Report and reaction: Everton 1 Brentford 0

27 Apr 2024

"Brentford Loses 1-0 To Everton After Idrissa Gueye's Goal"

Few Chances In First Half; Goalkeepers Untroubled

Thomas Frank altered his line-up by two modifications following their 5-1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.

Captain Christian Nørgaard took the place of fellow Dane Mikkel Damsgaard in the midfield trio for the Bees. Meanwhile, Toney, who had recuperated from a hip injury, was entrusted with the role of spearheading the attack. With Keane Lewis-Potter being benched, the in-form Yoane Wissa was moved to the left.

The game started with Brentford having the first opportunity. Mathias Jensen won a corner from the right and swung it outwards. Ethan Pinnock received the ball on the penalty spot and tried to score, but Ben Godfrey blocked his attempt. Former Brentford player James Tarkowski then cleared the ball to safety.

Shortly after, on the opposite side of the field, Dwight McNeil shot the ball with power towards the goal but it rolled past the goalpost without any contact from Youssef Chermiti, who was fully extended and trying to reach the ball within the area commonly known as the six-yard box.

In the beginning of the game, Frank's team had control of the ball most of the time and they were trying to score the first goal.

In just 20 minutes, Sergio Reguilón made a move forward towards the left and managed to pass the ball over two Toffees defenders, directing it towards the box. Vitaly Janelt turned away from Godfrey and then located Mathias Jensen. Jensen then aimed for the far corner, however, his shot was obstructed by Jarrad Branthwaite, who slid towards the ball.

At the 35-minute mark, McNeil stole the ball from Reguilón and sent a crossing pass into the box. Godfrey was the one who made contact with the ball, but with Jensen putting pressure on him, his header was weak and easily saved by Flekken.

The game hosts finished the first half impressively. Jack Harrison received a through pass from McNeil and attempted to score from a difficult angle, but Nathan Collins prevented his attempt.

Everton passed the kicked ball, then Chermiti quickly directed the ball towards Doucouré who kicked the ball wide from a distance of 10 yards.

After seizing a stray ball on the edge of the box, Harrison fired his shot wide of the distant post.

VAR Check Awards Gueye Goal

Brentford had a significant chance to score first just five minutes into the second half.

Wissa skillfully redirected the ball, allowing Jensen to have ample room to move forward. With his head up, Jensen spotted Toney and sent a cross that curved low towards him. Swiftly, Jordan Pickford charged out and prevented Toney from scoring.

Soon afterward, James Garner set up McNeil on the outskirts of the field, and McNeil's shot went in a curve and hit the crossbar hard.

On the 60th minute, Everton managed to score first. During the play, Harrison passed the ball backwards to Branthwaite, who tried to shoot but got blocked. However, Idrissa Gueye saw the opportunity and ran at the perfect time to get the free ball and instantly score from the edge of the six-yard box. Although there was a review by VAR to check for offside, the goal was still counted.

After teaming up with Branthwaite, McNeil progressed forward into the penalty area and shot towards the opposite side of the goal, hoping to increase the lead for the Toffees.

During the 74th minute of the game, Reguilón kicked a corner from the left side and Toney redirected the ball towards the goal, but Pickford made a save.

When Lewis-Potter took the field, he showed a lot of energy. The striker rushed into the penalty area and, together with fellow substitute Damsgaard, acted as a distraction. He then switched the ball to his right foot and hit a strong shot, which Pickford managed to save.

During the 84th minute, Chermiti received a ball from McNeil and dashed towards the goal. He managed to maintain his position and surpass Kristoffer Ajer, but when he tried to score by lifting the ball over Flekken, he put too much strength on it, resulting in the ball sailing above the crossbar.

During the two-minute added time, Garner kicked the ball towards the back post with force and it hit the crossbar making a loud sound.

Over on the opposite side, Kevin Schade quickly ran towards the edge of the area and attempted a strong shot towards Pickford's goal. The goalkeeper managed to catch the ball on his second attempt, while Toney was looking for an opportunity to score off of any potential rebound.

The Everton team, playing in a 4-4-1-1 formation, had Pickford as their goalkeeper, Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, and Young as their defenders, while Harrison, Garner, Gueye (who was later substituted by Onana in the 78th minute), and McNeil were their midfielders. Doucouré played as their main striker, with Chermiti playing as a supporting attacker (substituted by Keane in the 90+5th minute).

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Brentford played in a 4-3-3 formation and their starting lineup consisted of Flekken, Ajer, Collins, Pinnock, Reguilón, Nørgaard, Jensen, Janelt, Mbeumo, Toney, and Wissa. Later in the game, Roerslev replaced Ajer, Schade came in for Reguilón, and Yarmoliuk came on for Nørgaard. Damsgaard was subbed on for Janelt and Lewis-Potter replaced Wissa in the second half.

The players Valdimarsson, Zanka, Ghoddos, and Onyeka did not participate in the game.