Everton’s run of five matches without defeat came to an end on Saturday after a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton. Russell Martin’s side finally picked up their first three points of the campaign, with the Toffees unable to find the back of the net despite having almost double the number of shots.
Sean Dyche’s men did have a few golden opportunities. Orel Mangala saw a well-struck shot saved by Aaron Ramsdale, and the England international pulled off another excellent stop low to his left to deny Michael Keane. Jack Harrison also should have scored but could not lift his shot into an empty net, and Beto, the hero last weekend against Fulham, struck the crossbar with a close-range header.
It was Adam Armstrong who scored the Saints’ goal. The striker made a darting run across the penalty box and tucked home a lovely first-time finish past Jordan Pickford.
Beto thought he had an equaliser in the 92nd minute, but he mistimed his run and the goal was ruled out for offside, meaning the South Coast outfit took all three points.
There were some disappointing performances from some of Dyche’s side, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggling once again at St Mary’s.
Calvert-Lewin’s stats vs. Southampton
England international Calvert-Lewin continued his poor form in front of goal. The Everton number nine has now failed to score in his last six matches, with his most recent strike coming on the 14th of September against Aston Villa.
His performance against Martin’s side was underwhelming, and he never really managed to get into the game. Very few, if any, notable chances fell to the centre-forward, and he struggled to impart himself on the game. Dyche substituted him for Beto in the 62nd minute, who squandered a key chance the Englishman may well have taken.
Indeed, the 27-year-old received a 6/10 rating for his performance from the Liverpool Echo’s Chris Beesley. The Everton reporter explained that Calvert-Lewin had a ‘frustrating afternoon’, but did praise him for the fact he ‘put himself about and linked up well’ with his teammates.
The stats from the game, courtesy of Sofascore, certainly reflect how tough an afternoon it was for the Toffees striker. He had just 16 touches and had one shot, although that was blocked. Despite working hard off the ball, winning two from three ground duels and his sole aerial duel, he needed more service to get into the game.
As disappointing as Calvert-Lewin was against the Saints, there was one player who was arguably more frustrating. That player is left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Mykolenko’s stats vs. Southampton
It has been a frustrating season so far for 25-year-old defender Mykolenko. He has missed a few games due to injury and illness, and Saturday’s performance on the South Coast was certainly disappointing.
Although he worked hard without the ball, the Ukraine international struggled against the Saints attackers, and could arguably have done better for the goal, letting the ball fly past his attempted block. With the ball, the Toffees defender struggled to create any chances despite the license to go forward.
His numbers from the game suggest that it was a tough day at the office for Mykolenko. He was not too bad out of possession, winning four from four ground duels and three out of three tackles. However, he completed just 76% of his passes and lost the ball 12 times.
Touches
47
Pass accuracy
76%
Passes completed
22/29
Ground duels won
4/4
Tackles won
3/3
Aerial duels won
0/2
Number of times possession lost
12
Long balls completed
1/7
Crosses completed
1/5
His showing earned him a 4/10 rating from the aforementioned Beesley who explained that the defender was ‘an accident waiting to happen all day’, criticising the fact that ‘some of his positioning was well off’. It was a damming review of his performance.
Dyche will be hoping Calvert-Lewin, Mykolenko and the rest of his players can turn things around, with a tough assignment away to fellow strugglers West Ham United next up.
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