Bruno’s jab spares Koeman the elbow
WITH a minute of normal time remaining, Ronald Koeman was staring at a fifth defeat in six Premier League games. It’s the kind of run that gets managers sacked.
That wouldn’t have happened to the Everton manager just yet, but with Arsenal to come at Goodison Park on Sunday, this would have felt like a very long week indeed.
As it turned out, Koeman and his labouring Everton team got a helping hand from an unlikely source. An elbow to be precise.
It belonged to the Brighton captain Bruno and when it was thrust into the neck of Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the death, Wayne Rooney was able to convert a penalty to brighten up Koeman’s day.
But the Dutchman is certainly not out of the woods yet. Not by a long way. This was another flat, shapeless Everton performance and had it ended in defeat after Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert scored his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute, their manager could not have complained.
But a solitary point could yet make a difference to Koeman. It means Everton have the same number of points as the team in 13th rather than sitting alone in 17th. It’s a small difference but a difference all the same.
So Koeman owes a debt to Bruno while Chris Hughton, the Brighton manager, will feel differently.
The Spanish defender is the captain of the club and has been a mainstay in Sussex, on and off the field, in recent years. He had played a starring role in the creation of Knockaert’s goal, too. But the concession of this penalty was madness, pure and simple.
Brighton had conceded a freekick as Everton countered desperately with a minute left on the clock, and when the ball was floated hopefully towards the far post Bruno would have fancied himself to get the better of young Everton forward Calvert-Lewin.
But instead of competing fairly, Bruno focussed squarely on his opponent and deliberately eased his elbow into Calvert-Lewin’s neck. Credit to Michael Oliver for giving the penalty. The referee was booed off at the end but Bruno’s offence was clear and he could feasibly have been sent off.
Rooney despatched the penalty calmly to the right of impressive Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and Brighton had tossed away two important points.
It could even have been worse. Brighton lost their composure totally in the four minutes of added time that followed and had Ryan not saved brilliantly to twice deny Kevin Mirallas from close range, Everton could have won.
The visitors enjoyed more possession throughout but rarely looked capable of doing anything with it. Brighton, meanwhile, just couldn’t get their most dangerous players into the game enough.
With Rooney restored to the team at centre forward, Everton had a look of stability about them but were dreadfully short of imagination. Where is the pace down the flanks of last season? Where is the bravery and ambition?
Here, they were leaden and predictable. They had some halfchances and Ryan saved from Mason Holgate and Calvert-Lewin early in the second half.
But Brighton appeared set to win it after Knockaert rammed in his goal following Bruno’s neat play down the right. Everton looked finished at that point. Frankly, Koeman’s players didn’t seem to have much left to give.
As it is, the manager stumbles on. He will know that things must turn soon.