Two more Igor Thiago goals, yet another solitary Brentford point and a shared dream of European football that remains alive for both clubs. If a game can simultaneously prove drab and pulsating, this was somehow it – all bluster and endeavour forming a peculiar blend of incohesion in the hope of securing a rare continental prize.
A draw was, perhaps, a fair outcome, for all of Keith Andrews’ understandable disappointment at his side conceding Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s injury-time equaliser. Brentford have lost just one of their last nine Premier League matches, but the past four have, frustratingly, been drawn.
They were locked on points with Everton before the match, and so it remains, the two sides in seventh and eighth.
These are extraordinary times for the Bees, whose current top-flight tenure barely makes a mark on their overall 136-year history. A healthy dose of those who watched their team on Saturday will be more familiar with life in the third tier, where the club spent many decades before the recent climb up the pyramid. That their football viewing now involves an England captain in Jordan Henderson and a Brazil striker in Igor Thiago must be peculiar to comprehend.
If the latter continues in this goalscoring vein, Brentford could end up with the Premier League’s top scorer this season. Igor Thiago’s double here took his tally to 21 in the top flight this season, surpassing Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford’s most prolific marksman in one Premier League campaign, and putting him within one goal of Erling Haaland at the Golden Boot summit.
“We always knew he had brilliant attributes,” said Andrews. “He’s selfless in the way he plays the game for us. The goals obviously get all the attention, but his overall performance levels continue to get better and better. He’s evolving his game. He’s a very special player. He can do pretty much everything.”
The Brazilian had opened his international account from the penalty spot against Croatia last week, and his first goal on his return to London came in the same fashion. Fewer than 90 seconds had ticked by following Everton’s rugby-esque up-and-under that launched proceedings, when Jordan Pickford’s outstretched leg felled Kevin Schade as the German sped past. The penalty award prompted no more than a resigned grimace from the England goalkeeper, who dived the right way from the spot kick but was unable to keep out Igor Thiago’s shot.
Stunned by that early blow, the visitors took some time to recover, but they eventually found their footing. Caoimhín Kelleher produced a wonderful double save to deny Idrissa Gueye and Beto, before that same duo combined five minutes later to draw Everton level. Keane Lewis-Potter was too weak when dispossessed, allowing Gueye to dink a first-time cross that was expertly nodded into the net by Beto, taking his goal tally to four in five games.
Brentford hit the crossbar with headers from Schade and Nathan Collins either side of half-time, with Everton’s comatose response to the interval making their tardy start to the first half look full of intent by comparison.
It seemed inevitable that Brentford would regain the lead, which they did courtesy of some good fortune. Michael Kayode drove powerfully from the right flank and fired a fierce shot, which was turned past Pickford – perhaps more unknowingly than knowingly – by Igor Thiago’s thigh. “It’s not a coincidence when you’re in the right place at the right time,” said Andrews.
That might have settled proceedings, but Brentford could not halt a late Everton surge that culminated in Dewsbury-Hall arrowing a late equaliser past Kelleher.
“I’m pleased to get a draw out of the game because it looked as though that wasn’t going to be the case,” said David Moyes. “Taking a draw from here isn’t the worst result. The [first] goal took a while to get over. It really rocked us.
“We’ve got a bit of maturity about us and we had to show that today. We had to show some resilience, stick at it and believe a chance would come.”
Quick GuideBrentford 2-2 Everton key facts
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• Having scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture and two goals on Saturday, Igor Thiago is the first player to score 5+ goals against Everton in a Premier League season. He also became the first Brazilian to score 20 goals in a season in the English top flight.
• Since joining Everton in 2017, only José Sá (8) has conceded more penalties among goalkeepers in the Premier League than Jordan Pickford (6), while only Bernd Leno (35) has conceded more penalty goals than the 27 of Pickford (pictured bringing down Kevin Schade) in that time. Opta
Andrew was less buoyant: “We’re disappointed, naturally. I felt we were slightly the better team in the first half. Second half, for half an hour, I thought we were outstanding – controlled the game, created good opportunities and looked more like us.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite manage those last few moments to see out what would have been a well-deserved win.”
