for Vitaly Janelt and Yoane Wissa.
67 min: McNeil sends a low drive fizzing inches wide of the upright moments after Everton had a half-hearted penalty appeal turned down after the ball hit Kristoffer Ajer’s shoulder following a close range ricochet off Tarkowski.
65 min: If Everton win this game, they are guaranteed to stay up and it will be any two from Burnley, Luton and Nottingham Forest who go down with Sheffield United, whose relegation was confirmed earlier today. Given their superior goal difference over those three teams, a draw today will almost certainly guarantee Everton’s safety too.
64 min: A slip from Ben Godfrey allows Yoane Wissa to send a cross into the Everton box from the left. Jarrad Brantwaithe heads clear.
There was a check possible offside in the build-up to that goal but try as they might, the curtain-twitchers in Stockley Park can find no reason to chalk of Gueye’s opener. Everton are in front following their first shot on target!
I spoke too soon! Everton win another corner, still looking for their first shot on target. The ball is swung into the mixer and breaks to Gueye, whose first shot is blocked. Harrison’s low cross into the box is only half-cleared by Brentford and the ball breaks to the Everton midfielder, who rifles it into the top corner from about eight yards.
57 min: The outswinger is sent towards the far post, where Brentford clear. Everton recycle the ball but Young overhits his delivery back inoto the penalty area and sends the ball out for a Brentford goal-kick. The almost total absence of anything resembling quality or finesse in this football match being contested by 22 elite professionals is comical.
55 min: Yoane Wissa shoves Jack Harrison to the ground as the duo contest a ball sent fizzing towards the corner flag by McNeil. McNeil sends the ball towards the far post, where Flekken punches it out for a corner under pressure from Ben Godfrey.
54 min: Dwight McNeil sends a swerving, curling shot from distance thumping against the cross-bar. Flekken was beaten all ends up but Brentford were saved by the woodwork.
52 min: Jack Harrison puts the ball straight out of play for a throw-in as another Everton sortie into Brentford territory fizzles out into nothing.
50 min: Matthias Jensen advances through the centre and curls a low cross into the path of Ivan Toney, whose right-footed shot is saved by Jordan Pickford, who dives at the striker’s feet.
49 min: Young plays the ball out of defence to Chermiti, who is robbed of possession on the halfway line by Mathias Jensen. The Brentford midfielder plays the ball back to his goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, who has taken 49 minutes to get a mention in this match report.
47 min: Pickford takes a free-kick from just inside his own half and instead of booting it long into the box, picks out McNeil with an excellent pass down the wing wing with his left foot. The Everton winger’s control lets him down and he loses the ball.
46 min: The second half kicks off, with hopes high that it can eclipse a first half in which there were no shots on target and the only “highlight” of note was the sight of Jarrad Brantwaithe blocking an effort from Matthias Jensen after James Tarkowski had been nutmegged.
Peep! With a blast of his whistle, referee Darren England draws a massively forgettable first half to a close. There’s no point in beating around the bush – it’s been a dismal game of football so far.
45+1 min: Chermiti lays the ball off to Harrison, who has a shot from distance blocked.
45 min: Chermiti gets a nice touch on a free-kick from deep, sending the ball looping around the corner for Doucoure in a good position about 10 yards out. He slices his shot horribly wide of the upright.
43 min: Nathan Collins blocks a Harrison shot and puts the ball out for an Everton corner. Nothing much comes of it, although once the ball’s recycled by Everton, the Brentford defender is forced to block another shot, this time from Tarkowski.
41 min: Bryan Mbeumo fouls Dwight McNeil seconds before Chermiti returns to the pitch after changing his boots.
38 min: Chermiti hurts himself as he goes in on Vitaly Janelt with a crunching challenge. There’s a break in play as he receives treatment. He’s been feeding off scraps in this first half but you can’t fault his enthusiasm or desperation to impress on this rare opportunity to get some game time.
36 min: Ivan Toney tries his luck from distance but his shot is blocked by Tarkowski. The Brentford striker gives away a free-kick as he tries to retrieve the breaking ball. Pickford sends the ball long to Chermiti, who is again bested by Pinnock. The young, inexperienced striker simply doesn’t have anywhere near the same physical presence as Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
35 min: Everton corner. McNeil picks out Tarkowski at the far post, who heads it back across the face of goal. Brentford clear.
33 min: Dwight McNeil drills a low cross into the Brentford penalty area from the left but fails to beat the first man. That man? Nathan Collins, who hacks clear.