Jack Grealish’s deflected strike earned Everton a narrow 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, ending the home side’s unbeaten run there.
The match lacked quality and cutting edge in the final third, and it needed a slice of fortune to decide it. After cutting in from the left, the Manchester City loanee slipped while shooting from outside the area; the shot took a wicked deflection off Bafode Diakite and spun into the far corner in the 78th minute.
“I’ve scored two goals now here this season,” Grealish told Sky Sports. “One was a tackle and then one was a deflection, but I got hammered for years for not scoring, so I’m taking both of the goals.” He was named Player of the Match.
A scrappy contest could have swung the other way earlier when Eli Junior Kroupi’s first-half strike was ruled out by a tight offside call. The late goal extended Bournemouth’s winless Premier League run to five games, coming three days after they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Sunderland.
For Everton, the result lifts them into the top half of the table and level on points with rivals Liverpool. It is their first league win at the Vitality Stadium and their third win in four top-flight matches.
Team news
– Evanilson was dropped to the bench in favour of Eli Junior Kroupi but made a substitute appearance.
– Michael Keane was absent from the match-day squad through injury.
Player ratings
Bournemouth: Petrovic (7), Truffert (6), Milosavljevic (6), Diakite (6), Jimenez (6), Adams (5), Scott (5), Adli (5), Kluivert (5), Semenyo (5), Kroupi Jr (7). Subs: Tavernier (5), Evanilson (6), Soler (6), Unal (5).
Everton: Pickford (6), Garner (6), Tarkowski (6), O’Brien (6), Mykolenko (6), Alcaraz (6), Iroegbunam (7), Ndiaye (), Dewsbury-Hall (6), Grealish (7), Barry (4). Subs: Beto (6), McNeil (6).
Manager and player reaction
Grealish praised manager David Moyes after the match: “It’s good just to be contributing. It’s a brilliant team. I love the manager to pieces… I can’t speak highly enough of him as a person and how he makes me feel and how he makes me want to go there and play for him.”
Moyes said: “Brilliant effort, considering what we had available to us. Our record here has never been great. Maybe we caught Bournemouth at the right time as well. I knew if we didn’t concede, we’d have a great chance of winning the game… Whoever got the first goal would be crucial.”
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola was critical of his team’s performance: “We have played the game Everton wanted to play. Not a lot of chances for either of the teams and we have not been good enough… On the ball, we have been very poor in the build-up. We have not played well at all. This can’t happen, they have quality players to make the difference. We have not been brave enough on the ball and it makes you look worse defensively. I am concerned, now we have Chelsea and Man Utd.”
Verdict and issues
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe noted Everton are winning without consistent goal returns from their main striker. Thierno Barry missed two big chances inside the box and, as Moyes admitted, a No.9 will be judged on goals. Everton have shown form but may need an experienced Premier League striker in January to sustain progress, as deflections and luck will not always decide games.
What’s next
Bournemouth and Everton both face challenging fixtures ahead; Bournemouth’s schedule includes Chelsea and Manchester United. Everton will aim to keep momentum in the Premier League as they push into the top half.