Jack Grealish’s deflected shot gave Everton a narrow 1-0 win over Bournemouth, ending their unbeaten run at the Vitality Stadium.
It was a game that lacked quality and incision in the final third throughout, and they needed some luck to make the difference.
After cutting in from the left, the Manchester City loanee slipped as he fired a shot from outside the area, the ball hitting Bafode Diakité and swerving wide before spinning into the far corner.
“I’ve scored two goals here this season,” Grealish told Sky Sports after the match.
“One was a tackle and the other was a deflection, but I’m going to take the two goals because I’ve been criticized for years for not scoring.”
Eli Junior Crupi’s opening goal in the first half was ruled out for a harsh offside ruling, a poor goal that ultimately decided a muddy game that could have easily tipped the scales in the hosts’ favor.
The late goal in the 78th minute extended Bournemouth’s Premier League winless run to five games, three days after squandering a two-goal lead away to Sunderland in a 3-2 defeat.
Meanwhile, Everton have moved into the top half of the table, level on points with Merseyside rivals Liverpool after their first league win at the road against the Cherries, and have won three of their last four games in the top flight.
‘I love him to shreds!’ – Grealish praises Moyes’ achievement as Bournemouth winner
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Jack Grealish’s deflected strike puts Everton ahead against Bournemouth!
Everton forward Jack Grealish told Sky Sports:
“Just being able to contribute is good. It’s a great team. I really love the manager. I’ve only known him for a few months, but I can’t say enough about how he makes me feel as a person and how he makes me want to go there and play for him. So I want to give him credit.”
“We’re doing well. I think it’s the last game, but we had a few games at home where we conceded goals pretty early on and then just kind of messed up a little bit in the rest of the games.”
“But we feel like we started well. We’re in the top half of the league now.”
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Jack Grealish said he had a great connection with Everton fans and kissed their badges to show their appreciation.
Moyes: “We caught Bournemouth at the right time”
Everton manager David Moyes told Sky Sports:
“It was a great effort given what we had available. Our performance here has not been great. Maybe we grabbed Bournemouth at the right time.”
“We knew that if we didn’t concede, we had a great chance to win the game. We had other chances and maybe we could have scored a goal or two. That could have been the case for Bournemouth as well.”
“It will be important who scores the first goal.”
Iraora: I’m worried because I didn’t play well at all.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports:
“We played the game Everton wanted to play. There weren’t many chances for either team and we weren’t good enough.
“It would be one goal for both teams and a deserved win. “On the ball, we had a very poor build-up.
“If we struggle in the build-up and don’t get forward properly, it becomes more difficult to press them. We weren’t conceding chances, but we were playing their game.”
“We haven’t played well at all. That can’t be happening. They have quality players who can make a difference. We lacked courage on the ball and that made us look bad defensively.”
“I’m worried. Now we have Chelsea and Man United. It’s not an easy schedule. I lacked energy but I need energy so I hope I can recover.”
Everton have qualified, but key questions remain – and Moyes knows it
Everton’s Jack Grealish celebrates after scoring the opening goal in a Premier League match at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium.
Patrick Lowe of Sky Sports:
Jack Grealish’s goal and Everton’s third win in their last four games should rightly grab the headlines, but the glaring issues within the squad need to be resolved if they are to progress.
Tierno Barry had two great chances to score from inside the box on Tuesday night, but squandered both of them. In a tight game like this one, you have to take advantage of at least one chance.
Toffees manager David Moyes said after the match: “He’s improving, but as a No. 9 he’ll be judged on goals. He’s got to score goals.” He recognizes the problem.
As it stands, Everton are winning games without the contribution of their central attackers, but a deflected shot doesn’t always guarantee a win.
A striker with Premier League experience should be a target in January.
