It was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the rescue again for Everton on Saturday as the Englishman salvaged a late point at Brentford.
2-2 it finished after the prolific Igor Thiago netted his 20th and 21st goals of the Premier League season either side of a deft Beto header.
Daily Mail Sport’s GETHIN HICKS was in position to analyse the action.
THIAGO’S SUCCESS STORY
There are few, if any, more vivid success stories this season than that of Igor Thiago.
After a painstaking first campaign in English football, the unlikely star surpassed Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney as Brentford’s highest goalscorer in a single top-flight campaign with his two goals today.
The first, a nerveless penalty slotted into the bottom corner, was a carbon copy of his maiden goal in the famous yellow and blue of Brazil last week.
It was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the rescue for Everton once again as the Englishman salvaged a point late on at Brentford
2-2 it finished after the high-flying Igor Thiago netted his 20th and 21st goals of the season either side of a deft Beto header
Later, after an enterprising run from deep, Michael Kayode let fly from the right of the box. His effort crashed into an almost oblivious Thiago before deflecting past the helpless Pickford.
They say you earn your luck, and Thiago is well and truly reaping the rewards right now.
The thought that Brazil could be lining up at a World Cup with a Brentford striker as their No 9 would have, at one point, seemed unimaginable. Now, not so much.
Whether Carlo Ancelotti places his faith in the bustling Brazilian across the pond remains to be seen. But, if anything’s certain, it’s that Thiago couldn’t possibly have staked a better claim for a seat on that plane.
Brentford boss Keith Andrews spoke glowing of his star man in his post-match press conference.
‘I think the biggest thing for Thiago this season was staying fit,’ he said.
‘The goals get the attention but his overall performance levels are getting better and better. He’s an all-round centre-forward and can do pretty much everything. He’s proven to be a very special player.’
SPOILS SHARED
Football fans would be hard-pressed to find two more evenly-matched sides than Brentford and Everton.
They came into this clash, played in the spring sunlight, level on points and separated only by the Bees’ marginally superior goal difference.
It was little surprise whatsoever, then, that this fiercely contested match ended in a draw.
The game sprang to life early on through Thiago’s penalty before mellowing into something of a stalemate. Both sides, supremely well-organised, cancelling each other out.
That was until Beto accurately flicked home an Idrissa Gueye cross on 26 minutes after a momentary lapse in concentration from Keane Lewis-Potter.
The second-half was far more open and Brentford no doubt hoped that Thiago’s second, scored with 15 minutes to go, would have been enough to earn them all three points.
Football fans would be hard-pressed to find two more evenly-matched sides than Brentford and Everton
A desperate goal-line clearance fell to Dewsbury-Hall on 91 minutes and he fired past Caoimhin Kelleher with his ever-reliable left-foot
But it was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the rescue for the Toffees late-on, just as he was a few miles away at Fulham in February.
A desperate Kayode goal-line clearance fell to the Englishman on 91 minutes and he fired past Caoimhin Kelleher with his ever-reliable left-foot. The Everton fans packed into that corner celebrated as though it was a winner.
In the fight for European football, that could be a moment both sides reflect on come the end of May. However, for now, Everton and Brentford stay level-pegging.
David Moyes was full of praise for Dewsbury-Hall while speaking to reporters after the final whistle. The late goal marked the midfielder’s seventh of the campaign.
‘Kiernan’s been so good for us,’ he said. ‘He’s come in and helped us greatly. His goals have been hugely important.
‘When I was signing him, he told me, “I’ll score goals if I’m played in the right position”. So we’ve been really impressed with him.’
