Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat Everton 2-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, condemning David Moyes’ side to a frustrating defeat in the Merseyside rain.
Everton began brightly and created the better chances in the first half. James Garner’s free-kick was spilt by Djordje Petrovic, but the rebound was missed from close range, before Iliman Ndiaye struck the post after meeting Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s delivery at the far post.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 42nd minute. After Rayan clipped Jarrad Branthwaite inside the penalty area, Ndiaye stepped up and calmly placed the spot-kick into the bottom corner to give the hosts a deserved lead at the interval.
Bournemouth struggled to create clear openings before the break, but the match shifted after half-time.
Everton nearly doubled their advantage early in the second half when Ndiaye intercepted a loose pass and teed up Youssef Chermiti Barry, only for James Hill to block and then head away a follow-up effort from Dewsbury-Hall.
The visitors equalised in the 61st minute. Adrien Truffert delivered a deep cross from the left and Rayan rose at the far post to power a header past Jordan Pickford. Everton barely had time to respond before falling behind. From a long-range free-kick, Hill squared the ball across goal and Amine Adli headed into an unguarded net to complete the turnaround.
Matters worsened for Everton when Jake O’Brien was sent off for bringing down Adli as the last defender. Reduced to ten men, the hosts still pushed forward. Beto headed straight at Petrovic and Branthwaite missed a close-range opportunity, while late set-pieces were repelled by some resolute Bournemouth defending.
After the game, Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola was delighted with his players and their progress in the Premier League.
He said: “Important three points. We haven’t played as well as the last games. Today we were very close to going 2-0 down but we passed those moments. we kept the ball a bit more.
“We didn’t start with the urgency that we should have. You have to show personality and make things happen.
“They are very direct from [Jordan] Pickford, from every free-kick and we survived well but I don’t feel happy and pleased with the performance like I was in the last games.”
