Brentford’s Ivan Toney hits the spot to pile misery on sorry Everton
For Brentford the final whistle provided a reason to celebrate and boy did they take it. A first victory in six league games ended with players and manager embracing on the pitch, supporters cheering wildly in the stands and the breaking-out of a light show accompanied by blaring music that was more akin to a rave than a football match. All of which provided stark contrast to what was happening at the far corner of the ground.
Everton’s players had wandered over to salute the travelling fans, who greeted the gesture with clear displeasure. There were howls of fury and frustration as well as a fair few V-signs, and it was hard not to sympathise with those who had made the journey from Merseyside to west London on a bitterly cold day. For Everton, winter is well and truly here.
It is now seven games without victory and a third without scoring for the visitors, and while they showed far more intent and character than was the case at Manchester City a week ago, they were still incredibly poor. Everton showed no clear sense of plan and created little of note either side of the goal that undid them – Ivan Toney’s typically cool penalty. Quite simply Everton look lost and things only look set to get worse for them given that their next game is against Liverpool at home on Wednesday night.
It could be the most horrendous of reunions for Rafael Benítez, who insisted prior to this game that he maintains the full backing of the club’s majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri. But the Spaniard could see that change if his former side run riot against his current one and turn Goodison Park into a hotbed of toxicity. The natives are restless, in person and on social media, with #RafaOut trending on Twitter not long after this game had concluded.
“The connection between the fans and players last season wasn’t great but you could see it was better at the start of this season,” said Benítez. “To bring back this connection, the fans expect the players to give everything and they can’t complain today as the players gave everything. You could see how they were fighting to the last minute. They tried their best but they need to be more precise in the final third.”
That was undeniably the case, with Salomón Rondón once again delivering a blunt display, failing to convert a close-range effort after Brentford had taken the lead and doing increasingly less thereafter, a late glancing header the best of his efforts.
The Venezuelan was playing because Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains sidelined with a thigh injury and Richarlison was suspended, and with Yerry Mina also out injured there is little doubt that Benítez’s attempts to turn Everton’s fortunes around are being hampered by the absence of key players. Yet here he was able to call on the fit again Abdoulaye Doucouré, arguably Everton’s best performer this campaign, and put out a side that should have fared better against opponents also missing crucial personnel. Those in blue had 60% possession but most of that was wasted via aimless, clueless passes and it wasn’t until Demarai Gray came on as a 70th-minute substitute that Everton seriously threatened, the winger delivering a couple of excellent crosses into the area that Calvert-Lewin may well have converted had he been playing. But he wasn’t – Rondón was.
The hosts survived those scares and in the end deserved the win, their first here since the opening-day triumph over Arsenal and one that takes them above Everton and into 12th. They showed great togetherness throughout and, crucially, seized the moment that led to the only goal of the game.
It started with a Sergi Canós corner that Jordan Pickford scrambled clear to the edge of the area, where Andros
Townsend looked to hook fully clear; instead, however, he kicked Frank Onyeka’s jaw as the Nigerian aimed to meet the ball with his head.
The connection was accidental but firm, leaving Onyeka stricken on the turf. Play continued amid jeers from the home fans before the referee, Darren England, took the advice of his VAR, Jonathan Moss, and decided to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. A penalty was rightly awarded and Toney converted it, giving Pickford the eyes before sending the England goalkeeper the wrong way for his fifth goal of the season.
“I already said that he is the world’s best penalty taker and he proved that today,” said Thomas Frank. “I am very pleased with the result. Do not forget, we are a newly promoted club playing against an Everton side that has spent a lot of money in recent years. This is a massive win for us.”