Grealish finally shoots…. and Scores!!!

Bournemouth 0 – 1 Everton

Barely 3 days after the slaughter at the Hill Dickinson, Everton with a dogged and persistent performance, took the game to Bournemouth and Grealish finally took a shot at goal 10 minutes from time, that spun off Diakite’s knee and into the net for an epic win at a huge bogey ground.

Jarrad Branthwaite, and Merlin Rohl, make up the injury list, while Idrissa Gana Gueye serves an entirely unjust second match suspended for a daft slap on Mochel Keane, the cost of which was made abundantly clear against Newcastle on Saturday.

Nathan Patterson returns to the squad but the big shock for tonight is no Michael Keane, with Alcaraz and Iroegbunam starting for the cream and grey Blues. Reece Welch, Eli Campbell and two goalkeepers making up the numbers on the bench. 

The Cherries are without the suspended David Brooks, Marcos Senesi and Lewis Cook against the Blues while Ryan Christie and Ben Gannon-Doak remain sidelined through injury but they sit a point ahead of Everton, in 11th place going into this one.

First Half

An early bout of head tennis led to a home goal-kick. The Cherries wanted to play out eventually went long, Jiminez crossing behind. A ball over the top for Kroupi looked good but was flagged offside.

A decent push upfield ensued, shot from Grealish blocked, and a long throw put behind by Barry. Tarkowski and Garner then headbutted each other going for the same ball — just plain daft. Both stayed on after requiring treatment — no forced 30-second sin-bin. 

Truffert baffled Garner but his low cross was cleared. Grealiah and Jiminez had an argument by the touchline. O’Brien’s shot from the long throw was blocked, and Grealish was fouled. He and Dewsbury-Hall tried to work something but it only led to another throw.

A superb cross from Dewsbury-Hall looked to be a peach of a chance. Then Ndiaye got forward and crossed in low, but Everton were controlling the play and calling the pace. 

Another free-kick was blocked away but Ndiaye’s persistence forced a corner. Dewsbury-Hall sent it in well enough, Garner laying the cleared ball off for Iroegbunam with a hopeless effort way off target. 

The home side just could not get going. Grealish looked to advance but played a daft crossfield ball that put Ndiaye in trouble. Iroegbunam was sucked into a late chop on Semenyo: 5th yellow card of the season for him!

Then Alcaraz was called for a foul and O’Brien inadvertently set the ball for Semenyo off his arm, whose shot was stopped well by Pickford. Adli was next to try and tackle Grealish: foul. Badly taken by Dewsbury-Hall, but after Mykolenko won the ball back well, Gereaslih played in Dewsbury-Hall for a low cross that was too close to keeper Petrovic.

Ndiaye lost the ball up high, allowing The Cherries to mount an attack that was well defended. Tarkowski found Ndiaye with a decent ball down the wing but his cross was straight to a defender. Garner halted Semenyo superbly but then committed a foul. Everton eventually got it clear. 

Everton tried to work it forward again down the right but Ndiaye was unlucky when it bounced out off him. Alcaraz was then hounded off the ball. Grealish picked it up but Ndiaye then Garner failed to shoot. Adams was next to foul Iroegbunam. Alcaraz was barged but no foul given and Everton had to backtrack.

Everton came forward again but there was no conviction in Garner’s poor cross. But some good passing and movement won a corner on the left, delivered perfectly for Barry at the near post but Truffert got to it before him.

Another cooner, equally good, off Scott and onto the top of the bar! Third one almost in at the near post off Barry, onto the post from very close range, then back onto his head, but Petrovic gets his fist in front to punch it clear.  

Kluivert fouled Dewsbury-Hall clumsily for a yellow card. Free-kick from Dewsbury-Hall, deeper, but cleared to Garner, who skied it over the stand!

Alcaraz was gifted the ball but then lost it, as The Cherries got forward and somehow scored through Kroupi from close range but he had strayed offside when Adli touched the ball through to him. 0-0 at half-time.

Second Half

Everton won an early long throw for O’Brien but it wasn’t long enough. Ndiaye accelerated well and got in a cross but no one on the end of it. Alcaraz tried to drive in, forcing a corner off his shot. It bounces around before Adli and Ndiaye kick each other and the ball flies behind. Cherries free-kick.

Then Mykoleko was unlucky to be booked for a high arm after Adli made the most of it. Adams then fouled Alcaraz. Barry for once headed a ball to Alcaraz but his pass was jumped on and The Cherries got forward until Dewsbury-Hall cleverly drew the foul. Adams then fouled Alcaraz and he got his 5th yellow of the season. 

Jake O’Brien was again smart defending and drawing the foul, but the game had been quite scrappy from the restart. Everton did really well with a relatively pacey break driven by Dewsbury-Hall, 

Another brilliant Garner corner, punched across by Petrovic to Ndiaye, who crossed it low for Grealish surely to shoot home…. but no somehow he was denied. Everton continued to press but Grealish just did not create the difference he should have.

Another attack, Grealsh stalls the impetus, then passes over Ndiaye’s head! Come the hour, come the changes for Bournemouth. More good possession play from Everton, Barry backheels to Alcaraz but he has to spin and his shot is blocked. Bournemouth broke and Semenyo got a shot thorugh O’Brien’s legs to Pickford. 

The game was a lot more lively now but Ndiaye still having no luck, dispossessed, and Bournemouth break again, getting their first corner. But it was headed over. 

Ndiaye was having trouble again but Garner rescued the ball and drove to the byeline, cutting it back perfectly for Barry, who scopped a shocker high over the bar. 

Everton were doing a lot of attacking but it was such hard work to make any kind of decent chance. Another long throw by Mykolenko, could Barry hurl himself at it? No. Another long throw by Mykolenko, Tarkowski surely pushed over for a penalty? No, not if you are playing against Everton! 

With Everton no doubt playing well in Moyes’s book, he waited to 75 minutes  to make changes after Alcaraz almost caught out Petrovic and they kept pressing forward with nothing really working. 

The Cherries had a couple of breaks before Everton cgot the ball forward ot Barry but he just seemed to run out of steam and lost the battle. 

Dewsbury-Hall tried to release Barry but his oass was not strong enough. But Everton were pushing hard now and ot paid off — with a huge slice of luck. Everton went up again and this time Jack Grealish did shoot. It careened off Diakite’s knee and looped into the other corner away from Petrovic. Alcarz was carded for something during the wild Everton celebrations.

Immediate changes from Moyes, and Everton had everything to play for here to keep the three points. A great setup from Grealish was smashed goalward by Ndiaye and saved well by Petrovic. 

But Bournemouth had other ideas and they pushed up well, a desperate block by Tarkowski required. The pressure kept coming and they needed to stay tight with the noisy traveling fans having a blast working through the Everton songbook. 

It was massed defence from Everton for the last 4 added minutes, Beto working hard to be an effective target man, then some Olé passing until Ndiaye gave it away.  

McNeil had the chance to play Beto on, but a horrible pass, straight to the defender in front of him. 

Bournemouth: Petrovic; Jimenez, Diakite, Milosavljevic, Truffert; Adams [Y:52], Scott; Semenyo, Kluivert [Y:’], Adli; Kroupi (60′ Evanilson).

Subs: Dennis, Hill, Araujo, Smith, Enes Unal, Soler, (60′ Tavernier) Gonzalez

Everton: Pickford, Mykolenko, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Garner, Iroegbunam, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Alcaraz [Y:80′] (80′ NcNeil), Ndiaye, Barry (80′ Beto).

Subs: Travers, King, Aznou, Campbell, Patterson, Welch, McNeil, Dibling, Beto.

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