Don’t look now, but the end of the Premier League season is right around the corner. February has just wrapped up and now there are just 2 months left in the season. February was a very busy month for the toffees. 5 league matches and a FA Cup match. There were some memorable moments in a few of those matches, and perhaps a new star was born. Let’s hop into it and break it all down.
Everton v Leicester City
Let’s flash back all the way to the beginning of February. At the time Everton were flying high off the back of two straight league victories over Spurs and Brighton. Leicester were coming off a nice win over Spurs, so both sides were coming in with a little bit of confidence. However once the match started it was clear that there was ever only going to be one winner. Everton scored the fastest goal in the history of Goodison park when Abdoulaye Doucoure scored in just 10 seconds. This lightning strike set the tone. Beto scored the next 2 in the 6th and 45th+2 minutes and Iliman Ndiaye capped it off with a nice goal in the 90th minute. Easily the best performance of the season it was a brilliant display by Everton.
Everton v Bournemouth (FA Cup)
The Fa Cup tie at Bournemouth was the most disappointing match of the month by a wide margin. Everton looked like they did even show up in the first half. Flat footer, loosing every 505/50 ball, no attacking threat, poor passing, anything that could of been done poorly was done poorly. A poor penalty conceded in the 22nd minute was put away by Antoine Semenyo. The ultimate dagger from Daniel Jebbison in the 44th minute. A fun fact about that Jebbison goal. It was his 14th in his career and his second against Everton. Those two goals against Everton are nearly 15 percent of all the goals he’s scored in his career to this point. Everton played much better in the second half, they created a bunch of chances and hit the post twice, but the goals didn’t fall and Everton were bounced out of the FA cup.
Last Goodison Derby
After a disappointing exit from the FA Cup, Everton had the league leaders coming to Goodison park for the very last time. As it stands now, it also doubled as the last match under the floodlights as well. As with all derbies it was an intense affair. It started out perfectly for Everton. After a foul just past the the halfway line, Jarred Branthwaite and Beto caught the Liverpool backline sleeping with a ball slipped right in behind. Beto was on it in a flash and beat the keeper with a great finish. Goodison was in raptures. Liverpool weren’t down long. In the 16th minute Mac Allister equalized on a header that was perfectly placed to beat Pickford. The match looked like it was headed for a 1-1 draw until a ball that was pinged around the Everton box found it’s way to Mohamed Salah, and he wasn’t going to miss, and it was 2-1 Liverpool. Goodison park was despondent. Losing the last ever derby, and giving Liverpool more win in the derby At Goodison was going to be crushing. Until a ball whipped in by Vitali Mykolenko was headed on by Tim Iroegbunam, and thumped home at the back post by James Tarkowski. Goodsion park erupted and the scenes were a sight to behold. It was like something written for a script in Hollywood. There was a scuffle after the final whistle when Doucoure was giving grief to the traveling Liverpool supporters. Doucoure got a red card for his troubles, as did Curtis Jones who was the first to confront the Everton player. Arne Slot was also sent off for dissent. It was a fiery end to the last chapter of this old derby at Goodison Park.
Everton v Crystal Palace
After the the theatrics of that Wednesday night the expectations were maybe a little lower with a long trip to London. Not to mention Ndaiye went off injured in the derby, and Doucoure was suspended due to the red card. Charly Alcaraz made his first Everton start, and Jack Harrison slid into the opening lineup. Everton started out of the gates very slowly. The players just looked tired, and it looked like getting a point would of been a good outcome. Until the 42nd minute when once again scores a goal his 4th goal in 4 league matches. Everton were pegged back early in the second half when Jean-Philippe Mateta scored on a ball that Everton did a poor job of clearing. With 10 minutes left Charly Alcaraz jumped on a rebounded Ashley Young shot and scored his first Everton goal, and it ended up being the winner. A gutty performance from a bunch of tired legs.
Everton v Manchester United
The match versus Manchester United is probably the most disappointing and frustrating result of the month. Everton started hot on the front foot again. Beto scored once again in the 19th minute. It was a ball that ping ponged around a bit and fell to Beto and he didn’t miss. It was subject to a ridiculously long VAR review though, but the goal stood in the end. Everton doubled their lead in the 33rd minute when Doucoure came screaming from the edge of the box to head home a deflected save from a Jack Harrison effort. Everton were comfortably in control deep into the second half. Everton had a free kick to defend maybe 35 yards from goal. It hit the wall, and it went out for what would of been a corner, but Doucoure was called for a hand ball and Fernandes was given a second bite of the cherry, and this time he planted it in the the bottom corner to Pickford’s left and United were back in the match. Just 8 minutes later United scored the equalizer after Everton failed to clear a free kick that was sent into the box, and Manuel Ugarte finished it sweetly. Everton looked like they were gonna have a shot at a last gasp penalty when Ashley Young was pulled down in the box by Matthijs De Ligt, and Harry Maguire. VAR took their look, and ultimately it was decided that it was a penalty, and that was pretty much the end. The VAR decision was suspect at best and question were asked whether or not the right angles were shown in the review.
Everton v Brentford
Finally Everton had their last match of the month. Another long trip down to London to take on Brentford. In the first half it looked like Beto was going to continue his hot scoring streak, but he missed a couple good 1v1 opportunities. Unfortunately at the end of the half Yoane Wissa beat the entire Everton defense to a ball hanging in the air and headed it home. Everton looked well off the pace and didn’t look like their day, but not for the first time since Moyes has taken over, this squad didn’t stop fighting. With just under 15 minutes left in the match Mykolenko put a great ball into the box at the back post, and Jake O’Brien headed home his first goal for the club. First goal, and first assist for O’Brien and Mykolenko. Beto did have one more chance to win the match with just 3 minutes to go. One on One with the keeper once again, but this time a great save by Flekken kept it out, and the points were shared.
Other Everton news
There wasn’t a whole lot that happened off the pitch, but there were a couple of newsworthy moments in February. The most important was the first test event played at Bramley Moore Dock. Fans got to try the new food options, see the inside of the stadium for themselves for the first time, take in the views from the south stand as well. Ten Thousand lucky supporters got to watch the first ever match played at Bramley Moore Dock, it ended in a loss for Everton, but the result didn’t mean much. It was also revealed in February that Kevin Thewell will not be having his contract renewed after this season. Thewell has had some very good signing, but has also missed on quite a few players as well. He didn’t have the easiest of situation to navigate with Everton under hard financial scrutiny for a lot of his tenure. Opinions will be split on how he will be remembered, but it is know now that he won’t be with the club after this season.
It was a really busy month for Everton in February, but the squad has gotten some nice warm weather training done in UAE. Everton will return to action on March the 8th against Wolves in Wolverhampton. It’s a slow month for matches with just 2 on the schedule. At Wolves, and home against West Ham United. We are in the endgame of the season now, hopefully Everton can make a push further up the table and finish near 10th.
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