Sean Dyche has criticised his Everton players for their failure to take responsibility during Bournemouth’s late comeback at Goodison Park.
The Toffees, who have now conceded 10 goals in their first three Premier League matches, saw a two-goal lead slip away in the dying moments of Saturday’s clash, leading to a shocking 3-2 defeat.
Everton initially looked in control, taking the lead through Michael Keane, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubling their advantage. However, with just three minutes of regular time remaining, Bournemouth clawed their way back into the game.
Antoine Semenyo reduced the deficit, and Everton’s defence crumbled under pressure, leading to a dramatic and painful collapse.
In the 92nd minute, Lewis Cook found the equaliser, with Everton’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford forced into two quick saves in a desperate bid to salvage at least a point. But the worst was yet to come.
Luis Sinisterra’s 96th-minute strike secured a stunning victory for Bournemouth, a result that left Dyche shell-shocked on the touchline.
Speaking after the match, Dyche was visibly frustrated and bewildered by his team’s inability to see out what should have been a comfortable win.
“We did so much right until they scored their first goal,” he said.
“I think they had one shot on target before then. The game should have been out of sight. We conceded one and then threw it away. I can’t put my finger on it right now.
“They kept raining it forward and got their reward in the end. In the Premier League, you have to play to the last breath of the game and we simply didn’t, but they did. They were playing it forward and crossing it into the box, and we didn’t deal with it. Simple stuff, but we threw it away. It’s the third game we’ve thrown away this season.
“You have to kill teams off at every level, but particularly at this level. Everyone was looking at someone else to deal with things and that’s when there is trouble. You could see the body language change.
“You have to see games through and we have enough experience to do that, but today we didn’t.”
Everton captain Seamus Coleman echoed his manager’s sentiments, acknowledging the team’s collective failure.
“We really let ourselves down in front of our fans. We cannot take our foot off the gas at this level. Unfortunately, we did that. We cannot be conceding the goals that we did. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror.”
The defeat has led to significant criticism, with former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy pointing to a lack of leadership on the pitch, a problem Dyche himself alluded to.
“There’s a lot involved in that [performance]. You lose belief and start doubting what you’re doing and each other, but it’s also a lack of leadership,” Murphy said.
“They’ve got experienced players on the pitch. It’s simple stuff. They were absolutely all over the place [Everton]. The gaps were huge. It was crazy what they were doing.”
Everton’s collapse is likely to raise serious questions about their defensive organisation and mental toughness as they face the daunting task of turning their season around.