Seamus Coleman headed a late equaliser as Everton returned from the international break with a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Swansea City.
The visitors had not won since the opening day of the season when they triumphed 1-0 at Burnley and had lost their previous four away games in the Premier League. That tough start had seen the Welsh side swap the Italian Francesco Guidolin for experienced American coach Bob Bradley.
With Everton unbeaten in the previous eight Premier League games at Goodison - five wins and three draws along with being one of only four top-tier teams unbeaten on home turf in league games this season – expectation was high, but Blues boss Ronald Koeman had cautioned about the challenge the Swans would present.
Gareth Barry’s absence due to a one-game suspension was always going to be difficult to overcome but the manager welcomed back into the team Idrissa Gana Gueye (who was returning from a one-game suspension served at Chelsea), Leighton Baines (starting for the first time since September having recovered from a hamstring injury), Aaron Lennon and James McCarthy.
The game did not instantly ignite. Romelu Lukaku had a shot from a narrow angle gathered by Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski before his opposite number Maarten Stekelenburg was forced to make a good save to deny Gylfi Sigurdsson from a free kick from 25 yards.
Finally, the game came to life with Ross Barkley spreading the ball wide to Yannick Bolasie whose trickery on the edge of the Swansea penalty area yielded a cross into the middle which came at Lukaku at a rate of knots and slightly behind him and, from six yards out, the Belgian could only divert the ball over the crossbar. It underlined the growing confidence in the Toffees, however, and minutes later Barkley was again to the fore of another goalscoring opportunity.
Bolasie was the provider again from the left flank, delivering his cross to Barkley whose back was to goal, with Federico Fernandez vigilantly on his shoulder. But Barkley’s first touch was brilliant and, in a single motion Fernandez was beaten, Barkley then facing goal and shooting powerfully with his left foot. He dragged his effort wide but it seemed that the Blues were in the ascendancy.
But five minutes from half-time that impression was turned on its head when Modou Barrow played the ball into Sigurdsson in the penalty area and when Phil Jagielka put in a challenge from behind that felled the midfielder, referee Martin Atkinson immediately pointed to the spot. Sigurdsson himself converted, drilling his shot high and to Stekelenburg’s left while the Dutch international goalkeeper went the other way.
There was one more good opportunity which fell to Everton prior to the interval when a Lukaku flick on the edge of the area left Bolasie in the clear but he was unable to beat Fabianski. It would have been a much-needed boost at the end of a half in which Everton mostly laboured, the performance devoid of the pressing, high-intensity urgency which would have tested a team that featured eight changes from their defeat by Manchester United a fortnight ago.
Some of that missing urgency was evident early in the second half when Everton won two corners in quick succession, either side of a cross by Coleman which Bolasie met with a header in the box, albeit straight at Fabianski.
Lukaku forced a mistake out of Jordi Amat, the Swansea defender pulling down the Belgian striker to concede a free kick in a central position 25 yards from goal. Baines struck the free kick into the wall and Barkley managed to lay the ball off to Bolasie whose cross from the left was overhit. It was not going Everton’s way.
The Swans came close to doubling their lead when Sigurdsson’s free kick from the right was flicked on at the near post by Jay Fulton and another Swansea touch would most likely have steered the ball into the net.
Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas were both introduced and Barkley set up Deulofeu for a shot from more than 25 yards which the Spanish player could not direct on target. A final throw of the dice by Koeman saw Enner Valencia replace Jagielka with eight minutes left on the clock.
Sigurdsson had a chance to put the game beyond Everton’s reach in the final five minutes when he stole into the area but Stekelenburg made a good block to deny him.
And just when it looked like the Blues were running out of ideas, Bolasie hooked the ball towards goal, Jamat could only half-clear and Coleman rose to send a pinpoint header beyond the outstretched arm of Fabianski.
Despite not picking up the win, other results left the Toffees remaining in seventh place in the league table, with a trip to Koeman’s former side Southampton on Sunday next up.
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