Premier League GW15 - Everton vs Newcastle

Everton vs Newcastle | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Everton and Newcastle United faced off in a thrilling Premier League match at Goodison Park. Under Sean Dyche's direction, Everton looked for a much-needed home victory to move up the league standings. The Toffees looked to build on their victory at Goodison the season before as they took on a tenacious Newcastle team under Eddie Howe's leadership.

Everton:

Given that Everton has only won two of their previous 12 games at Goodison Park (D2 L8), manager Sean Dyche will be hoping that this is the game when the Toffees can improve their home record. The Merseyside club's reliance on their away performance is evident as they have only earned 23.5% of their Premier League points at home this season—that is, discounting their 10-point deduction. A victory tonight will propel Everton out of the relegation zone and into 17th position, ahead of Luton Town.

Newcastle:

Newcastle hopes to duplicate their 4-1 victory over the Magpies at Goodison Park from the previous season. Eddie Howe's club has only triumphed once in their last eight away Premier League games (D4 L3), but they have recently had a lot of success against this Everton squad. More Newcastle has triumphed over the Toffees in the last six Premier League encounters than in the previous twenty-four.

Starting XI:

EVERTON (4-4-1-1):

Jordan Pickford; Vitalii Mykolenko, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Seamus Coleman; Dwight McNeil, Idrissa Gueye, Ashley Young, Jack Harrison; Abdoulaye Doucoure; Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

EVERTON SUBS: Nathan Patterson, Michael Keane, Arnaut Danjuma, Joao Virginia, Beto, Ben Godfrey, Youssef Chermiti, Mackenzie Hunt, Lewis Dobbin.

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3):

Martin Dubravka; Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, Kieran Trippier; Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis Miley; Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, Miguel Almiron.

NEWCASTLE SUBS: Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie, Emil Krafth, Loris Karius, Lewis Hall, Mark Gillespie, Amadou Diallo, Alex Murphy, Ben Parkinson.

Goodison Park Stadium | Picture Credits: Football Ground Guide

First Half: Calvert-Lewin's Missed Chances

Everton dominated the first half of the match and created many opportunities to break the deadlock. A masterful pressing display in the 31st minute created a big opportunity for the Toffees. Driving at the Newcastle defence, Jack Harrison found Dwight McNeil inside the box, but the winger's effort just missed the mark.

Everton wasted a fantastic opportunity as the halftime whistle blew. James Tarkowski received a free kick and found Jarrad Branthwaite with a well-controlled ball, setting up Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the six-yard box. The striker amazingly missed the mark, and at halfway, there was no score in the match.

Even with Everton's superiority and abundance of opportunities, the score was 0-0 when the teams went into halftime. Calvert-Lewin's wasted chances summed up Everton's inability to convert opportunities at home. Though his team's performance would have satisfied Sean Dyche, clinical finishing was still a big need. Conversely, Eddie Howe had to deal with defensive issues and the difficulty of generating offensive opportunities.

Second Half: McNeil's Heroics Ignite Goodison

Things took a sharp swing in the second half, with the breakthrough occurring in the 79th minute. Kieran Trippier made a costly mistake, and Dwight McNeil took advantage of the situation. Everton took a vital 1-0 lead when McNeil intercepted the ball, raced into the penalty area, and fired a strong drive from the edge of the box that soared into the top corner.

Six minutes later, Everton took advantage of another oversight by Trippier. Jack Harrison capitalised on Trippier's mistake by placing a well-aimed cross into the box. Everton's lead was doubled to 2-0 after Abdoulaye Doucoure, who appeared to be missing the ball, received an inadvertent assist from McNeil.

Everton put the game-winning goal in the closing seconds. Catching a well timed through ball, Beto raced in the direction of the Newcastle goal. In the ninetieth and final minute, he calmly and precisely sent the ball under Martin Dubravka to increase Everton's lead to 3-0. Although VAR gave the goal a quick look for offside, the ruling held, ensuring Everton's convincing victory.

Everton's Resurgence

As the final whistle rang, Everton's vital 3-0 victory over Newcastle was announced. Sean Dyche's team secured three crucial points in the second half with a display of tenacity and accurate finishing. The victory gave Everton a much-needed lift and kept them clear of the relegation zone. This momentum will help the Toffees in their forthcoming match at Goodison Park against Chelsea. Newcastle, meanwhile, will have a difficult trip to Tottenham Hotspur in hopes of experiencing their own comeback. It's been an exciting match at Goodison Park, and until the next one starts, good bye to this intriguing Premier League match.

A goalless first half | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

McNeil scored and gave Everton a 1-0 lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Doucoure's goal gave Everton a 2-0 lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Beto scored a late goal and sealed Everton's victory | Picture Credits: Premier League Website