MATCH CENTRE

Everton Lose Despite Richarlison Double

Everton’s wait for an away victory goes on after Maxwel Cornet’s goal with five minutes remaining on a topsy-turvy night at Turf Moor secured victory for Burnley.

Frank Lampard’s team led at half-time after responding to the disappointment of a 12th-minute strike from Nathan Collins with a pair of Richarlison penalties.

The Brazilian drew Everton level on 18 minutes after an Ashley Westwood foul on Anthony Gordon.

And when a VAR review confirmed Vitalii Mykolenko was illegally impeded in the box by Aaron Lennon, Richarlison stroked his team in front four minutes before half-time.

Jay Rodriguez equalised from close range 12 minutes after the restart.

Everton came again, creating openings for Richarlison, who struck an upright, and Anthony Gordon, among others.

But Burnley stole forwards to win the match and narrow the gap on Everton in the Premier League table.

Manager Lampard has fewer than 72 hours to ready his team for a Saturday lunchtime visit from Manchester United.

He will draw solace, surely, from a positive attacking display, with Richarlison outstanding.

Everton aimed 16 shots and one save from Nick Pope to repel an overhead kick from the Brazilian forward at 2-2 was of the highest order.

Richarlison had waited one-and-a-half years to take a penalty for Everton, before two came along in the space of 23 minutes.

He last took a penalty for Everton at Crystal Palace in September 2020. Richarlison scored back then and was fed up when he didn’t get the opportunity to replicate the feat in a game at Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this term.

Presented with his opportunity after Westwood was panicked into grab at Gordon, stealing in front of the Burnley player, who wrongly thought he had matters under control facing his own goal, Richarlison rolled the most casual strike into Pope’s bottom-left corner.

The Evertonians, in wonderful voice all night and clearly of a mind to get right behind their team, hailed the South American with their ‘He’s Brilliant’ refrain.

Imagine what was going through Richarlison’s head a while later, then.

Mykolenko, progressing into his opponents’ penalty area, chopped back onto his left foot and suddenly hit the deck.

The locals were apoplectic, apparently suspecting the Ukranian had gone down without encouragement.

A VAR check discovered otherwise. Lennon, the former Everton player, connected heftily with Mykolenko’s standing foot. Referee Mike Dean learned as much when asked to consult his television screen.

The delay extended to three minutes. A penny for Richarlison’s thoughts. His ‘brilliant’ status was temporarily on the line. Moreover, here was a chance to turn the scoreline on its head.

He emptied his head of any concerns – assuming they existed in the first place – and swiped his lofted finish marginally right, defeating goalkeeper Pope.

The opening half, then, finished far more rosily than it began for the away team.

Mason Holgate went into the book for a fourth-minute challenge on Cornet.

The free-kick, loaded into Everton’s box, resulted in a messy scramble. When Cornet missed his kick, next-man-up Collins had an age to deliberate over his options. He shot low and was foiled by a block from Jarrard Branthwaite.

Westwood curled wide from 18 yards and midfield partner Josh Brownwhill received a yellow card for tugging back a surging Richarlison.

Everton, in this opening period, were hemmed in and the hosts’ pressure paid off after 12 minutes.

Lennon scooted to the byline to win a corner off Mykolenko.

Cornet’s delivery from the right travelled over the heads of a scrum of bodies assembled in the six-yard box.

When the ball arrived at the far post, Collins adjusted to make awkward contact with a shin that sent it across Jordan Pickford and inside the far post.

There was a school of thought that Cornet was left out of Burnley’s game against Manchester City on Saturday to ensure the player was fresh for a thrusting attacking contribution here.

It was Cornet’s appetite for the defensive strand of the game repeatedly tested in the first-half, however.

He tracked Abdoulaye Docoure deep into his own penalty area to stop the Frenchman connecting with a Richarlison delivery.

Gordon was thwarted by Cornet twice in quick succession, too, first seeing the ball swiped from his feet, then drilling an effort into the winded African’s midriff.

It was all Everton at 1-1. Burnley were rocked by the setback after such an auspicious start and struggling to recover their poise.

The visitors, on the other hand, evidently received a ginormous shot in the arm from their speedy response to going behind.

 A Richarlison effort caught a deflection and dipped viciously over the top

And when Richarlison tried to turn provider after running onto Alex Iwobi’s forward ball, he was denied in order by Connor Roberts and Collins from locating Dominic Calvert-Lewin with crosses.

Burnley had the bit between their teeth directly after the restart. Westwood volleyed over following Lennon’s run and chipped centre.

But the home team were taking risks, which left spaces for Everton to exploit.

Richarlison was unattended when collecting a pass from Gordon. The forward shimmied past Roberts when attention arrived, but cracked the outside of a post with his shot.

Richarlison again after 55 minutes, unable to adjust for a shot on target when Jonjoe Kenny’s cross struck the bar and hurried to his feet a few yards from goal.

Burnley’s equaliser, 60 seconds later, stemmed from excellent approach play by Charlie Taylor.

The left-back moved into an advanced position to receive a ball from Westwood.

Taylor motored to the byline where he squared for Rodriguez to side-foot a simple finish.

The persistent Richarlison spied a hat-trick opportunity only he could have seen when a Kenny cross dropped on the edge of the six-yard box.

An overhead kick, reminiscent of the one he scored at Norwich City, forced a fabulous stop from Pope at the base of his right post.

Burnley got themselves in a dreadful tangle around the 65th minute. Collins was culpable, coughing up possession and allowing Calvert-Lewin to feed Richarlison, who released Gordon on the right.

James Tarkowski recovered to apply a goal-saving block on a thumping effort.

That episode was sandwiched by headers over from Calvert-Lewin and Branthwaite

Another opportunity for Richarlison soon after, Ben Godfrey the architect with a 50-yard surge through the middle of the pitch and pass to his left. Tarkowski, the Burnley captain, again put his frame in the way of the attempt.

The contest was positioned delicately on a knife-edge.

Burnley took their turn to apply pressure, Pickford reacting smartly to push over a rising drive from Cornet and substitute Matthew Lowton skewing into the side netting from a promising position.

But the home team found a decisive goal late on, leaving little time for Everton to reply.

Godfrey’s clearance from Taylor’s 85th-minute left-wing cross fell for Matej Vydra, recently introduced in place of Wout Weghorst.

The striker fed Cornet with a firm low delivery and the Ivorian did the rest, lifting the ball high beyond Pickford.

Salomon Rondon, on for Holgate directly after Cornet’s goal, was agonisingly close with a volleyed effort from 18 yards in stoppage time.

But Burnley had done enough and Everton must haul themselves off the ground for the weekend clash with United at what will surely be a fired-up Goodison Park.