Everton: 3 key Takeaways from West Brom vs Everton
Everton are currently fifth in the table with 46 points
It was a difficult result for Everton, as the Toffees grinded out a challenging 1-0 victory against West Brom at the Hawthorns. Everton almost went 1-0 down early as Mbaye Diagne was able to get his head to the ball, which forced a fantastic save by Jordan Pickford. The Baggies continued to punish the Toffees, with Sam Allardyce’s side arguably being in control for the first stretch of the game.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were not able to create any substantial chances, as the West Brom players would sit back and then spring smart presses when an Everton player took a heavy touch or were in a difficult situation. The first half was mainly a boring affair, with both teams not creating fantastic opportunities, with it being evident that Everton needed to make a change if they wanted to get into the game.
This change came 13 minutes into the second half, with Allan replacing Alex Iwobi, and this change was huge for the Toffees. The Brazilian made the midfield a lot more secure, making sure the players around him didn’t play the silly passes, which lead to them giving the ball away multiple times throughout the game, but it was Ancelotti’s second substitution that became the headline grabber.
Match Review. Sluggish Everton hang on for the points. light
Gylfi Sigurdsson replaced Abdoulaye Doucoure in the 64th minute, and his first call of duty was to take a corner for Everton, the corner was headed back to Sigurdsson by Diagne, which lead to the Iceman putting a great ball into the box which was headed away by the man on fire Richarlison.
The rest of the game was relatively quiet besides from a chance Dominic Calvert-Lewin should’ve easily buried; instead, he blasted the ball right at Baggies stopper Sam Johnstone. The second and more controversial event took place in the 94th minute, where Diagne broke Everton hearts by smashing in a 94th minute equaliser but the goal was called offside by a size nine toe.