Everton hit by familiar weakness in defeat as Bournemouth taunt Toffees | OneFootball

Everton’s goalscoring woes continued in a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Sean Dyche’s team look increasingly like being drawn into a relegation fight as they failed to produce a shot on target in 90 minutes, as their poor run extended to one goal scored in their last five Premier League games.

Their inability to trouble their hosts was made to look almost comical by the ease with which Bournemouth cut through them again and again, and another assured display made it five wins in eight for Andoni Iraola’s side.

The winning goal 13 minutes from time encapsulated everything Everton were not. Milos Kerkez sent a finely-calibrated cross into the box where it arrived at the perfect height for David Brooks to skip into the air and, with the kind of confidence that his team’s brilliant season so far imbues, volleyed beyond Jordan Pickford into the far corner.

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga started on the bench having spent time at home in Spain after his partner had given birth to twins. Mark Travers deputised but Iraola need not have lost sleep over his selection in goal such was the absence of anything like a threat from Everton.

open image in gallery

Dyche’s team look increasingly like being drawn into a relegation fight (Getty Images)

The team had doggedly earned goalless stalemates against Chelsea and Arsenal in December as well as a deserved draw against Manchester City, but this display had less of a heroic feel and more one from a side with little idea and even less ambition.

Bournemouth were the better team virtually throughout. Early on, Dean Huijsen’s flick-on helped a long throw to reach Dango Ouattara who scraped the ball goalwards, Pickford dropping smartly to his right to save.

Everton’s goalkeeper was relieved to see Antoine Semenyo’s deflected strike zip inches wide via Jarrad Branthwaite, then Evanilson dragged beyond the far post after delicate footwork to create space inside the box.

Increasingly as the half wore on, home supporters railed against what they deemed to be timewasting by the visitors and there was little argument that Everton were clinging on.

Semenyo burst down the right and set up Justin Kluivert with a devilish reverse pass, Pickford racing out to block and rescue his defence once again as the crowd taunted away fans with “how do you watch this every week?”

With the final play of the half, Huijsen appeared at the back post from a deep cross but could only angle his header onto the roof of the net as Everton slunk off at half-time grateful to be level.

Bournemouth picked up where they had left off after the interval. Pickford got down to palm away a low drive from Semenyo, then produced his finest save of the lot to prevent Ouattara from squeezing the ball inside the post from the edge of the box.

Defender Nathan Patterson looked to take Everton’s goalscoring fate into his own hands when he burst through the middle and to within range of goal, before demonstrating the same kind of eye for a finish as his attacking team-mates and delivering the ball high into the Bournemouth supporters behind Travers.

It was beginning to feel destined to drift towards stalemate. Then up popped Brooks, rising to put his left foot through Kerkez’s cross to finally get the better of Pickford.