Everton’s miserable start to the season continued as they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis cancelled out Abdoulaye Doucoure’s opener to take the game to penalties, with Alex McCarthy saving Ashley Young’s effort during the shootout to send the visitors through.
It was the fifth time Everton — who have lost their first four Premier League games — have exited the competition on penalties in seven years and increased the pressure on manager Sean Dyche.
Here are the main talking points.
Boos a worrying sign for Dyche
Tuesday’s defeat only increases the spotlight on Dyche.
There will be frustration in some quarters at his caution tactically, with Everton mustering just 26 per cent possession at home to another struggling team. Irritation was compounded at the team creating enough chances to win and generate some much-needed positivity.
Boos were also audible, notably, for the second time this season as Dyche prepared to make a change. During the opening-day defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, the late introduction of Mason Holgate prompted consternation from some inside Goodison. This time, it was Ashley Young’s arrival in place of Beto.
Dyche felt the reaction was more about his decision to replace the only recognised senior striker in his squad, rather than any particular aversion to Young. Yet the response did not bode well.
“We weren’t getting the chances we wanted so we tried to change the style,” Dyche said. “Ili’s a different (type of) player — he wriggles, turns, breaks the back line.
“He (Young) is a fantastic professional but the fans have a right to say what they want to say. I’ve never questioned the fans here and am certainly never going to.”
Everton did create chances after the change, with Ndiaye linking well with winger Jesper Lindstrom at times, but there were also moments when the team went direct and looked like they were still geared towards playing to a target man.
Ultimately, it was decision that did not pay off. Young ended a difficult cameo by missing the decisive penalty.
Galling though this exit may be, the cups are not Everton’s priority right now. The Premier League is and it is there that urgent improvements are needed, especially if fan discontent is mounting.
“The demand on myself is high and I totally understand it,” Dyche added. “We’ve got to get back to winning ways and it’s got to be the next game.”
Illnesses shine light on threadbare squad
Absences continue to hurt Everton. The latest blow came on the morning of Tuesday’s game, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Garner and Vitalii Mykolenko reported sick and Dyche was forced to make late changes to his plans.
With James Tarkowski rested due to a troublesome glute problem and Idrissa Gueye missing due to a personal issue, the Everton manager had just 12 senior outfield players at his disposal.
Dyche made eight changes, some of them enforced, but others in a bid to get fringe players up to speed. First-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was among those rested.
What was left was patchwork side that struggled to deliver a cohesive performance.
“We’ve given as good as we’ve got with the players available, having pieced it together overnight,” Dyche said. “We opened them up enough times to win but didn’t take our chances.”
Everton did have the better opportunities, finishing with an expected goals total of 1.5 compared to Southampton’s 0.5. But there were also elements of the display that were disjointed and the visitors, who made 10 changes themselves, finished the stronger.
Dyche is hopeful Calvert-Lewin, Garner and Mykolenko will feature this weekend against Leicester. But he suggested Jarrad Branthwaite, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson are likely to remain on the sidelines.
The sooner reinforcements arrive, the better.
Fringe players fail to take their chance
This was a chance for those on the fringes of Dyche’s squad to stake a claim, but few grasped it.
Beto lumbered up front, albeit with Southampton defenders often clambering all over him. His hold-up play was poor and he went over too easily in the box the one time he ran through on goal.
Lindstrom worked hard on the right wing, pressing well and showing his pace. His end product, though, was wayward and his decision-making mixed. Twice he should have converted after going through one on one.
Dyche is thin on options at right-back and declared himself content with youngster Roman Dixon’s performance. But this was a reminder, after the defender’s positive first start against Tottenham last month, that he still has rough edges.
Pacy and direct in attack, Dixon struggled to deal with the experienced Ryan Fraser and it was his rash challenge that led to the free-kick from which Southampton scored. Diminutive in stature, no player lost more duels (6) in the game than the 19-year-old, something unlikely to be lost on Dyche.
Midfield places appear up for grabs, but Orel Mangala was rusty. The Belgian loanee had the fewest touches (30) of any outfield player to complete the 90 minutes and allowed Joe Aribo too much space in front of the Everton defence in the second half. At one point, his midfield colleague Doucoure could be seen showing him where he should be positionally.
Defender Jake O’Brien fared better. Composed on the ball — he completed 32 of his 34 passes at an accuracy of 94 per cent — the Irishman played a role in Doucoure’s opener and cut out a couple of dangerous crosses.
Even he, though, appears to have his work cut out getting into Dyche’s first choice side right now. Branthwaite is closing on a return and Dyche praised fellow central defender Michael Keane’s performance on Tuesday.
Further opportunities may well have to wait.
Armstrong offers hope
One positive was the display of 17-year-old Harrison Armstrong. The highly-rated midfielder impressed in pre-season and coped well on his first senior start, showing composure in possession and a competitive edge.
His first act was a barge into opposite number Adam Lallana off the ball, while a covering run and tackle near Dyche in the second half brought praise from his manager.
“He’s a young player who shone brightly from pre-season,” Dyche said. “The youth team coaches mentioned him to us and said he was the first one up.
“He’s done great and we’ll be keeping him with the group. It’s not a team that’s thriving at the moment and to go in there and deliver is really pleasing. He’ll learn quickly as he’s a very good player.”
(Top photo: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
