Everton still in danger after Brentford defeat

Everton’s Premier League survival hopes remain in the balance after Brentford twice came from behind to claim all three points against the Toffees, who had two players sent off at Goodison Park.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, making his first start since 9 April, got the faintest of touches to Richarlison’s flick to give the hosts an early lead, but the dismissal of teenage defender Jarrad Branthwaite eight minutes later silenced the Toffees supporters and shifted the momentum back in the visitors’ favour.

Seamus Coleman’s own goal hauled the Bees back on level terms, only for Richarlison’s penalty to restore Everton’s advantage in first-half stoppage time.

Brentford dominated the second half and deservedly made it 2-2 through Yoane Wissa’s looping header, before Rico Henry headed Christian Norgaard’s delivery into the far corner to put Thomas Frank’s side ahead for the first time in the match.

The Toffees’ woes were compounded late on when substitute Salomon Rondon was sent off for a two-footed lunge on Henry, but Lampard’s side will be safe if they beat Crystal Palace at home on Thursday evening.

Everton miss chance to secure safety

An impressive haul of seven points from three games had lifted Everton clear of the bottom three before Sunday’s crucial game, and Leeds’ failure to overcome Brighton at Elland Road meant survival was within tantalising distance for Lampard and his players – who were greeted off the team bus by thousands of Toffees fans prior to kick-off.

Both sides had opportunities to open the scoring in a blistering start to the match, the first of which was spurned by Richarlison after Brentford goalkeeper David Raya had clawed Anthony Gordon’s clever flick into the forward’s path.

Ivan Toney and Richarlison traded further chances, before Calvert-Lewin got the slightest of touches to Gordon’s driven free-kick to break the deadlock and ramp up the noise inside an already frantic Goodison Park.

The mood changed dramatically, however, when Branthwaite was adjudged to have brought down Toney as last man – moments after Richarlison’s appeals for a penalty for a foul by Kristoffer Ajer were turned down.

The red card shifted the momentum inside Goodison Park as Christian Eriksen curled a free-kick narrowly wide of the far post, before Wissa’s whipped delivery was diverted into his own net by Coleman.

There was still time for another twist before the interval as Mads Bech Sorensen was adjudged to have tugged back Richarlison inside the Brentford penalty area, allowing the Brazilian to slam home the resulting spot-kick for his 10th goal of the campaign in all competitions.

Frank switched to a back three at half-time in a bid to press home his side’s numerical advantage, and the bold move paid off as the visitors struck twice in the space of three second-half minutes.

There was little Pickford could do about Wissa’s looping header or Henry’s well-placed effort moments later, which handed Brentford a first league double in this fixture since 1936.

There seemed little chance of Everton clawing their way back into the game at this stage, but any hopes the Toffees had of salvaging an unlikely point were well and truly extinguished by Rondon, whose reckless challenge on Henry earned him a straight red card from referee Michael Oliver.

The victory lifts Brentford up to 11th – two points behind Leicester and Brighton in ninth and 10th respectively.

BBCSPORTS