That’s all from Goodison. Andy Hunter was there, and here’s his verdict. Be about your business: click and enjoy! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Updated
Carlo Ancelotti’s verdict. “The first half, we didn’t deserve to draw. They played better, they were more in control. It was really difficult. I was disappointed, we left a lot of space between the lines, we were not in control. We were happier in the second half but it was not enough. Richarlison scored a fantastic goal.” As for the Europa League? “It is not a good result but we have to keep fighting to see what happens. We have to do some great results. It will not be easy but we have to try.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl seems happy enough, albeit a little frustrated, telling Amazon Prime: “I think we can kill the game in the first half if we are more clinical. The post and the penalty and everything. Last game we gave 26 chances away; this time two or three. We didn’t play like an away team, we played a grown-up game, for me it’s a good thing. It was tactically demanding but we had good organisation on the pitch and I always felt we had control and the better chances.” He also gives short shrift to the idea of taking penalty duties away from James Ward-Prowse and handing them to Golden Boot chasing Danny Ings.
Everton improved in the second half, to be fair. But they’d been thoroughly outplayed in the first by Saints, who missed a penalty, hit the crossbar, and were generally the prettier package. It was obvious which of the two teams are further down the road of their respective - many apologies for using this word - projects. The Carlo Ancelotti Era is still very much in its infancy; Ralph Hasenhuttl’s work is slowly beginning to bear fruit. Saints, not for the first time in their recent history, look like they’ll reap the rewards for some patient and judicious long-term planning.
Updated
FULL TIME: Everton 1-1 Southampton
And that’s that. Saints will wonder how they’ve not won this match. The teams remain in 11th and 12 spot respectively.
Updated
90 min +1: Digne totters on the tightrope out on the left. He then crosses deep into the stand. He wants a corner, but he’s not getting one, and he’s booked for pushing the point with the referee.
90 min: There will be two added minutes. “Is Will Smallbone related to Gavin Peacock?” wonders Mac Millings, who is now #cancelled.
Updated
88 min: Saints sub: Armstrong is replaced by Smallbone.
Updated
86 min: Coleman barges into the back of Redmond, and this is a free kick in Everton territory, out on the left. The ball’s then swung in by Redmond and cushioned down by Long, offering Armstrong the chance to shoot from 20 yards. He blooters wildly over the bar.
84 min: Armstrong, Ings and Hojberg tease Everton down the right with their constant movement. Ings suddenly switches play with a looped cross, and Redmond curls a diagonal shot wide right from the edge of the box. Much more of this and we can officially say that Everton are hanging on.
83 min: Ings jigs in from the left but can’t fashion enough space to shoot. Saints are looking the more likely to find that elusive winner.
82 min: More Southampton triangles. Everton are sitting deep, refusing to budge.
80 min: Saints draw a few pretty triangles in Everton’s final third. Armstrong is at one tip of most of them. The home side hold their shape, though they surely need to do more, especially if they’re to realise Ancelotti’s dream of Europa League football.
78 min: Everton meanwhile have reverted back to their first-half selves. They can’t string two passes together at the moment.
76 min: Saints are beginning to regain the ascendancy. Their passes are sticking again. But not in the final third: Walker-Peters bursts down the right into an ocean of space, but his low cross is aimless and easily blocked and cleared.
Updated
74 min: Another Everton change: Bernard comes on for young Gordon.
72 min: Both teams fancy winning this. Kean probes down the left and nearly gets past Stephens; up the other end, Ings nearly releases Armstrong down the right, but his team-mate slips over at the vital moment. If another goal is coming, good luck predicting who’ll be scoring it.
70 min: The game restarts, but not before Saints replace Adams and Romeu with Long and Hojbjerg.
68 min: Calvert-Lewin heads a Sigurdsson corner harmlessly over the bar, and that’s his last contribution. He’s replaced by Kean. A good time for the referee to call for isotonic beverages. This time it’s Ralph Hasenhuttl who will welcome the time to regroup.
66 min: Pickford, the ball at his feet, either throws Ings a brilliant dummy, or slips and accidentally throws Ings a brilliant dummy. That was close.
64 min: The resulting free kick ends with Sidibe threading a shot towards the bottom right that’s easily snaffled by McCarthy. As for Bednarek’s yellow: it wasn’t 100 percent clear that he didn’t get a bit of the ball, at least not on the first few viewings, so perhaps the VAR operative decided that upping the punishment to red would have been pushing their luck a little bit too far.
62 min: VAR takes a long look, but there was arguably cover nearby, and Richarlison was arguably running at an angle taking him slightly away from goal, the ball heading that way too. Whatever’s going through the VAR noggin, it’s presumably not a clear-and-obvious mistake, so the decision stands.
60 min: Richarlison pounces on a loose Ward-Prowse pass and races towards the Saints box down the middle. As he reaches the D, Bednarek slides in and clips him over. A free kick, but only a yellow card. Richarlison is livid, he wants his opponent sent off.
Updated
59 min: But it’s Saints who nearly carve out the next chance, Redmond slipping a clever ball down the inside-right flank for Ings, who momentarily looks to have a yard on Keane. But just as he prepares to shoot, Keane sticks out a toe to deny him. Out for a corner, which leads to nothing.
58 min: Everton are much improved in this second half, though it’s been a low bar to clear. They’re asking Saints a few questions now.
56 min: Davies passes long down the inside-left channel. The ball drops to Calvert-Lewin, who should work McCarthy at the very least, but takes a fresh-air swipe. The ball clanks onto his hip and away, and Saints are able to clear. That’s poor. Such a fine pass from Davies, all for nowt.
55 min: Bednarek and Ings try to recreate, frame by frame, the Digne-Richarlison combination for the Everton goal. Not quite, the pass cut out by Keane at the very last minute.
53 min: Sigurdsson yanks a long shot wide right. A poor end to a slightly better period of play by Everton, Richarlison making a proper nuisance of himself right along the line.
51 min: That was great.
49 min: Ings flicks the ball on at the near post. There follows one of the most ridiculous periods of play in the entire history of top-flight football stretching back to 1888, a playground scramble with Ings at the centre of the junior-school stramash. A genuine comic-book cloud with boots sticking out of it, plus the words OOF, OOYAH, WAH and GAH displayed at jaunty angles. It ends after 20 seconds or so of pinball nonsense, with Ward-Prowse blootering a shot goalwards. The second corner is dealt with by Everton in a more grown-up style.
Updated
48 min: Ward-Prowse takes, looking to curl over the wall and into the top right. The ball pings off the top of Sigurdsson’s head and out for a corner. Another Ward-Prowse delivery coming up.
47 min: Armstrong dribbles with purpose down the inside right. He circumvents Keane with great ease, forcing the defender to clumsily shove him to ground, just to the right of the D. This is Ward-Prowse Country.
46 min: Ings immediately flicks adroitly down the inside-left channel for Adams, who curls towards the top right. It’s an easy enough parry for Pickford, but once again Everton were carved open easily, and what a delicious back-heel that was by the magnificent Ings. One of the players of the season, no question.
Saints get the second half underway. Everton have made one half-time change: Sidibe is on for Iwobi.
Half-time entertainment. For your listening leisure and pleasure ...
HALF TIME: Everton 1-1 Southampton
Saints have been embarrassingly superior ... but a moment of combined brilliance by Digne and Richarlison means Everton can regroup on level terms. It’s been a lot of fun.
45 min +5: Now Mina is down, having taken an elbow in the neck from Redmond. It’s just as well we’re nearing the break, because this is threatening to turn into the Battle of Santiago.
45 min +3: Digne hooks into the Saints box from the left. McCarthy punches clear with purpose. Redmond threatens to counter down the left, but Bednarek is down with a sore noggin so the ref stops the game. Redmond isn’t particularly happy about the decision.
45 min +2: Two of the four added minutes are used up treating Adams, who is eventually good to go again.
45 min: It all kicks off as Richarlison slides recklessly through the back of Adams. It’s a yellow card all day long, but Richarlison is beside himself with anger, and a few shoves later there’s a gentle melee brewing away. Eventually it dies down, though Calvert-Lewin has earned a booking too, for his part in the brouhaha.
GOAL! Everton 1-1 Southampton (Richarlison 44)
Out of nothing, Everton are level! Digne, tight on the left touchline near halfway, swings a glorious crossfield pass to Richarlison, making his way down the inside-right channel. Richarlison takes a touch to bring the ball down, then flicks it powerfully towards the top right. McCarthy gets a weak hand to it, but can’t stop it. Ancelotti springs from the bench to celebrate, more out of relief than anything else.
Updated
43 min: Walker-Peters races down the right. He’s barged over - legally - by Digne, but springs up immediately like Denis Law in his prime. He nips the ball back to Armstrong, whose quick cross is flick-headed over by Adams.
42 min: Gomes is down, having taken a knock to his ankle. He’ll not be able to continue, the physio performing the internationally recognised hand-jive for ‘send on the sub’. On comes Sigurdsson, who has been misfiring woefully of late.
40 min: Richarlison skitters down the left but is forced to turn tail by Stephens, sticking to him excellently given he’s on a yellow card. But Ward-Prowse comes in clumsily to needlessly flip the Everton striker over. He’s fortunate not to get booked himself. Gordon takes the resulting free kick, Iwobi heading harmlessly over from 12 yards.
38 min: Saints stroke it around the back for a bit. Everton are chasing shadows right now. On the touchline, Carlo Ancelotti has the good grace to look extremely concerned.
36 min: Ings is now on 19 goals for the season, level with Mohamed Salah in third place in the race for the Golden Boot. He’s three behind the leader Jamie Vardy, and one behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
34 min: Stephens clatters his studs high into Richarlison. He’ll be booked for that when play stops, but play goes on as Gordon races towards the Saints box. Walker-Peters comes across to shoulder-charge Gordon off the ball. Goal kick. Everton want a penalty, and there was certainly contact, but the referee isn’t interested. Nor is VAR. Strange, because that didn’t look like a particularly clean challenge.
33 min: Saints are playing some excellent football here. Redmond and Ings flick their way daintily down the left and once again nearly open Everton up. Keane just about manages to clear. Everton have been little short of appalling.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Southampton (Ings 31)
Armstrong advances down the inside-right channel for the hundredth time. He opts to shoot, but scuffs it. No matter! The ball dribbles through to Ings, who takes a rather scruffy touch to flick the ball right to left, taking Pickford out of the game, and prodding home from a couple of yards. That, it is safe to say, had been coming. It’s no more than Saints deserve.
Updated
30 min: Replays of that Pickford save, just prior to the penalty, suggest the keeper was a little fortunate. Ings’ header came off the crossbar, then Pickford, clawing, whacked it off the woodwork again! But so much for his good luck, because ...
29 min: Ward-Prowse misses! He aims towards the top left in the style of Chris Waddle. Way too much juice behind it. The ball clips the top of the bar and over. Saints deserve to be leading, but they’re not.
Updated
Penalty to Southampton!
27 min: Ward-Prowse curls viciously towards the near post. Ings tries to guide the ball into the top left but Pickford claws it out sensationally. Is it a futile effort, though? Because the ball comes back at Everton, Gomes bringing Ward-Prowse down clumsily. It’s a cheap penalty, but a penalty it is.
Updated
26 min: Ward-Prowse, that dead-ball specialist, whipcracks a free kick over the wall and towards the top. It’s probably going over, but Pickford can’t take chances, and fingertips over. And from the corner ...
25 min: Saints restart on the front foot, Redmond whipping a vicious ball in from the left. Keane heads clear, but Ings is soon driving back at them, and Gomes and Mina illegally shut the door. Free kick, just to the left of the box.
23 min: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is drinks. A time for Everton to take tactical stock.
22 min: So having said that, Everton very nearly score. Gordon slips Digne free down the left. Digne crosses. Richarlison flicks on. Iwobi is free, ten yards out, just to the right of centre! But he batters his shot straight at McCarthy, who parries well at the near post. The resulting corner is a non-event.
21 min: Everton can’t handle Southampton’s press. They’re really struggling to retain possession.
19 min: Armstrong nearly steals the ball off a sleepy Davies in the centre circle. Davies just about gets away with it, waking up just in time to lay off. Another nanosecond, and Saints were four on two. Southampton are a yard ahead of Everton right now.
17 min: Armstrong dinks another pass down the inside-right channel. Ings latches onto it inside the area, and spins to set up Ward-Prowse, whose shot is blocked. Saints come again, and this time it’s Adams who has a dig from the edge of the area stopped at source. Saints are well on top here. Everton’s defenders are getting pulled this way and that. Ings and Adams are weaving some very smart patterns, always on the move.
15 min: Digne tries to surprise McCarthy by whipping the free kick around the wall and into the bottom-left corner. It’s always heading wide.
14 min: Richarlison is again brought down as he makes his way along the inside-left channel. It’s Armstrong this time, and that’s the first booking of the match. Armstrong doesn’t bother arguing much; it was a late and cynical challenge
13 min: Redmond teases Mina down the left. The ball’s shuttled infield towards Ward-Prowse, who dinks a clever pass down the inside-right channel with a view to finding Walker-Peters, romping into the box ahead of Digne. Walker-Peters sticks out a leg but can’t connect. Goal kick. But that’s more good football from Saints.
Updated
11 min: Gordon has a chance to release Richarlison with a raking quarterback’s pass, Saints light at the back, but he overcooks it and the ball flies out for a goal kick. Good game so far.
10 min: Armstrong is seeing a lot of the ball in these early stages. The Scottish international runs at Everton down the right again, looking momentarily dangerous before heading down a cul-de-sac. Saints have been the better team in these early exchanges.
8 min: Ings grooves down the left and reaches the byline before hooking long towards Adams at the far post. Adams gets to the ball before Pickford, rashly chasing, and steers it back across the face of goal. Armstrong contorts his body to hook the ball into the unguarded net. But the flag goes up immediately for offside. It’s the correct decision ... but also a fine move by Saints, even if it was ultimately futile.
7 min: Armstrong and Adams work well down the right. Adams slips a pass inside for his strike partner Ings, who tries to spin Digne but the full-back’s not having it. He stands his ground and Pickford comes out to gather.
6 min: Not really, no.
5 min: Iwobi clips Redmond out on the left, fooled by the drop of a shoulder and a quick shuffle of the feet. Now it’s Saints’ turn to load the opposition box. Bertrand hoicks it in long, forcing Digne to head behind at the far post. Corner. Will it be any better than Everton’s first miserable effort?
3 min: Richarlison, surrounded by four Saints players out on the left, releases Calvert-Lewin with an outrageous back-heel. But the flag goes up, correctly, for offside. Shame, because that was a sensational bit of skill, though Calvert-Lewin still had a way to go and plenty of time to think about his shot.
2 min: The first foul of the evening as Stephens stops Richarlison making good down the inside-left channel. A chance to load the box. Gordon swings it towards the far post, and its a fine ball that Stephens needs to flick out for a corner with Calvert-Lewin lurking. Digne’s corner isn’t all that, but this is a decent start by Everton, who were so listless at Spurs three days ago.
Everton get the ball rolling ... but not before all the players take a knee of solidarity and love. Black lives matter.
The teams are out! Sirens blaze atmospherically as Saints take to the Goodison pitch in their black-and-yellow change shirts. Then a traditional blast of Z Cars as Everton turn up in their famous blue. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s turn. “We have made a few good decisions and played some really good games since then [the infamous 0-9] and we have more confidence. If you want to take something against a big club like Manchester City you have to have a nearly perfect game, and today will not be any easier. We want to show we are competitive against this team.”
Updated
Carlo Ancelotti talks up the opposition. “Southampton are a good team, strong, well organised defensively, good on the counter, they score a lot of goals.” But he desperately wants all three points today, because “there is still a chance to make the Europa League, though we have to win a lot of games”.
Everton make two changes to the team that went down tamely at Spurs. Yerry Mina replaces the injured Mason Holgate, while Gylfi Sigurdsson makes way for Anthony Gordon.
Southampton, perhaps unsurprisingly having just beaten the outgoing champions, are in If It Ain’t Broke mode. No changes.
The teams
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Mina, Keane, Digne, Iwobi, Davies, Gomes, Gordon, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.
Subs: Baines,Sigurdsson, Walcott, Sidibe, Bernard, Stekelenburg, Kean, Branthwaite, Baningime.
Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond, Ings, Adams.
Subs: Long, Obafemi, Hojbjerg, Smallbone, Gunn, Vokins, Danso, Ferry, Jankewitz.
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire).
Preamble
Southampton are one of the feelgood stories of the season. Thrashed 9-0 at home back in October, they’ve just beaten one of the best teams in Europe with a 50-yard wonder goal. Some turnaround, and a textbook study in keeping faith with a talented manager going through a rough patch. With three wins from four since the big restart, Saints are arriving on Merseyside full of confidence that they can do a number on their hosts this evening.
But those hosts are in an optimistic place too. Everton have been meandering for years and years, but the arrival of superstar coach Carlo Ancelotti has sparked hope and joy round Goodison way. It’s only the start of their journey together, but 25 points from 15 games under the Italian legend, having taken just 19 from the previous 18 matches, show that the repairs to the foundations that have long been necessary are being undertaken with great zeal.
So yes, this is about as jeopardy-free as elite sport gets: 11th versus 12th in the Premier League. But both clubs will fancy themselves for a strong finish this season, with a view to building upwards come 2020-21. Everton will be buoyed by the fact they won at St Mary’s back in November; Saints have Danny Ings. It’s set up rather nicely, then. In addition, it is also on. It’s on!
Kick off: 6pm BST.
