Burnley 1-1 Everton: Calvert-Lewin goal sees points shared

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoresImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his 11th Premier Leagie goal of the season

Burnley and Everton shared the points in an entertaining Premier League arm-wrestle at Turf Moor.

The hosts made a lightning start, Robbie Brady's strike from outside the box giving them the lead in the third minute.

Everton were vulnerable, but improved after an injury to Fabian Delph forced them into a reshuffle midway through the first half.

They equalised just before the break through Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the Premier League's leading scorer this season.

Both sides had chances to win it, only for goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope, the men vying for the England number one shirt, to shine in front of the watching Gareth Southgate.

Burnley stay in the bottom three, a point behind 17th-placed Fulham, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City later on Saturday. The Clarets will have a game in hand on the majority of the league by the end of the weekend.

Everton are ninth, five points behind leaders Chelsea, who moved above Tottenham with victory over Leeds United.

Everton make virtue of necessity

Curiously, this game turned on a moment of misfortune for Delph, with the resulting Everton reshuffle actually benefiting the Toffees.

Deployed at left wing-back for just his second league start of the season, Delph lasted only 27 minutes before being forced off with an injury to his troublesome hamstring.

Instead of replacing like-for-like, Everton introduced Andre Gomes into their midfield and switched to a flat back four.

Whereas before Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure were being overrun, the extra body gave the visitors a foothold in the middle. It was the previously poor Allan's intervention that set Everton on their way to the equaliser, although Burnley felt he fouled Ashley Westwood to win the ball.

"That for me is deemed a foul in modern football. I don't actually agree that should be a foul but the rules and the way football pans out now, virtually every week that gets given," said Burnley manager Sean Dyche.

"There was low-level contact on his shoulder, knee and foot but he still went over. I see it every week - those in the middle of the pitch are given all the time. Lo and behold when we need it: not given. It's happened too many times this season.

"I ask my players not to roll around the floor, I ask them not to squeal or dive. But it's actually costing us and it cost us here."

From the equaliser onwards, Everton always looked the more likely to win it, even if Pickford was forced into excellent saves from Chris Wood and Ben Mee.

Burnley's growing shoots of recovery

Burnley remain in the relegation zone, but this result represents a further advance on a wretched start to the season that saw them take one point from six matches. They have now lost just one one in four, and there was no disgrace in an injury-hit team being well beaten at Manchester City last time out.

Media caption,

Dyche left 'scratching head' over refereeing inconsistencies

They flew out of the blocks, harrying to regain possession high up the field, with Westwood winning the ball for Brady to lash in his first goal in more than a year.

Even after that, Burnley pressed, their full-backs happy to push on, only for Everton to establish themselves after the Delph injury.

There were periods of the second half when Burnley saw most of the ball, but it was Everton who had more time in the ascendancy.

However, the hosts remained solid, were well worth their point and may have had more had Pickford not been sharp.

"Overall I think it's a good point," said Dyche. "The performance level was what we've come to expect over a number of seasons here - the will, the command, the drive and some of the quality was good as well.

"We created some good chances and look like an effective unit. I thought you saw a reaction from the group to try and get a result."

Everton fail to land knockout blow

After a stellar start to the season, Everton arrived in Lancashire with four defeats in their previous five games.

Media caption,

Everton came back well after 'terrible' start - Ancelotti

More pain looked likely in a disjointed start, only for the enforced reshuffle to not only stiffen their midfield but also release the creativity of Richarlison and James Rodriguez.

In Calvert-Lewin, they possess a potent threat - the England striker was lively even before he slid in to meet Richarlison's cross for his 11th league goal of the season.

Everton had spells of pressure in the second half, a goalmouth scramble, a curling effort from Rodriguez and a late strike by substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Like his opposite number, the dependable Pope was only to be beaten once.

"Gareth Southgate has to be really pleased to have these two goalkeepers in the national team," said Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti.

"Jordan did really well. He had two or three really good saves, now he's really better, he has more confidence, for sure, and for this reason he's showing his great quality.

"Pope made a great save from Gylfi, we were really close to winning the game with that opportunity. Gylfi was unlucky and Pope did really well."

Dyche in the 200 Club - stats

  • Burnley have only won once in their last 11 Premier League games (D3 L7), scoring just six goals in the process.

  • Everton have never kept a clean sheet in their seven Premier League away games against Burnley (W2 D1 L4) - against no team have they played more games in the competition without recording an away clean sheet.

  • This was the first time Burnley and Everton have drawn in the Premier League (13th meeting), while it's their first top-flight stalemate since August 1975 at Turf Moor (1-1).

  • Everton have conceded in 10 consecutive Premier League games - their longest run without a clean sheet in the competition since November 2017 (12 games).

  • Everton's Jordan Pickford has conceded more goals from outside the box than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this season (5).

  • Robbie Brady's goal for Burnley was the quickest Everton have conceded in a Premier League game since November 2017 versus Crystal Palace when James McArthur scored after 51 seconds.

  • Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored more league goals from inside the box (11) than any other player in Europe's top five divisions this season. In fact, the Everton striker has scored six times from inside the six-yard box, twice as many as any other Premier League player this term.

  • Burnley manager Sean Dyche took charge of his 200th Premier League game today, making him the 35th different manager to reach this milestone. Only four of the 16 English managers to reach the milestone have won their 200th match (Pardew, Hodgson, Bruce and Hoddle).

What's next?

Burnley travel to Arsenal next Sunday evening (19:15 GMT), while Everton host Chelsea the previous night (20:00).

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