Everton continued their impressive unbeaten run in the Premier League, stretching to seven matches after a 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. The contest, marked by missed opportunities and late drama, saw Everton's Jake O'Brien scoring the equalizer in the 88th minute after Yoane Wissa had put Brentford ahead just before halftime. Despite the draw, Everton remain comfortably clear of the relegation zone, while Brentford struggle to find victory at home.
Yoane Wissa opened the scoring for Brentford in the 45+4 minute, marking his 13th goal of the Premier League season, his best to date. The goal highlighted Wissa's consistent form and provided Brentford with a crucial lead. However, Everton's persistence paid off late in the match when Jake O'Brien, a rising talent from the Republic of Ireland, netted the equalizer. This made him the eighth Irish player to score a Premier League goal for Everton.
Beto, Everton's striker, had a challenging night on the field, missing three one-on-one chances that could have changed the game's outcome. These missed opportunities were described as "glorious" by a reporter, and they left Everton manager David Moyes reflecting on what might have been. Speaking after the match, Moyes expressed mixed feelings about the result.
"I thought we played really well. This has always been a really difficult ground for me personally to come and get a good result, so if I think you'd have given me a point I'd have probably said I'd be happy with that. But probably on reflection, I think we're really disappointed not to take all three." – David Moyes
Despite the missed chances, Everton's performance was commendable as they extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches (W4 D3), their longest since December 2017. This run of form has left them 15 points clear of the relegation zone, providing some much-needed breathing space in what has been a challenging season.
Brentford, on the other hand, continue to struggle at home and have not won on their turf since December 7. Thomas Frank's side currently sits 11th in the Premier League standings and remain five points shy of breaking into the top eight. Frank acknowledged the even nature of the contest in his post-match comments.
"Probably a fair result. I felt we kept a quite consistent performance today – we were not through the roof but we were not bad." – Thomas Frank
Brentford's goalkeeper Mark Flekken played a pivotal role in ensuring his side did not leave empty-handed, making three crucial saves during the match. His efforts underlined a resilient defensive performance from Brentford, even as they sought to end their home victory drought.
Everton's ability to conjure up numerous scoring opportunities highlighted their attacking potential, but Moyes was left frustrated by his team's inability to capitalize on these chances. The absence of Abdoulaye Doucoure continues to be felt keenly by Everton, who have secured just one win in 23 Premier League matches without him since the start of the 2022/23 season (D9 L13).
"If you're a centre-forward he's got through three times again. Maybe the other ones you thought were a bit flukey but he's done it again three times tonight. He's got away, got free, ran in so I hope he keeps continuing to get those opportunities to do that." – David Moyes
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