Richarlison and Anthony Gordon were the only positives for Everton as Burnley claimed a 3-2 win at Turf Moor on Wednesday.
With the game on Wednesday essentially being a relegation “six-pointer”, both teams looked on the edge from the get-go. Burnley looked the brighter of the sides in the early exchanges, with a chance falling Ashley Westwood’s way inside the opening ten minutes before Nathan Collins broke the deadlock in the 12th minute, finishing off a Maxwel Cornet corner.
But Everton hit back shortly after, as Richarlison converted from the spot following a foul on Anthony Gordon by Westwood inside the box. The goal was the catalyst for Everton to dominate much of the remainder of the first half before grabbing a deserved lead in the 41st minute through Richarlison.
The Brazilian converted another penalty after Aaron Lennon clumsily brought Vitaliy Mykolenko down inside the Burnley box. But Burnley started the second half strongly and hit back twelve minutes into the second successive period, with Jay Rodriguez burying a Charlie Taylor cross from close range.
Everton regained control over the proceedings after that but did not do much with it, thereby handing Burnley the initiative to find the winner. And the Clarets did just that, as Cornet scored from close range after receiving a cut-back from Matej Vydra. The result means the Toffees are looking over their shoulders, with Burnley just a point behind in 18th. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Frank Lampard’s men.
Jordan Pickford: 6/10
Pickford was not at fault for any of the three goals Everton conceded after being sold short by the defenders in front of him. The English international did not have much to do apart from picking the ball out from his goal, although he struggled to distribute the ball efficiently due to the windy conditions.
Jonjoe Kenny: 4/10
Kenny does not cut it for Everton, and the Toffees would be better off selling him in the summer. The 25-year-old gave another reminder of that, as he carried little threat on his forward forays. Worse still was his defending, as he lost Charlie Taylor leading up to Jay Rodriguez’s goal. Nathan Patterson cannot get fit soon enough.
Ben Godfrey: 2/10
Godfrey was abysmal, to say the least on Wednesday. Hee was reasonably solid in the first half and won all four ground duels he contested while completing five clearances. But the Englishman was dreadful with the ball at his feet, giving away possession cheaply, including in the build-up to the third Burnley goal.
Jarrad Branthwaite: 5/10
With Michael Keane suspended and Yerry Mina out injured, Branthwaite had a great chance to impress Lampard. And the 19-year-old was perhaps the best player defensively for Everton, though that does not say much considering their capitulation. The teenage prospect got pulled out of position for the second goal, but he made eight clearances while winning four duels.
Vitaliy Mykolenko: 6/10
Mykolenko was one of a few Everton players who were decent enough in the game. The Ukrainian defender was a threatening outlet during his forays down the left flank and won the second penalty that Richarlison converted. But he could have done better to cover the ground for the centre-backs in the build-up to the two Burnley goals in the second half.
Anthony Gordon: 7/10
Gordon continues to be Everton’s most reliable attacker, and the youngster carried an enormous threat on the right flank. The 21-year-old created a couple of chances and won the first penalty that Richarlison converted. There were some sloppy touches, but he was largely impressive.
??????? Anthony Gordon in 73 minutes against Burnley:
? 53 Touches
? 13 Passes
? 2 Chances Created
? 11 Crosses
? 1 Penalty Won
? 7/12 aground Duels
? 4 Fouls Suffered
? 3 Tackles
? 1 InterceptionEverton’s best player. #BUREVE #EFC pic.twitter.com/nV2FJIeSMg
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) April 6, 2022
Mason Holgate: 4/10
Holgate got himself booked moments into the game, which invariably forced him to be over-cautious for the remainder of the game. That meant he could not be combative enough in the middle of the park, while his output on the ball woeful, as illustrated by a 37 per cent passing rate. He is adding nothing to Everton’s gameplay in the midfield and Lampard needs Allan back soon.
Abdoulaye Doucoure: 4/10
Doucoure’s poor run of form continued on Wednesday as Burnley overran him with ease at times in the middle of the park. The 29-year-old looked more confident on the ball on Wednesday but lost possession carelessly at times. In particular, it was his defensive output that left a lot to be desired.
Alex Iwobi: 6/10
Iwobi started the game poorly as he lost track of Nathan Collins in the build-up to Burnley’s first goal. But he looked dangerous whenever he charged forward, although he did not create many chances for his teammates in the final third. He can do more higher up the pitch.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 4/10
Calvert-Lewin was not necessarily poor, but he hardly got into dangerous scoring positions, even though he imposed himself physically. The English international looks out of sorts after suffering from various injuries this season and could be in for a long final month of the season.
Richarlison: 7/10
?? Richarlison created more chances (3), completed more dribbles (5/5), made more ball recoveries (11), won more ground duels (11/11), made more tackles (5) and made more interceptions (3) than any other Everton player against Burnley.
He did it all. Literally. #BUREVE #EFC pic.twitter.com/4AKg703CrR
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) April 6, 2022
Richarlison was the only other player apart from Gordon who can hold his head up high in defeat. The Brazilian always threatened when he had the ball at his feet and was at hand to convert two penalties to give Everton a great chance to grab all three points. Alas, most of his teammates were not on the same level, although he might feel he should have buried his chance in the second half.
SUBSTITUTES
Demarai Gray: 5/10
Gray was given the final 20 minutes to help deliver a win, but the 25-year-old did not have the cutting edge to make a meaningful impact.
Salomon Rondon: N/A
A late introduction, Rondon barely got a touch on the ball in the game’s dying embers.
