Sheff Utd 2 Everton 2
Both sides went into this game without a single point after suffering three defeats from their first three games in this Premier League season. Something had to give as Sheff Utd welcomed Everton to Bramall Lane.
The Toffees' side included new signing Beto in their line-up as they attempt to address their problems in the striking department. They shipped out Neal Maupay back to Brentford, where it all began for the French striker.
It was nearly a dream start to his debut as Doucoure laid it off to Beto and he shot, only to see it deflected wide by the defender. Foderingham saved well from Doucoure from the corner but the midfielder was able to tap in the rebound to make it one-nil to The Toffees.
Sheff Utd looked to get straight back in the game as Hamer found himself in the box but Pickford got a good strong hand to it to keep it out. At this point the keeper was still dreaming of keeping a clean sheet, a strange feeling for the Everton stopper.
Credit: @Everton
It was not to be as the ball was crossed in to McBurnie who did well to lay the ball off to Archer, who stroked his effort home with Pickford rooted to the spot. Just what The Blades needed after falling a goal behind in a game that was already being labelled a ‘relegation six-pointer’.
Beto was making some good runs into the channels for Everton and when he sold the defender a dummy and checked back on the byline, he could not resist going for goal from an almost impossible angle, much to the frustrations of his teammates.
Then the ‘curse of Jordan Pickford’ reared its head again. Hamer found Archer who looked to bend one in the bottom corner from the edge of the box. His effort thundered against the post, hit Pickford on the back of the head and went into the net. England’s number one right there. To be fair it was one of those freak goals he could not do anything about.
Everton started knocking it about in the second half and as Beto sent the ball out wide, Patterson whipped it across goal for Danjuma to tap it in. Sean Dyche will be relieved to see his side finally scoring goals once again. His gravelly instructions at half-time were seeming to pay off.
However, the dark habits of this Everton side were to rear their head once again as Baldock crossed the ball and The Toffees failed to clear their lines properly. It dropped to Larouci who absolutely skied his effort into row M when he should have done a lot better.
Pickford then found he was in the spotlight once again, deep into stoppage time, as Sheff Utd forced a corner. It was met with a solid header but the Geordie keeper threw himself full-stretch to tip the ball onto the underside of the crossbar.
Credit: @SheffieldUnited
McBurnie then followed up, looking to stab it home but the ball struck Pickford in the face to stay out of the goal. While he may have not known much about the second save, he will not care as a keeper’s job is to keep the ball out of the net with whatever it takes.
Often maligned as the keeper with the shortest arms in football, since Arsenal sacked their mascot Gunnersaurus, the Everton keeper gave a glimpse of why Gareth Southgate loves him like the son he never had. A cutting comment for his actual son Flynn.
The two sides still remain winless but shared the spoils to get their first point of the season, taking Sheff Utd out of the bottom three but leaving the visitors firmly in the dreaded drop-zone as we headed into the international break.
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