Our Everton jury have their say on what is going at Goodison Park

Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted a late penalty against Newcastle United as Everton gained a vital point in their battle to avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

The Blues headed into the game at St James’ Park on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth on Saturday. The point in the North East keeps the Blues four points above the drop zone heading into this weekend’s games.

Off the pitch, the takeover saga continues, although 777 Partners is confident of meeting the Premier League’s criteria for approval of their proposed takeover of the Goodison Park club. So, with everything in mind, our Everton jury are back to have their say on matters on and off the pitch.

In what was a very Everton week, Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke his goal drought to send the travelling fans home happy.

When Seamus Coleman chested into his own net at the Vitality, you may have been forgiven for thinking that through this method, Everton had ruined your weekend. However, you were wrong because Easter Sunday brought more bad news, and the club announced an annual loss of £89.1 million. You don’t need to be an accountant to understand how worrying that is.

Anyway, social media was a pit of negativity before the Newcastle match. Many questioned the manager’s decision to start Ben Godfrey and Ashley Young on the right flank. A decision (in some way at least) proved to be the correct one, with Young winning the late penalty.

Undeservedly, Everton snatched a point at St.James’ Park. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the most relieved man in the northeast when Martin Dubravka’s hand could not quite stop his penalty from crossing the line. The point may prove important in the run-in, but there’s no getting away from the lack of quality in the performance. For large periods, Everton looked toothless and bereft of ideas. The defence remained solid, with Vitaliy Mykolenko clearing Alexander Isak’s shot off the line to prevent the home side from doubling their advantage.

Moving forward, the Burnley game is a must-win. If we can’t beat them at Goodison Park, we deserve to be relegated. The fixture is a perfect opportunity to end the winless run.

In terms of selection, I wouldn’t be against the back four remaining the same. Godfrey was steady at Newcastle and warranted another start. The midfield is a dilemma. Once again, Amadou Onana leaves much to be desired; there’s a player in there somewhere, but he has to put his stamp on games. I would persist with Onana and introduce James Garner in what needs to be a progressive, attacking midfield. McNeil should start on the left, with Jack Harrison coming back in for Young on the right. Calvert-Lewin should start in what could be a real opportunity to get back among the goals. Come on, Everton!

Alex McMonnies – The Blues now look ahead to a crucial home match

There was a palpable, albeit tentative, sense of optimism going into Everton’s trip down south to face Bournemouth away from home, with many hoping that three whole weeks away from it all had given the players and coaching staff a chance to reset, refocus, and get ready for the run-in ahead.

The limp performance and subsequent 2-1 defeat suggested anything but. The Blues were uninspired and unimaginative against a well-drilled Cherries side who took the lead through former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke, currently in a rich vein of form that Everton’s forwards could only dream of. Sean Dyche’s side were handed a goal after ‘keeper Norberto Neto failed to make a seemingly routine catch from James Garner’s cross and Beto was left with an easy tap-in, but Bournemouth were gifted the winner just minutes later when the unfortunate Seamus Coleman inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net.

It was an extremely worrisome display, which only served to amplify the pessimism going into Everton’s midweek clash with Newcastle United. While the Magpies were missing numerous key players, their quality still overwhelmed the Toffees in the opening stages, and a piece of individual brilliance from Alexander Isak gave the hosts the advantage in the 15th minute.

However, the Blues responded well, and the second-half introductions of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Garner and Andre Gomes changed the game. Garner was extremely unlucky not to equalise in the 66th minute when his shot from the edge of the area struck the inside of the post and bounced out.

Eventually, Everton were handed a route back into the game when Paul Dummett wrestled Ashley Young to the floor, and VAR intervened to award the Toffees a penalty. Calvert-Lewin belted the spot-kick home to finally end a 23-game goalless run that stretched all the way back to October.

The Blues now look ahead to a crucial home match against fellow strugglers Burnley, who were on the receiving end of Everton’s last league win back in December. Dyche will be hoping for another victory over his former team, which will give his current side a huge boost going into a crucial run of games.

Paul McParlan – Signs of hope?

At half time at St James Park on Tuesday evening, things were looking bleak for Everton supporters.

The team lacked desire, creativity and cohesion and were lucky to only be one down at the interval. To make matters worse, Nottingham Forest were winning 3-0 to move them within one goal of going above Everton in the table, and Burnley were leading 1-0, closing the gap on the Blues to only four points.

The game turned on a crucial decision on 58 minutes, when Newcastle United thought they had scored a second goal, but it was disallowed after a VAR review. This gave Sean Dyche the chance to make three changes, bringing off the ineffectual Amadou Onana, the hapless Beto, and the anonymous Abdoulaye Doucoure, who had struggled to make any meaningful impact in the game.

The introduction of James Garner and Andre Gomes added a much-needed invention to the midfield, and suddenly passes were being played along the ground rather than aimless punts forward. Dominic Calvert-Lewin added more potency to the Everton attack and chances started to be created.

The penalty equaliser was the least that the team deserved, and it proved to be a well-earned point that most Blues would have happily taken beforehand. It is crucially important that Everton carry this momentum into their clash with Burnley on Saturday.

Surely the manager must consider varying his tactics against a team that has conceded 66 goals this season and adopting a more adventurous approach. Should Andre Gomes be in from the start? His calmness on the ball and ability to find players with his passes create opportunities to unlock defences.

His inventiveness could be an asset in our survival fight. James Garner also brings a level of energy and determination to the midfield that Amadou Onana sadly appears to lack.

Burnley, the visitors to Goodison on Saturday, are unbeaten in their last four games. They will be a different proposition to the side that we easily defeated in the League Cup last November, but they are still opponents who we should be beating comfortably. Everton need to start on the front foot, grab an early goal and make sure they take all three points.