Everton had the chance to go into the top four but once again their poor away record proved costly after two goals from Callum Wilson helped Bournemouth defeat Everton 3-1. Which meant that Everton are yet to beat the Cherries away in the league since Bournemouth’s promotion to the top flight in 2015.
Everton made two changes from the win at home to Wolves before the international break, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin replacing Moise Kean, and an injury to Andre Gomes allowed Morgan Schneiderlin the chance to start after his red card at the start of the season.
Unlike Everton’s last game that started with a flurry of goals, it took 17 minutes before Bournemouth keeper Aaron Ramsdale was tested.
Richarlison who chased down the Bournemouth defence won the ball on the left wing, he played the ball through for Calvert-Lewin, but the forward couldn’t lift the ball over the onrushing Ramsdale as the keeper was quick off his line to smother the ball to safety.
Moments later and it was the bar that came to Ramsdale rescue. Richarlison received the ball in the centre of the pitch and after turning his man, he unleashed a venomous effort that dipped onto the bar.
This seemed to wake up the hosts as they won consecutive corners with the second leading to the opening goal of the game.
After the first corner was taken short and immediately closed down for another, Bournemouth opted for an in-swinging corner with Diego Rico being the provider.
His near post cross was flicked goalward by Dominic Solanke, and after Josh King kept the ball in the play at the far post Callum Wilson was fastest to react and nodded in with the Everton defence stood like statues.
Everton looked for VAR and even though the replays showed the ball may have grazed the arm of King, it was ignored, and the goal stood.
Everton who had most of the possession looked for the equaliser and Richarlison should have done that with 10 minutes of the first half to play. Lucas Digne played a one-two with Alex Iwobi down the left and after the Frenchman whipped in the ball from the by-line, Richarlison beat his man to the ball but sent his header harmlessly wide.
Everton did get the equaliser they wanted on the stroke of half time, this time the ball coming down Everton’s right.
Seamus Coleman played the ball down the channel for Richarlison, and with only Calvert-Lewin to pick out he did just that. With the youngster out jumping Steve Cook, he steered his header past Ramsdale.
The second half started much like the first, with Everton having plenty of the ball but doing very little with it and that proved costly when Bournemouth scored with their first shot of the second half in the 65th minute.
Josh King raced down the left taking on Schneiderlin and Richarlison, with the Brazilian taking him out before he could reach the area.
However, Marco Silva will be wishing he had done so on the halfway line as from the resulting free-kick Ryan Fraser found the net after Fabian Delph failed to clear, opting to go with his left foot instead of his right.
Callum Wilson got his second of the game with twenty minutes to play, after a hopeful ball played forward allowed Wilson to race past Michael Kean and Yerry Mina who looked like they were running in quicksand trying to catch Wilson, this left the England international one on one with Pickford who raced off his line to put off the striker, but he lofted the ball over his England colleague into an empty net.
Everton tried to get back into the game and came closest 10 minutes from time when Iwobi shot straight at Ramsdale, and thankfully for the Cherries his parried shot was lashed wide by Richarlison.
Everton host newly promoted Sheffield United next weekend and will need to put yet another poor away showing behind them and hope that Andre Gomes is back from injury as they lacked any sort of creativity in the middle of the field with Gylfi Sigurdsson being non-existent again away from Goodison Park.
