Here's how Everton can escape the drop

Sean Dyche's relegation-threatened side needs to feed off James Garner and James Tarkowski to make their home advantage count

Everton's Yerry Mina celebrates scoring their equaliser against Wolves - Wolves vs Everton result: Everton fail to edge away from abyss despite late Yerry Mina strike
Everton players may well be looking up to the skies for inspiration and luck come their final game of the season at home to Bournemouth Credit: Action Images/Andrew Boyers

It’s not a done deal by any means, but Everton’s fight for survival remains just about in their own hands after Leeds United’s defeat at West Ham United. The result at the London Stadium means victory over AFC Bournemouth on Sunday will keep Everton above Leeds. However, even in the unlikely but not impossible event of Leicester City winning at Newcastle United this evening and then at home to Europe-distracted West Ham, their superior goal difference means even a slender victory will not keep Everton afloat

Yerry Mina’s late, late equaliser gave Everton a point at Molineux on Saturday, a point which looked even more vital on Sunday. Here’s how they can prise themselves to salvation.

The Sean Dyche mindset

The new manager bounce was brief – his first 90 minutes against Arsenal might be the more cruel interpretation – and he’s struggled to deal with the central issues which pre-date his arrival and explain Everton’s travails:  lack of personnel; lack of attacking threat, lack of central midfield authority; lack of quality and woeful recruitment. Yet, he’s changed the shoulder-shrugging culture and diffident mindset. For all the joy unleashed by Mina’s goal Everton were poor at Molineux, but as Dyche explained: “the message to my players has been consistent, as is what I expect from the group. We’ve got a few question marks over ourselves, but there are a lot of good players here. I’ve spoken at length to them about seeing through the challenge, seeing through the noise and just looking at what’s around us.”

Sean Dyche has got rid of the shoulder-shrugging at Goodison Park since he arrived
Sean Dyche has got rid of the shoulder-shrugging at Goodison Park since he arrived Credit: AP/Jon Super

The Luck Of The Fixture List

Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil may protest otherwise, but his team’s season ended when victories over Southampton and Leeds in three late-April days, as good as ensured their safety. Since then, shod in metaphorical flip-flops, they’ve tumbled to three defeats. Everton couldn’t ask for more ideal opponents. And, should they go one or even two goals down, hope is not lost, for Everton have form here from as far back as 1994 when, needing victory for survival and Sheffield United to stumble at Chelsea, they gave a lackadaisical Wimbledon a two-goal start and still won, as United’s lead at Stamford Bridge was overturned. In 1998, mid-table Coventry gifted them the point they needed to stay up on goal difference. Last season, safety was assured after they gave a compliant Crystal Palace a two-goal start before stumbling to victory.

Players doing what they need to, no fuss

Saturday was blighted by matters out of Everton’s control, chiefly the enforced first-half withdrawal of Nathan Patterson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but as the clock ticked Dyche repeatedly changed formation and approach. “Whatever we said, there were no questions. Jimmy Garner was a great advert for that. It was simply ‘I’ll do what I need to do’. Look at Michael Keane, brought on to play out of position at right back. Again, no questions.  He came forwards when he needed to and his calm feet delivered the chance for our goal”.  And for that goal one centre half (James Tarkowski) headed it down. Another (Keane) crossed. And a third (Mina) scored. For all they lack, these players will do whatever it takes, by any means necessary.

Everton need to feed off James Garner and James Tarkowski to make life tough for Bournemouth on the final day of the season
Everton need to feed off James Garner and James Tarkowski to make life tough for Bournemouth on the final day of the season Credit: Getty Images/Tony McArdle

Leeds and Leicester woes continue

Leeds looked broken against West Ham. Sam Allardyce’s short-term voodoo has failed to work and now only victory will do, although that might not be enough. Leicester have six points to play for. If they take them all, they will survive but for a crackpot margin of Everton victory at Goodison Park. One win in Leicester’s last 14 league games suggests it won’t happen, but…

The Game

“I can’t say ‘same again’ against Bournemouth, because I don’t know who’ll be available,” sighed Dyche. They do, though, have tools at their disposal: that in-game tactical flexibility; a fervent crowd who will, for one afternoon at least, put aside their disenchantment at how the club is run; last season’s experience and potentially cruising opposition.


Everton fail to edge away from abyss despite late Yerry Mina strike

Yerry Mina bundles the ball into the back of the Wolves net to give Everton the draw and some much-needed hope in the relegation battle
Yerry Mina bundles the ball into the back of the Wolves net to give Everton the draw and some much-needed hope in the relegation battle Credit: Getty Images/Simon Stacpoole

By John Aizlewood, at Molineux 

Desperation had taken hold. Nine minutes into added time after a tension-strewn second half, Everton were a goal down and seemingly defeated again. They had not scored again and they had certainly not played especially well. Then Dan Bentley failed to get to grips with Demarai Gray's cross, Michael Keane knocked the loose ball into the box and Yerry Mina poked it in. 

Whether Mina’s strike means Everton will avoid the cloying embrace of the Championship abyss remains to be seen, but they are undefeated in three away games and they live to fight one more day.

Their anxious support had unfurled a banner before kick-off demanding ‘FIGHT FOR US’. And fight Everton did, not least the doughty Alex Iwobi and cultured James Garner. Mere fight did not look to be enough, but what spirit and what pluck Everton showed. Such qualities may not ultimately mean survival, but they were enough to turn despair into joy.

“I’m so pleased with the players’ mentality,” said Sean Dyche, the Everton manager, who repeatedly changed formation as his team lost men, fell behind and then chased some kind of reward. “We kept probing and we never lost belief we’d score a goal. These players backed themselves. There’s been a lot of noise around this club, but I can’t be a---- to make excuses. What we do out there on the pitch is what’s important.”

Yerry Mina of Everton shoots to score during the Premier League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Yerry Mina pokes in Everton's 99th-minute equaliser at Wolves Credit: Getty Images/Tony McArdle

What the equaliser does mean is that Sunday’s game at home to Bournemouth will decide everything, but if Leeds win at West Ham today or Leicester City win at Newcastle tomorrow, Everton will kick off in the bottom three. For all the gleeful hysteria at the final whistle, a 68-year stay at the top table may be over, a demotion hovering with menace since they took seven Premier League games to win one.

Its ending notwithstanding, the afternoon encapsulated Everton’s season. They had misfortune, Nathan Patterson hobbled off just after the half-hour and the fillip of Dominic Calvert-Lewin starting was illusionary. He had only lasted 45 minutes of Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City. Here, clearly not fully functional, he did not even make it to half-time before limping off disconsolate like Patterson, betrayed by his hamstring. His only contribution had been a chance to settle nerves, spurned when he put an early header wide from Iwobi’s cross.

Desperately seeking attacking oomph, Dyche left Mason Holgate on the bench as Dwight McNeil dropped back to play behind Iwobi on Everton’s left, thus leaving a rather gaping hole for the touchline-hogging Adama Traore to exploit. And he did, but being Adama Traore, only intermittently. As ever, Everton carried little threat until the end, allowing Bentley a mostly placid afternoon.

And the central midfield pairing of Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana were desperately sloppy in possession, while being over-run by a Wolves side free to enjoy the last home rites of a season in which they were bottom of the table before the World Cup break.

Lacking quality and serenity, Everton were frenetic, even before they lost men and shipped a goal. Wolves were prepared to allow the early Everton storm to abate, as it did just after the half-hour mark when a visitors’ attack broke down.

Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after putting his team ahead against Everton - Wolves vs Everton result: Everton fail to edge away from abyss despite late Yerry Mina strike
Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after putting his team ahead against Everton Credit: Getty Images

Traore collected midway in his own half, powered past a succession of skimpy challenges (“we didn’t give a professional foul away, as we should have done because that’s the nature of the game these days,” sighed Dyche) and shot from the edge of the area. Jordan Pickford saved well, but the loose ball fell to Hwang Hee-chan, who tapped into the empty net.

Everton looked broken and but for some stoic defending they would have been broken through. However, they were more composed after the break. Iwobi was everywhere, Gray offered some kind of threat and, but they lacked traction and Pablo Sarabia, Daniel Podence and Diego Costa spurned chances for Wolves.

Neal Maupay arrived to add more attacking ballast, but Wolves would have settled it in added time, had not Pickford stuck a timely leg out to foil Matheus Nunes, thus ensuring that final twist was still possible.

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