Dyche happy to win ‘ugly’
Calvert-Lewin stops rot but it’s woe for Kompany
BURNLEY were always good for Sean Dyche and they continue to be so. Just when Everton’s manager needed help to end a famine, how appropriate his old club came bearing gifts.
The bare facts tell you Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal in first-half added time gave Everton their first league win in 112 days — their last, on December 16, was at Burnley — but there was so much more to it.
Without some kamikaze defending from Vincent Kompany’s side, it is debatable whether this contest would have ended with noisy relief ringing around Goodison Park.
Burnley, not for the first time in a campaign that appears destined to end in relegation, shot themselves in the foot.
A catastrophic error by goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, which allowed Calvert-Lewin to close him down and score, had Kompany rocking back in disbelief. Worse would follow when Dara O’Shea was sent off for a clumsy foul.
‘Our momentum collapsed twice with matters of our own doing,’ Kompany said.
None of this, of course, will matter to Dyche. He simply had to secure three points and the importance of it all should not be lost. This has to be the catalyst for more, with the spectre of relegation still stalking. But, heavens, it was attritional.
You can argue that needs must but seeing Jordan Pickford roll a ball out of his area before smashing it 60 yards forward for a knock-down or watching Andre Gomes, once of Barcelona, crack a diagonal freekick to the back post, jarred.
‘We looked at the idea of how well we had played this season,’ said Dyche. ‘We’d not won, so we deliberately tried to play it long and strong and play the game as awkward and ugly as possible and get an ugly win and it worked.’
Dyche may have had his tongue in cheek as he offered that summation but the difference in styles between the sides was stark. Burnley, with better quality in key areas, should have taken advantage of Everton’s shortcomings long before Muric’s error.
Kompany is evangelical in his determination to play out from the back but the standard and the experience of the personnel mean they are always only one mistake from it all collapsing and, 10 seconds before the interval, it did.
Muric dithered, looking to play a straight pass from the edge of his area into midfield, and that allowed Calvert-Lewin to block the kick. Time stood still as the ball looped in the air but an explosion of noise greeted it dropping into the net.
A blank first half would almost certainly have led to booing but Calvert-Lewin, with one outstretched right leg, changed the atmosphere and, in all likelihood, changed the direction of the campaign. With a buffer, Everton got on top and their task was made easier when O’Shea got his feet in a tangle and flattened Dwight McNeil. It was 50 yards from goal but McNeil would have been clear and referee Michael Oliver had no choice.
‘Things have been tough for us,’ said Dyche. ‘There has been a cloud hanging over this club for two or three years. It hard to try and change the story. But we will keep going.’
THE title race is entering its climax and, like clockwork, Kevin De Bruyne has shifted into gear. It is all rather predictable. We should be used to it by now, of course. Big players come alive in the big moments. They do not come much bigger than De Bruyne. The brilliance of this Belgian magician never ceases to amaze.
If this virtuoso performance is symbolic of what is to come, then Liverpool and Arsenal have a big problem.
His brace here at Selhurst Park brought up 100 goals for Manchester City. But his importance to City is measured by more than the tangibles.
He is their talisman, their go-toguy. In an injury-hit campaign that has restricted De Bruyne to just 16 appearances City have missed him.
But what transpired at Selhurst Park is anything to go by, the signs of are ominous.
The ‘godfather of attacking midfielders’ was Joe Cole’s description after witnessing De
Bruyne’s purring display. Who can argue? ‘I don’t know if he likes scoring or giving assists more — but yes a really good performance,’ said his manager Pep Guardiola.
‘Today, without Kevin, we wouldn’t be able to win. He was special. One of the best players in our history.’
Yet, for a while City were made to sweat — Jean-Philippe Mateta firing Crystal Palace ahead in the third minute after slotting beyond Stefan Ortega following Adam Wharton’s incisive pass.
The Eagles striker, a cult figure around these parts, accepted the adulation but the precision of the pass was as impressive. Palace have developed a penchant for unearthing EFL gems: Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi all signed after impressive displays in the Championship.
Sporting director Dougie Freedman has discovered another talent in Wharton, who has a promising balance of vision, work ethic and technical ability.
Guardiola, in his animated manner, waved his arms around in disgust. Nine minutes later he was blowing kisses.
There is not much that has not already been said about De Bruyne. But the touch, the invention, the arc, the finish — wow. Poor Dean
Henderson did not stand a chance, De Bruyne’s effort curving past the keeper before rippling the topright corner.
Palace, despite the final result, deserve credit; their performance provided enough promise for manager Oliver Glasner to feel his side are grasping his instructions, although they had Henderson to thank in the 19th minute after he denied Erling Haaland following De Bruyne’s excellent through ball.
Jordan Ayew fired narrowly over before hitting the bar after a rare mistake from Rodri.
It is not that City were rattled, but their failure to take a firmer grip on the opening 45 minute was testament to Palace’s industry and bravery in trying to assert themselves on the Treble holders.
Indeed, Eze was denied a penalty following a VAR check following clumsy defending from Josko Gvardiol before Mateta fired into the side netting immediately after the restart.
Eventually, however, City’s class told. Rico Lewis fired past Henderson, via a Lerma deflection, after Joachim Andersen’s poor defensive header from Jack Grealish’s cross in the 47th minute before Haaland prodded home the
third from close range after Grealish, who has having a productive game, combined with De Bruyne.
Grealish was involved in City’s fourth, too, laying the ball off to Rodri who set up De Bruyne to fire a wicked shot beyond Henderson.
‘It was good, it has been a very untypical season with the injuries and coming back,’ said De Bruyne.
‘Sometimes I feel good, sometimes I feel a bit off with my body. I have tried to prepare myself as best as possible. I try to do the job as good as possible and today I did well.’
There was at least some positivity for Palace in the closing stages as Olise, following a two month lay off, made his return from a serious hamstring injury.
Since Glasner’s appointment in February, after Roy Hodgson stepped down,the south London side have won just once — against relegation-threatened Burnley.
Palace are now five without victory. They travel to Anfield a week today.
It has been a difficult start for the Austrian, but Olise’s return — and their first-half display — provides some reasons for optimism, as did Odsonne’s Edouard’s late goal that reduced the final deficit to two. But for City, the sense is one of expectation rather than hope. There always is at this stage of the season.
They understand the requirements during this. They understand the brief. Perhaps crucially of all, so does De Bruyne.