Everton 2 – 2 Ipswich Town
The penultimate game at Goodison Park should have been a celebratory bonanza with the 1878 Group pulling out all the stops to memorialise the Grand Old Lady … but The Tractor Boys had other ideas above their station with a two-goal comeback that would stun Moyes’s attacking experiment.
David Moyes went for goals with Dwight McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye and Charly Alcaraz in the starting lineup, and Abdoulaye Doucoure not involved this time for personal reasons as Dominic Calvert-Lewin was fit enough to appear on the bench.
But no place in this one for former Everton Academy product, Nathan Broadhead, who was not included in the Ipswich Town squad.
A fantastic afternoon, bathing Goodison Park in glorious sunshine for the final ever traditional Saturday afternoon 3 pm kick-off at the Grand Old Lady, with lots of banners and colour cards on display in the Goodison Park stands, courtesy of the 1878s — the teams taking to the field amidst a cascade of ticker tape.
The visitors kicked off, and there were some lively early challenges to keep the atmosphere bubbling from the start, Ndiaye committing the first foul. Gana was then fouled but the first ball into the Ipswich area was floated in high from deep and resulted only in a turnover that saw Delap advancing but prevented from shooting.
Patterson and McNeil were working the right flank but Patterson’s early cross was delivered straight to Palmer in the Ispwich Town goal. McNeil dribbled into trouble but the ball was turned away from Beto and out for an Everton corner, lofted to O’Brien at the far post and back to Beto at the near post but no power and easy for Palmer to gather.
Everton tried to work the right flank again but didn’t get very far. Finally they involved Alcaraz on the left before the ball was back over on the right with Ndiaye winning another corner, Palmer punching McNeil’s ball away but it came toward Beto who tried an acrobatic overhead kick.
Branthwaite got forward but his cross in was lofted straight to Palmer. Everton were dominating possession but not using it to great effect. A cross to Beto from Garner was difficult for him to do much with and The Tractor Boys steamed up the pitch, Delap almost backheeling a goal, Dumfries style!
Another surge forward by the visitors saw an excellent tackle from Garner on Delap, but Everton still could not make effective use of the ball at their feet. Garner tried a long throw but it was easily turned over, Town slowing the game down to suit themselves before Hutchinson’s shot was blocked by Branthwaite, and Enciso leathered the follow-up ball high over Pickford’s goal.
The game flagged somewhat, with Pickford lumping a backpass up to no-one. Finally, Ndiaye got free down the left, passed in to Alcaraz aho found Patterson but is shot was not going to beat Palmer.
A somewhat better cross saw a bout of weak head-tennis in the Ipswich area that did not threaten. Not much seemed to be happening, but suddenly a brilliant cross in from Alcaraz on the left was nodded just inside the post by Beto, an excellent headed goal to put Everton in party mood.
Delap and O’Brien contrived an argument with the corner flag, both getting themselves booked. Delap then jumped into Branthwaite for an aerial ball and floored him but it looked more an accidental coming together rather than a fit of pique from the agricultural Tractor Boy, and didn’t warrant a second yellow.
Morsy kicked Ndiaye’s ankle from behind and he was shown the yellow card, with a tasty set-piece for Everton: Garner delivering it in well but headed clear by a defender.
Then, apropos of nothing, Dwight McNeil picked up the ball from Patterson in space, 30 yards out, and fired a fantastic strike into the far corner. Another excellent goal.
Enciso tried to do something similar at the other end but Pickford was more than equal to it. A nice Everton move saw the ball crossed in again to Beto but Mykolenko could not get his leg around the high ball that was played his way. Enciso then tried again, with a great run in, but he shot strongly the wrong side of the post.
Third time’s a charm for Enciso who picked up the ball centrally and fired an absolute thunderbolt curling into the top of the Everton goal over Pickford, a brilliant strike.
Ipswich surged back upfield and won a corner that fell to O’Shea with his back to goal and unable to turn, the ball finally cleared. Everton tried to respond but Mykolenko could not beat his man down the left. Beto tried to get loose but was crowded out as a lively first half came to an end.
James Garner restarted the game but it was initially rather scrappy, Enciso tried to reprise his run and nobody can get near him. James Garner finally flings himself at the player and wins back possession but both of them go down.
Ndiaye then clumsily fouled Enciso driving down the Everton right, the free-kick put in low, headed clear by the first Everton man. Hutchinson struggled to evade the attention of Mykolenko, while Ensico went down, asking for treatment.
McNeil put in a beautiful curling cross that was just over Beto and just in front of Ndiaye coming in at the far post. Alcaraz and Gana tried to walk the ball in but the Ipswich area seemed very crowded. At the other end, Delap beat Patterson and played in Enciso who could only shoot low at Pickford.
McNeil tried a similar cross, this one closer to Plamer who pushed it away. Ndiaye tried to dribble his way in but it was hard going as Everton laid siege until Gueye’s floated cross drifted past McNeil and out of play.
Great work by Alcaraz to retain the ball and drive forward, but he too was running into brick walls. McNeil was trying different things but the Ipswich defense was not giving the Everton players much space. Alcaraz took exception to Chaplin’s clip: both booked.
McNeil skipped around his man and tried to find Beto with another cross but they were not quite coming off. O’Brien had to use both speed and strength to stop a good run by Clarke.
After a lot of frustrated build-up play, Patterson put in a cross that evaded everyone as David Moyes decided to make some changes with 15 minutes left. Ipswich attacked but Enciso’s shot sailed high over the bar.
Patterson and Greaves collided off the ball, but the referee let Ipswich come forward and a cross from Hutchinson was deflected up in the air off Gueye to the far post where it was nodded down and in by Hirst to spoil the Everton party.
Hirst then clattered Branthwaite, who reacted, and both were booked as it got rather silly. Young on for Patterson. Calvert-Lewin was then pushed over by Burgess, getting a free-kick for Everton that Harrison delivered well but Palmer punched it clear.
O’Brien wrestled his man to the floor, giving the visitors another chance to get the ball forward. Enciso got forward again but his cross bounced harmlessly wide. Everton were pushing up but Ipswich felt they could repel anything that was thrown at them as Young was fouled. Harrison’s free-kick bounced off Calvert-Lewin as Moyes made his final changes.
With 6 minutes of added time, Ipswich had a corner that needed defending, with the greater pressure for a winner coming from the visitors. Another set-piece from them won another late corner that was kept out at the expense of a throw, put in long, and more pressure on the Blues.
A late cross from Harrison was again grasped by Palmer, as the party was well spoilt by the Tractor Boys, whose stubborn resistance and beligerent physicality had effectively stalled Everton’s simplistic attacking play.
Everton: Pickford, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, O’Brien [Y:28′], Patterson [Y:80′] (82′ Young), Ndiaye, Gueye, (90′ Iroegbunam), Garner, Alcaraz [Y:65′] (90′ Chermiti), McNeil (77′ Harrison), Beto (77′ Calvert-Lewin).
Subs not Used: Virginia, Coleman, Keane, Broja.
Ipswich Town: Palmer, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Greaves, Morsy [Y:33′] (68′ Phillips), Taylor, Hutchinson, Chaplin [Y:65′] (68′ J Clarke), Enciso, Delap [Y:28′] (68′ Hirst).
Sub not Used: Walton, Godfrey, Boniface, Tuanzebe, Luongo, Cajuste.
Attendance: 39,305