Everton captain James Tarkowski scored in the 91st minute to earn a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth and deny Marco Rose his first Premier League victory in charge of the hosts.
Bournemouth appeared set to recover from last weekend’s late defeat by Manchester City when Alex Scott put them ahead shortly before half-time. But, just as in that match, Rose’s side were unable to protect their advantage, with Tarkowski striking decisively in stoppage time to spark jubilant celebrations among the travelling Everton supporters.
Everton had created the clearer chances before Bournemouth took the lead and will feel they were unfortunate to go into the interval behind.
Djordje Petrovic was outstanding in the Bournemouth goal. He made an excellent save to keep out a powerful header from Jarrad Branthwaite and then denied Thierno Barry at close range. Barry should have done better with the rebound after Tyrique George’s shot had been saved, while the Everton striker also missed a major opportunity in first-half stoppage time.
Petrovic was called upon again after the break to keep Barry out, continuing a frustrating afternoon for the French forward.
Everton were also angered when they were not awarded a penalty after James Hill accidentally collided with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall inside the area. Bournemouth then began to impose themselves, with Jordan Pickford producing a fine stop to deny Rayan. Hayden Hackney subsequently blocked Evanilson’s follow-up, which appeared destined for the target, before Vitalii Mykolenko made two important interventions to frustrate the home side.
Bournemouth’s wastefulness ultimately proved costly. They failed to deal with Hackney’s overhit corner, allowing the ball to fall for Tarkowski, who emphatically drove it into the net to level the contest.
Barry struggles as Armstrong transfer rumours emerge
Everton’s preparations for the match had been overshadowed by reports that Nottingham Forest were attempting to sign highly rated Toffees midfielder Harrison Armstrong.
The 19-year-old remained in the starting line-up and delivered another composed performance in midfield. Armstrong led Everton for duels, winning 12, and succeeded with two of his three tackle attempts.
He also created Barry’s final opportunity with a precise pass, but the striker was unable to finish once again. Barry had scored a hat-trick against Preston North End in midweek, yet he failed to convert the openings that came his way at the Vitality Stadium.
Everton’s chances carried an expected goals value of 1.72, while Barry accounted for 1.42 of that figure. However, his expected goals on target, a measure that reflects the quality of his finishing, was significantly lower at 0.86.
Everton manager David Moyes is likely to believe his team deserved at least a point. Attention will now turn to Armstrong’s future, as well as that of Iliman Ndiaye, who has reportedly attracted interest from Manchester City.
For Rose, the draw represents another frustrating result after his side surrendered a lead late in the game. Bournemouth finished with the higher expected-goals total, recording 2.17 compared with Everton’s 1.72, although 1.69 of Bournemouth’s figure came after half-time.
Their inability to convert that pressure into a winning result allowed Everton to escape with a point, while Bournemouth were left to reflect on another missed opportunity.
