Burnley 0 – 0 Everton
Everton and Burnley played out a pretty unappetizing stalemate at Turf Moorthe better chances possibly falling to the home side, but one inexplicable miss from 1½ yards out for Beto. Oh, and one stonewall penalty we’ve seen given so many times… but not for Everton.
Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye are at Afcon with Senegal while Jarrad Branthwaite, Seamus Coleman and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are in the treatment room, nursing hamstring injuries, and only 8 players on the bench, with of course 2 goalkeepers.
A big shock that Jack Grealish is out with sickness issues, further depleting the hapless Everton midfield, but David Moyes gives a nice Christmas present to Tyler Dibling — only his second Premier League start of the season — and we’re almost halfway through, with Beto making a rare start instead of Barry.
First Half
Garner kicked off with Everton in their changed kit, hoofed balls ceding possession to Burnley, who had their first touch in the Everton penalty area. McNeil looked to turn in midfield but was summarily dispossessed.
Tarkowski came off tops in his first duel with Broja, but the free-kick was hacked away. Dibling then played a poor ball back down the line to Tarkowski who gave up the first corner under pressure. The ball in caused some concern, Garner blocking a shot well before Pires blasted wide.
Beto looked to work forward down the right but all the Everton players just ignored Dibling, who was in good space, and O’Brien put in an awful cross. On the other side, Mykolenko put in a rather soft aerial ball that Beto could not do much with, heading over.
At the other end, Pickford smashed his clearance into Broja who could not react and Jordan quickly regained the ball. But Dibling produced the first bit of magic, beating his man and laying it on a guild silver platter for Beto coming in at the far post. But you can guess what happens. He completely misses the ball!
The cross may have been touched toward Beto; the resulting Everton corner was cleared at the far post. Another loose ball forward by McNeil is immediately turned into a Burnley breakaway, Pickford foiling Broja in the end.
Iroegbunam was next to be too easily sandbagged in midfield, the Clarets surging again, Larsen firing wide. More Burnley pressure, Laurent’s attempt blocked away.
Dibling beat his man Pires brilliantly, Alcaraz the only Everton player feeding him the ball, but Dibling was too selfish with a daft shot from far too wide an angle. Iroegbunam finally played the ball to him but he turned and played it back to no avail.
Pires against Dibling was able to swing a good cross to the far post for Broja, who headed behind. Mykolenko played a poor ball between Iroegbunam and Dibling… out for a goal-kick.
Alcaraz took a knock to the head from Larsen’s arm. From the free-kick, Dibling rescued the ball and launched his cross toward three Everton players in a group on the penalty spot, Alcaraz heading it straight at Dubravka.
Burnley went for an attacking long throw, Dibling not dealing with it all that well. Everton tried to break out but Cullen cut right through Dibling from behind… why no card?
Everton tried to advance down the right but any opportunity for a forward ball to Dibling was spurned and instead he was forced to go backwards with every touch.
Dibling got a chance to play in another cross that it looked like Alcaraz could hit goalward but he chose not to, the ball bobbling through to where Beto was falling over.
Dibling stalled too long again on the ball (a la Grealish), then overplayed the pass forward to Garner. Keane had to be alert to rescue yet another turnover, this one from Tarkowski. It was not pretty by any means.
It looked like Everton could break with Alcaraz into the Burnley area, Mykolenko supporting him, but they totally messed it up passing it back and forth with Alcaraz offside.
Another move down the left almost got to the penalty area before they turned back… then gave Burnley the ball. Iroegbunam had a good challenge with Humphreys for a loose ball, the Burnley player winning out.
Another Burnley advance was helter-skelter, the ball pinging hither and yon. Everton seemed to get free of it and it seemed Dibling would be played in but somehow he could not catch up with the ball, which seemed well in his range, and it rolled off him out of play.
Just pitiful stuff really from both sides… but with the depletions, Christmas pudding and Christmas parties into the wee hours, that’s par for the course I suppose. On the bright side, and this thinking will please David Moyes: Everton still have a point going into the second half.
Second Half
Hostilities resumed with no reinforcements, Everton winning a corner that McNeil delivered to the far post, back out to Graner who could not keep his shot down.
Dibling did well to beat two men and get the ball to Alcaraz but his neat pirouette preceded a shocking rugby drop-goal shot after Cullen had gone down following a naughty challenge on Iroegbunam, the Burnley man coming off worse, probably jarring his knee. Time for the first change!
A swift Burnley move seemed to cut right through the Everton midfield, Edwards bizarrely playing it backwards into empty space at the critical juncture, but the visitors regrouped quickly to fend them off.
Another Burnley surge looked sure to score through Edwards, who had perhaps beaten the offside trap, but he spooned his shot over Pickford and the Everton bar.
Pires and Dibling were getting physical down by the corner flag and it should at least have been an Everton free-kick. But no… and The Clartes were on their bikes again, Larsen’s shot brilliantly blocked at source by O’Brien covering superbly.
Humphreys, corner, Edward over.
At the other end, Everton came closest in a scambled move, Beto’s brilliant backheel forcing an excellent save from Dubravka. That woulda beena goodie! Garner’s corner was straight into the wrong side of the side netting.
Alcaraz got in a better cross/shot but it was a very tight angle and the game was now end to end. Alcaraz soon had another chance, this one highly acrobatic, but he could not beat Dubravka.
Burnley attacked again but Broja’s dive was ignored and Everton swept upfield but Dibling’s pass was so awful, that should have earned him the hook.
Another good Burnley attack, Walker getting behind the defensive line but his cross in was just ahead of Larsen. Time for Moyes to roll his usual changes, although Dibling reprieved.
Everton were coming under more sustained pressure now, but Larsen’s foul on Tarkowski ended the latest bout. Dibling did well to put off Humphreys and he skied his cross behind.
Everton were under more pressure but Dibling found space to scamper forward… but again his crucial pass to Beto was all wrong.
Garner was next to advance and he played in Beto who went far too wide before he drove his shot almost past Dubravka and cleared off the goalline.
What a corner! It was chaos… but nobody could get the key final touch and what seemed a glorious set of chances for Everton went begging.
E dwards made another threatening central run that was halted well by the Everton defence. Iroegbunam was booked for what looked to be a fair tackle where he got is toe to the ball.
Ugochukwu fired one from distance, straight and true and over the Everton goal. Dibling beat Pires then ran into Florentino but free-kick awarded on the right side of the Burnley area. McNiel and Garner took an age before McNeil saw his decent delivery skip off Ekdal and behind.
From the corner, Dibling shot goalward and it clearly hits Anthony’s hand, not in a natural position but out from his side. Penalty surely??? Not on your Nellie. To add insult to injury, Dibling is yellow-carded for preventing Anthony’s breakaway.
That seemed to the threshold for Moyes, who brought on Patterson (Who?) in place of Dibling for the last couple of minutes. Patterson had a chance to give Everton the win but failed miserably and Burnley broke up the other end, Flemming beating Pickford with pass … but onto the inside of the post and out along the goaline. Flagged offside… but what would VAR have said if he had scored?
Into added time and Burnley still pushing up for the win, with another corner… that led Humphreys to win another corner, easily headed away by Rohl as the first man at the near post.
More high pressing from Burnley, Everton on the backfoot and yet another corner conceded. A really good delivery but headed away from the centre of goal by Keane, Florentino slicing a shot over in the follow-up.
O’Brien seemed to have a chance with the last cross in but it was easily gathered by Dubravka, and that was it. A classic “Two hours of your life you’re never getting back!”
Burnley: Dubravka, Laurent, Humphreys, Ekdal, Walker, Ugochukwu, Cullen (53′ Florentino), Lucas Pires, Edwards (88′ Tresor), Broja (88′ Flemming), Bruun Larsen (72′ Anthony).
Subs not Used: Weiss, Hartman, Tchaouna, Sonne, Barnes.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam [Y:80′], Garner, Dibling [Y:86′] (89′ Patterson), Alcaraz (69′ Röhl), McNeil, Beto (70′ Barry).
Subs not Used: Travers, King, Aznou, Welch, Campbell.