Bournemouth were denied a victory at the Vitality Stadium in the cruellest fashion as James Tarkowski’s stoppage-time equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw for Everton after Alex Scott had put the home side within touching distance of three points.
For Marco Rose, the overriding emotion will inevitably be frustration. Bournemouth had worked their way into a difficult game, taken the lead through an excellent Scott finish and produced the stronger performance for significant periods after half-time, only to allow Everton back into the contest when a late corner was not properly cleared.
It was a particularly frustrating ending because Bournemouth had opportunities to make the game safe long before Tarkowski struck. Nevertheless, Rose should take plenty from a performance which showed encouraging signs of how Bournemouth may develop under their new manager.
The opening half was hardly a classic. Everton arrived on the south coast having played some excellent football in their previous two games, beating Crystal Palace before producing a slick attacking display against Preston in the cup, but Bournemouth largely prevented them from establishing the same rhythm at the Vitality Stadium.
Everton were slower in possession than they had been earlier in the week and Bournemouth were initially cautious themselves, which resulted in a game where both teams spent lengthy periods cancelling one another out. There was plenty of competition in midfield but not much fluency, and for much of the opening 40 minutes a goalless half-time score appeared the most likely outcome.
Everton did create chances and Bournemouth had Petrović to thank for ensuring they remained level. The goalkeeper produced a series of important interventions, including an excellent recovery to deny Thierno Barry after the Everton striker had been presented with a close-range opportunity. Barry had arrived on the south coast having scored a hat-trick against Preston, but Bournemouth ensured he was unable to carry that momentum into the Premier League.
Those saves became increasingly important when Bournemouth produced the best attacking move of the half to take the lead.
Evanilson played a significant role, turning Tarkowski and driving directly at Everton before finding Scott. The midfielder still had work to do but showed the composure that had been missing from much of the contest, controlling the ball before guiding a precise finish beyond Pickford.
It was an excellent goal and one which demonstrated the attacking qualities available to Rose. Bournemouth had spent periods being patient and compact, but when the opportunity presented itself they attacked Everton quickly and decisively. The transition from winning possession to creating the chance was sharp, Evanilson was direct and Scott supplied the quality at the end of it.
Scott was increasingly influential as the game developed and was arguably the outstanding midfielder on the pitch. He found pockets of space, used the ball intelligently and looked comfortable when Everton attempted to apply pressure. While the visitors had Harrison Armstrong trying to provide similar forward momentum from their own midfield, Scott was able to exert greater influence as Bournemouth grew into the game.
The second half was when the home side should really have won it. Everton needed to increase the tempo after the interval but instead became increasingly laboured, allowing Bournemouth to play with more confidence and attack a visiting defence that looked vulnerable whenever the ball was moved quickly.
Rayan became a growing problem with his direct running and willingness to attack defenders, while Evanilson continued to occupy Tarkowski and Branthwaite through the middle. Tarkowski in particular endured an uncomfortable afternoon before eventually becoming Everton’s unlikely hero.
Bournemouth had opportunities to score the second goal and Pickford was forced into action, while Everton defenders were required to make important blocks and interceptions to keep the visitors in the game. Mykolenko made crucial interventions and Hackney, introduced from the bench, also played his part in preventing Bournemouth from extending their lead.
That inability to find the second goal was the only significant criticism that could be levelled at the home side during their best period. Bournemouth had Everton where they wanted them and the visitors were struggling to create anything of real substance, but at 1-0 there was always the danger of a single mistake changing the result.
Moyes made a succession of substitutions in an attempt to drag Everton back into the game. Hackney and Brennan Johnson were introduced before Beto, Charly Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam followed, but Bournemouth continued to look relatively comfortable as the game moved into its final stages.
There had been considerable transfer speculation surrounding Everton before kick-off, particularly over a reported £40million move from Nottingham Forest for Armstrong and continuing discussion around Ndiaye, and perhaps that uncertainty contributed to a visiting performance which lacked the freedom of their previous outings. Armstrong remained one of Everton’s better performers and continued attempting to move possession forward, but Bournemouth prevented the visitors from finding any sustained attacking rhythm.
Everything appeared to be pointing towards Rose celebrating a hard-earned home victory until Bournemouth failed to deal with one final Everton set-piece.
The corner should have been cleared, but the ball remained alive inside the penalty area and eventually fell to Tarkowski. The Everton captain, despite having struggled for much of the afternoon, drove his finish beyond Petrović and turned what should have been three Bournemouth points into one.
For the home side it was an avoidable equaliser and one that will irritate Rose when he watches the game back. Bournemouth had defended well for long periods and Everton had rarely looked capable of breaking them down during the second half, which made the manner of the goal particularly disappointing.
It should not, however, completely alter the assessment of Bournemouth’s performance. There were enough positive signs to suggest Rose has inherited a side capable of causing plenty of Premier League teams problems.
Petrović was excellent when Everton threatened in the first half, Scott combined quality with intelligence in midfield and the movement of Rayan and Evanilson gave the Everton defence an increasingly difficult afternoon. Bournemouth also showed that they could adapt within the game. They did not dominate from the opening whistle, but gradually became the more threatening side and by the second half looked the team more likely to score.
What they lacked was ruthlessness. Premier League matches are rarely secure at 1-0 and Bournemouth had enough opportunities to remove any possibility of an Everton comeback. Had they found the second goal, the conversation afterwards would have been about an accomplished home victory and an impressive performance under their new manager.
Instead, Tarkowski’s late intervention changed the mood of the afternoon.
Rose will be disappointed with the result but should be encouraged by much of what came before it. Bournemouth matched an Everton side that had begun the season with considerable optimism, restricted their attacking players for long periods and looked the stronger team as the contest moved towards its conclusion.
The final few minutes provided the lesson. Bournemouth did enough over the course of the afternoon to put themselves in a winning position, but they did not do enough to make that position safe.
If Rose can add that ruthlessness to the quality already evident in Scott, Rayan, Evanilson and the rest of this Bournemouth side, there should be considerably better afternoons ahead at the Vitality Stadium.
