Ten-man Brentford held Everton to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park for their first away point in the Premier League this season.
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A red card to Christian Norgaard meant the visitors played the whole duration of the second half with a numerical disadvantage, but they kept Everton in check for a well-deserved point.
Mark Flekken was on top form to twice deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin before the break, although Yoane Wissa squandered a great chance for Brentford prior to Norgaard’s dismissal for a challenge on Jordan Pickford.
Yet Sean Dyche’s team, who have struggled for goals all season, failed to make their advantage count after the break, with a long-range strike from Idrissa Gueye and a handful of opportunities for substitute Beto the closest they came to breaking the deadlock.
Everton sit 15th with 11 points, while Brentford moved, at least temporarily, into 10th.
How the match unfolded
Brentford goalkeeper Flekken started as he meant to go on with a brilliant save from Calvert-Lewin’s inventive backheel four minutes in.
Flekken was equally as alert to frustrate Calvert-Lewin again 22 minutes later, while Pickford made a vital save to deny Wissa at the other end, and the Everton goalkeeper was in the thick of it when Brentford went down to 10 men.
Norgaard lunged in on Pickford with a studs-up challenge inside the six-yard box, and referee Chris Kavanagh chose to send the Dane off after consulting with the VAR.
Flekken kept the game level by tipping over Gueye’s long-range effort early in the second half while Pickford was also forced into a save by Keane Lewis-Potter as Brentford showed their counter-attacking threat.
Beto came off the bench and proved an aerial threat for Everton, with a shot blocked in front of goal by Ethan Pinnock in stoppage time, but a largely frustrated Goodison Park crowd were forced to see their team settle for a point.
Bees draw Everton’s sting
Brentford have collected 16 of the available 18 points at home this season, but it is their away form that has let Thomas Frank’s side down.
Having lost all five of their Premier League away games, a visit to struggling Everton was a perfect opportunity for the Bees to break the duck.
But after letting the hosts take the upper hand early on, Frank’s job was not made any easier by the sending-off of Norgaard, which left Brentford to play with a numerical disadvantage for almost an hour.
Yet they were well organised in the second half, with Nathan Collins and Pinnock excellent, while they offered some bite on the counter, albeit Lewis-Potter could not find the finish in multiple half-chances.
Frank also gave record-signing Igor Thiago his Premier League debut as a substitute. Though it was not the win that they came looking for, a spirited display that ended in a first point on the road is something that Brentford can build on.
Blunt Everton squander golden chance
An unbeaten run in October had pulled Everton away from the relegation zone, but it is now just two wins in 12 matches this season and Dyche’s team are looking over their shoulder, despite a run of just one defeat in eight, with this their second successive 0-0 draw.
A sharp first-half display from his players would have given Dyche hope heading into the second half a man up, but the Toffees could not unlock a well-drilled Brentford side after the break, and often looked too predictable in their approach.
Substitute Beto was their biggest threat as he headed straight into the gloves of Flekken five minutes after his introduction before firing another header over not much later, while he was also denied by Pinnock in added time.
With fixtures against Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to come in December, Everton could rue not capitalising on today’s numerical advantage at home, and Dyche quickly needs to solve their attacking issues.
Club reports
Everton report | Brentford report
What the managers said
Sean Dyche: "We're disappointed not to win. I thought we were better against 11 men, I thought we dominated the first half in terms of the feel of the game, the chances created and the momentum. In the second half, credit to Brentford, with 10 men, they defended in a block and tried to counter. It was hard to break that down and we didn't manage to do that. We just lost that little bit of fizz, the game became tight, the stadium was tense, everyone became a bit nervous, and we just couldn't find that key moment to go and score a goal."
Thomas Frank: "There are a lot of positives to take from the game. Mentality, effort, character, defensive principles to get the first clean sheet of the season and get the first point away from home. I think, with 10 men against 11 for more than a half, it was a well-deserved point. I'm very proud of the players. For me, it was never a red card. Christian was only looking at the ball and there were no complaints from the Everton players on the pitch [about his contact with Pickford]."
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Key facts
Brentford have failed to win their last six away Premier League matches (D1 L5), their longest such streak in the competition since a run of seven between August-November 2022.
Everton have recorded a division-high three goalless draws in the Premier League this season, with the Toffees last having more across a single season in the competition in 2015/16, when they recorded four.
Brentford have kept their first clean sheet in 14 Premier League matches since May this year (v Fulham), with this shutout ending the Bees’ longest run without a clean sheet in the Premier League.
Everton had 27 shots in this match – last managing more in a Premier League game without scoring in February 2016 against West Bromwich Albion (33 shots).
