Joe Thomas reports on Everton’s 2-1 home defeat to Luton Town in the Premier League
Play was stopped midway through the second half as Jarrad Branthwaite and Carlton Morris received treatment on the pitch.
After 20 minutes, Everton were struggling to find momentum going into half-time at the peak of a wave that had given them a foothold in the game thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
They needed it after a harrowing 10 minutes in which the hosts were warned of Luton Town’s threat but were twice unable to prevent the ball from crashing into Jordan Pickford’s net.
With about 30 minutes until the end of the game, there was still plenty of time to change the game after the injury.
This team has quality.
The spectators were closely behind the players.
It was a time when a calm head and calm feet were required.
It’s time to make a plan.
But when all eyes were on Morris and Branthwaite, there was little sign of intrigue unfolding on the pitch.
There were a lot of hands on my waist.
Only Amadou Onana went to the sideline to speak with club staff.
And it showed.
When play resumed, nothing changed.
A disjointed and panicked finish full of hard work but few chances.
For a team that many had already condemned to the Championship, it was all too easy to disband, confuse and predict what Everton would throw at them.
The same lack of clarity paved the way for confusion and put Everton in such a disadvantageous situation.
Tom Lockyer smashed a header over the crossbar and Gladys Street breathed a sigh of relief that they were not penalized for not denying him.
So when Luton broke their lead from another corner, Everton could not have been cautioned.
This time Carlton Morris’ powerful header crashed over the crossbar, and Pickford and Ashley Young fell at Lockyer’s feet.
Shock turned to disbelief seven minutes later when Morris, always a threat for strikers, drifted unopposed to the back post and smashed in a free-kick.
This was another reminder that this team has a hard time defending dead balls.
The question is who was responsible for planning to end the joy Luton were already feeling at set-pieces, both at Finch Farm and on the pitch.
Everton had to respond and they did.
Panic created a sense of urgency, and the Royal Blue players took advantage of that to build momentum.
When the goal came, Everton’s first L4 goal of the season was just around the corner.
Garner almost took that honor, although his perfectly timed run to the edge of the six-yard box was another encouraging sign of his increasing power, but he missed Dwight McNeil’s crossbar.
He should have done better than head the ball into the goal.
When the goal fell, he collapsed in confusion.
Calvert-Lewin and James Tarkowski fought for the ball in the opposition area and it was passed to Onana.
He was unable to take a decisive shot, mainly due to falling back, but in a scramble following a save from Thomas Kaminsky the ball fell via Abdoulaye Doucoure to Calvert-Lewin, and Everton took the game into the game.
gained a foothold.
The celebrations were followed by a long pause while VAR examined a number of points and unsurprisingly ruled in favor of the home team.
That must have been the turning point.
Against Brentford last week, Everton’s authority and maturity at the start of the second half made the difference.
As Dyche was right to say in his post-match comments in West London, this is a loss for a team that had performed well in some games earlier in the season but had not been rewarded.
It felt like a turning point.
Everton were on the verge of maintaining their progress when that league title was followed by a stunning Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa.
Instead, it was another false dawn.