Everton 0-0 Brentford: 10-man Bees hold Sean Dyche’s side to goalless draw at Goodison Park after Christian Norgaard’s first-half red card
- Brentford were held to a 0-0 draw despite Christian Norgaard’s early dismissal
- Everton moved up to 15th place, but are just three points clear of the relegation zone
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Everton failed to capitalize on Christian Norgaard’s first-half dismissal as Brentford collected their first away point of the season amid cheers at the whistle.
Norgaard was sent off after 41 minutes following a VAR intervention for his sliding challenge on Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
But Sean Dyche’s side, the Premier League’s lowest scorers apart from Southampton, failed to score their first goal in three games, with Bees keeper Mark Fleks saving from Idrissa Gueye and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
With a difficult fixture list ahead for December – Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal all looming after next Sunday’s visit to Old Trafford – Everton knew how important this match was.
They started quickly, with Iliman Ndiaye showing quick feet before overfiring and Gueye’s deflected strike headed towards the bottom corner into a strong hand from Fleken.
Ndiaye’s dribbling brought the Goodison crowd on side and Dwight McNeil, returning from a knee injury, dragged a shot wide when well positioned on the edge of the penalty area.
Christian Norgaard was dismissed in the 41st minute after a sliding tackle on Jordan Pickford
Sean Dyche’s team rises to fifteenth place, but is still only three points ahead of the relegation zone
Despite their 27 shots, Everton failed to score against Brentford’s goalkeeper Mark Flokken
It took Brentford 15 minutes to pose any threat to Everton’s goal, with Sepp van den Berg’s shot curling off target at the wrong time.
The Dutch defender represented the other side of town, Liverpool FC, until signing a £20million contract with Brentford in the summer.
After the fast start, Everton struggled to continue the momentum against a well-organized defense and the first groans were heard following misplaced passes from Vitaliy Mykolenko and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
McNeil upped the tempo again on 27 minutes with a deliberate pass that Calvert-Lewin ran into. The striker hit the goal, but Fleks knocked the ball away at his near post.
Brentford forced Jordan Pickford into his first save on 37 minutes as Yoane Wissa’s pace saw him go clear until the England keeper turned his shot around the post.
A major talking point arose when Bees skipper Norgaard slid in to try for a knockdown in the Everton six-yard box and struck Pickford’s right knee with his back leg.
As Everton’s number 1 received treatment, referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the monitor by the VAR and returned to the field with a red card.
The visitor’s angry reaction to the decision saw several players surround the referee and a yellow card was shown to a protesting Frank in the Bees technical area.
The Premier League’s lowest goalscorers are now goalless for three games after today’s result
Referee Chris Kavanagh was assisted by VAR intervention in his decision to send Norgaard off the field
Brentford boss Thomas Frank was shown a yellow card for his reaction to Norgaard’s sending off
Beto came closest to Everton’s lead, missing a close-range header in the 79th minute
The Toffees had 71 percent possession in the second half, but only shot three times on target
Brentford’s injustice saw them try to slow the game down at the start of the second half. Whether real or not, when Fleks laid down and required treatment, there were boos from the Gwladys Street End suspecting delaying tactics.
Everton pressed on and had a chance on 62 minutes when Ndiaye squeezed the ball into the danger zone where the oncoming Mykolenko hooked over the crossbar.
Brentford’s occasional breaks also meant danger. Keane Lewis-Potter, playing out of position at left back, cut inside and fired at Pickford, who spilled the ball and was relieved. Mathias Jensen then drove the rebound high.
Thomas Frank sent on £30m Brazilian Igor Thiago as one of two substitutes, with Dyche countering by sending on Beto and Orel Mangala. Interestingly, Calvert-Lewin stayed on the pitch, leaving the home side with two strikers.
Beto had one half-chance in stoppage time but his shot was blocked in the penalty area as Bees held on for the first clean sheet of the campaign.