Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth meant that Saturday’s game was the final cup tie at Goodison Park. Chris Beesley highlights some of the possible lost opportunities from the Blues’ dismal but historic performance.
Sometimes deeds speak louder than words. Everton manager David Moyes praised Beto a week earlier when his sole fit striker scored twice in a 4-0 win over Leicester City.
The Blues manager said, “I am very thrilled for Beto. People who have been here longer than I will know more about him. I’m only getting to know him, and he’s a fantastic kid who works hard in training and strives to improve himself.Sometimes in life, you need an opportunity, and he had one. His reception coming off the pitch was the best we’d heard here in a long time, so credit to him for sticking with it and taking his two goals properly.”
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja, and Youssef Chermiti all out injured, it appears Everton will have to take the rough with the smooth with Beto, especially now that the winter transfer window has closed. The £25.8 million frontman had a difficult afternoon against Bournemouth, as he did not receive the same level of service as he had against Leicester.
When Beto finally got his best chance of the game, shortly before the Cherries broke the deadlock, he made a wild swipe at the ball and scuffed his attempt. Everton then won a corner after a sloppy run of play in which both sides made mistakes, as a Bournemouth defender shanked the ball out of play with an ineffective clearance.
Moyes shook his head on the touchline, as if unable to believe what he was watching. Despite his great start, the returning Blues manager still has a lot of work to do with this squad before the end of the season.
In the firing line
It appears that the Goodison Park dugouts were also a dangerous place during the ground’s final cup tie, prompting Moyes to shake his head in addition to the activity on the pitch. At least the 61-year-old was on familiar territory and maintained his footing, unlike his Bournemouth rival Andoni Iraola.
The Basque manager made a wonderful post-match statement about his affection for the ‘Grand Old Lady,’ but on a day when Evertonians had little to celebrate about, one of the loudest roars from the home fans came when the Cherries manager fell. Laughing at an opponent falling over, like the referee being hit by the ball, appears to be one of the most persistent base reactions of football fans around the world, and this was no exception.
Iraola’s slip was not the only possible incident; after Everton defender Jake O’Brien cleared the ball upfield, Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen intercepted it and smashed it towards the home bench. The adolescent did appear to make an apologetic gesture in that manner, though Blues substitutes and staff apparently had to duck swiftly.
Bournemouth fans rub it in
As we’ve already learnt, football fans of all stripes have little sympathy for their opponents, and on their final visit to Goodison Park after flying over 500 miles from Dorset, Bournemouth’s travelling supporters were determined to have a good time.
Despite playing at a ground with a capacity of only 11,307 – smaller than Prenton Park (16,567), the home of the Blues’ Merseyside neighbours Tranmere Rovers, who are currently one place below the League Two relegation spots – and this being only their eighth season in the top flight, the 2-0 victory ensured they had now completed a hat-trick of wins over Everton this season.
Back on August 31, they inflicted one of the most chastening experiences on Goodison Park fans, behind by two goals in the 87th minute but still defeating the Blues 3-2. “Two-nil up and you f****d it up,” came the yell from the away end of the Bullens Road Stand.
Everton could not respond to that, on or off the pitch. What they can expect to accomplish under Moyes is hush the Cherries’ other taunts.
In what appeared to be an attempt to ‘geg in’ on the language of south coast rivalry when it comes to Hampshire rivals Portsmouth and Southampton, Bournemouth fans also chanted: “You’re going down with the scummers,” in reference to the Saints holding up the league. As painful as it is, Everton’s cup exit forces them to focus solely on the Premier League, and after three consecutive victories under Moyes, they now have a nine-point lead over the drop zone, as well as a far superior goal difference to the bottom three clubs.
It’s now crucial that they secure the results in the following 14 fixtures, including the final seven at Goodison Park, to ensure they move into their new 52,888 capacity stadium – a venue over four-and-a-half times bigger than the Vitality Stadium – with their top flight status intact.
Snods gets the matchball
After all of this sadness, let’s end on a lighter note. As a player, Ian Snodin handled the serious business of being an Everton title winner while also appearing in the 3-2 ‘Great Escape’ against Wimbledon, but the genial Yorkshireman is always up for a laugh when you see him at Goodison Park.
As the assembled reporters gathered in the media room to await the entrance of both managers for their post-match press conferences, Everton club ambassador Snodin emerged with the matchball in hand. When a reporter asked what he was doing, Snods just replied: “Donny v Reading, 7-5, I’ve got loads of them at home!”
