Demarai Gray says responsibility for Everton’s current run of form falls on the shoulders of the players – and one victory will swing momentum during an unrelenting run of fixtures.
Forward Gray scored his fourth goal of the campaign on Wednesday but his smart finish through the legs of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson wasn’t enough to prevent Everton from slipping to defeat in the 239th Merseyside derby.
The 25-year-old was one of the primary architects of Everton’s bright beginning to the campaign following a summer transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
But the profitable seven-match opening gave way to a sequence of seven games that yielded only one point, as Rafa Benitez contended with an injury-depleted squad.
Everton host Arsenal on Monday and have games against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Leicester City before Christmas.
“Losing like that in the derby is difficult to take, especially after getting the goal and being back in the game,” said Gray, whose strike seven minutes before half-time drew Everton within one of the visitors.
“We reacted well to Liverpool going two up but didn’t capitalise on our goal.
“The scoreline was, perhaps, not a fair reflection of the game. The whole team felt we were well in it after scoring and the fans were behind us. But we made mistakes and a team like Liverpool will punish you.
“Mistakes have cost us over the past few weeks, giving away easy goals, it is something we have to work on and fix.
“It takes one game to turn it around, we have a lot of games over the next period and, hopefully, we can get a win and gain some momentum off the back of it.
“As players, you have to be accountable. We are the ones on the pitch and have to do things better.”
Everton sit 14th in a congested Premier League table where only eight points separate Wolverhampton Wanderers in sixth and 17th-placed Watford.
Gray, then, echoes the view of manager Benitez, who remains confident over Everton’s potential to vie for a position towards the higher end of the standings.
The player stands up his assertion by pointing to the early weeks of the season, when he scored three times in the opening four games as Everton claimed 10 points.
A raft of injuries to fundamental personnel, notably totemic striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, midfielder Abdoualye Doucoure, and Yerry Mina, the Colombian central defender – in addition to a four-game absence for Richarlison – knocked Everton out of their stride.
Gray is loath to wholly attribute a barren stretch to missing players but, by the same token, anticipates an upswing as Benitez’s options increase.
Following those four games in quick time ahead of Christmas, Everton face Burnley and Newcastle United prior to the turn of the year.
Brighton & Hove Albion are at Goodison Park on 2 January to complete a spell of seven matches in 27 days.
“We have a tough run of games coming and have to improve and correct what we did wrong [against Liverpool] and the win will come soon,” added Gray.
“The fans have every right to be disappointed after Wednesday, the derby is one of the biggest games in football.
“It is difficult for them but I am positive it will change soon.
“We have had a few injuries but we don’t want to use that as an excuse. We want to focus on getting a win and pushing on from there.
“As a team, we believe in our ability, we will stay together and focus on each game and the bad patch will end soon.
“It [derby loss] is a blow for us but we have to keep working hard, be patient and focus on each game.
“Bad patches don’t last forever. Everyone in the changing room is confident we will turn it around. We are a good squad, you can see that from how we started the season.
“We go into each game with a positive mentality and train properly.
“It is down to us to make it right. There are a lot of games over this Christmas period, I am sure a win is around the corner and we can pick up momentum from there.”
