There will be no doubt be a temptation to see Everton’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday as a tale of two penalty calls, only one of which was awarded.
Jordan Pickford’s first-half save from Anthony Gordon, returning to Goodison for the third time since swapping Merseyside for Tyneside, was the standout moment in an otherwise poor game.
This was a headline writer’s dream: two pantomime villains for opposing sets of fans going head to head, with the Sunderland-born Everton keeper coming out on top; Gordon’s apparent hubris, as he grabbed the ball with a smile before confidently mouthing “I’ll take it”, seemingly coming back to bite.
Pickford had watched Gordon send his two previous penalties, including his successful effort against Manchester City a week before, to the goalkeeper’s right but told Everton staff on the day of the game that he would be going the opposite way if he faced a Newcastle penalty.
He guessed right and celebrated with team-mate Abdoulaye Doucoure directly in front of Gordon and a jubilant Gwladys Street end.
Pickford celebrates his penalty save with Doucoure (Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
It was a reprieve for a makeshift Everton who just about clung on, but could have won it themselves late on.
Manager Sean Dyche felt his side should have had a penalty of their own as Dan Burn tangled with Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the box. In the immediate aftermath, substitute Idrissa Gueye had a golden chance to convert the rebound but skied his effort over the bar.
Talk of the two penalty decisions inevitably dominated the post-match discussion, including both managers’ press conferences. But they were, in one sense, red herrings.
Certainly, Dyche and his team must view it that way as they look to continue their incremental progress up the table and learn lessons from the opening months of the season.
Everton deserved credit for their resilience in the face of yet more adversity. Dyche had been aware early in the week that key defender Jarrad Branthwaite would not be available due to a new quad problem, but was forced to tweak his plans again later in the week due to full-back Vitalii Mykolenko’s calf injury.
It continued the regular churn in defence this season and left Everton with one recognised senior full-back, the veteran Ashley Young. Although Dyche made two personnel changes to a makeshift defence, it was effectively more as Young also swapped sides. Only one of the back line, James Tarkowski, would be a guaranteed starter normally.
Dyche is still to have the luxury of choosing the same back four in successive games.
“We’ve looked at various things (on the injuries),” he explained. “Training schedules, pre-season — a lot came back late and needed a rest.
“It’s difficult to carry a thin squad because of the financial side. It’s unusual to get this many injuries, but the mentality is growing again.”
If there was a positive for Everton, it was the way the makeshift defence coped with the upheaval. Young and Michael Keane were solid, while James Garner, reprising his right-back role, also earned praise from his manager.
Against difficult opposition in Harvey Barnes and Gordon, Garner delivered arguably the most assured performance yet by an Everton right-back this season, posting an 80 per cent tackle success rate and making 11 recoveries. The cross for Doucoure’s disallowed goal was equally promising in an attacking sense.
Regular right-backs Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson are hoping to be available after the international break, but few could argue if Garner was given a run there.
Garner, impressive at right-back, challenges Newcastle’s Joelinton (Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
Otherwise, this was an uneven and often incoherent team performance, and a better side may well have put Everton to the sword. Newcastle regularly found themselves in advantageous positions but could not muster the quality to capitalise.
It still looks like Everton are searching for the right balance, and they are yet to put a complete 90-minute display together this season.
The first half was a re-run of the opening 45 minutes against Crystal Palace a week earlier, with the midfield duo of Doucoure and Orel Mangala outnumbered.
McNeil’s move to a central role has coincided with an upturn in his fortunes, but he is still learning the defensive intricacies of the position, creating an imbalance further back. Dyche and his staff beckoned him to get closer to Bruno Guimaraes, but he struggled to do so.
Everton rarely found a way to feed their key attacking players in McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin. They lacked cohesion and all too readily resorted to ineffective direct play, squandering possession and inviting pressure. At least some of it appeared structural as well as tactical.
Things did improve when Dyche turned to his bench. The introduction of the experienced Gueye early in the second half was a sign that the Everton manager was not entirely happy with how things were going, and that — along with Doucoure’s move to a No 10 role — sparked an improvement.
Gueye’s introduction improved Everton (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
But some big questions remain.
Does McNeil’s offensive output outweigh some of the negatives that come with playing him in that central position?
Doucoure offers more off the ball there, yet lacks his team-mate’s technical and creative prowess. Neither, at present, looks like a perfect solution.
And how can they ensure Ndiaye is not on the periphery, as he was at times on Saturday? Is he expending too much energy tracking opposition runners when he could be used for short, sharp bursts in the final third?
Despite positive strides in recent weeks, Everton still resemble an incomplete jigsaw. At least one key part of the puzzle is still missing.
While there are issues elsewhere, and reinforcements are likely to come after the break, what happens in the No 10 position will be crucial as Dyche searches for the right balance.
GO DEEPER
What Iliman Ndiaye brings to Everton: ‘It’s no surprise he’s compared to Steven Pienaar’
(Top photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
