The Latest Everton FC Transfer News, Stories and Updates have been added below for 2017 – 2018
Historical Transfer News and Team Gossip has been archived below
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 12:28:42 +0000: Everton close in on striker Onyekuru - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Everton are close to completing a £7m deal for KAS Eupen's Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru.
Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:56:22 +0000: Everton set to sign Malaga striker Sandro - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Everton are close to completing the signing of Malaga and Spain Under-21 striker Sandro Ramirez after meeting his £5.2m buy-out clause.
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 21:24:47 +0000: Klaassen completes £23.6m Everton move - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Everton complete the £23.6m signing of Ajax captain and Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen on a five-year deal.
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 16:10:53 +0000: Everton complete record Pickford deal - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Jordan Pickford becomes the most expensive British keeper after Everton pay £25m - rising to what would be a club record £30m - to sign him from Sunderland.
Wed, 14 Jun 2017 08:00:05 +0000: Premier League fixtures in full - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Find out your club's full fixture list for the 2017-18 Premier League season.
David Moyes has been scouring the football world for players to add to his squad for next season as he once again looks to over achieve with Everton against the big boys in the division. The club had a fairly good season last year but by Moyes own standards it has fallen well below what he expects from his side and now looks to bolster his squad for the upcoming season.
The first signing of the summer for Everton was the attacking midfielder Steven Naismith who arrived on a free transfer from Glasgow Rangers after the club went into administration. The Scottish international has an exceptional record in football and is seen as the perfect addition to Moyes young and up and coming side.
German international Lewis Holtby is one of Moyes top targets this summer as he looks to increase his capabilities in midfield with Fellani looking like he may find himself on the way out of Goodison this summer with the likes of Chelsea looking for his signature. Holtby who currently plays for Schalke has been quick to distance himself from these rumours as there are a number of clubs in for his services such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Reserve team striker Joao Silva has finally left Goodison this summer to join the Bulgarian side Levski Sofia for an undisclosed fee as the player had fallen out of favour with the manager following a run of ineffective performances last season.
Defender Joseph Yobo who has been out on loan for the past two seasons is another player who could see the exit at Goodison as Moyes looks to clear out his closet of players he does not need to raise funds for future investments.
Left back Leighton Baines is another player who looks all set to be leaving Everton this summer with Manchester United leading the chase for his services. The influential left back is thought to be one of Sir Alex Fergusons top targets as he looks to replace the ageing Patrice Evra who was slightly ineffective last season and Everton could be set for a fee of around fifteen million pounds for their prized left back.
Tweets of the Week: Liverpool bantered, Premier League stepdads and who is Luke Garbutt? The best tweets from the world of football this past week, featuring Liverpool getting battered and bantered, Premier League managers rated as potential step fathers, a very confused Carlo Ancelotti and so much more. They won the league but everyone enjoyed seeing Liverpool getting hammered by Man City this week. When they said City were …
As an Everton fan, we have basically seen it all when it comes to the doom and gloom of the Premier League! Whilst there have been a fair few low points for The Blues over the years, there have also been some amazing highs and I’ve taken a look back through the archives to select […]
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah missed his team’s training session at Melwood on Wednesday, just a few days before The Reds are set to travel to Goodison Park for the Merseyside Derby. After Manchester City’s win over Arsenal at the Etihad on Wednesday evening, Everton fans will be very relieved to know that Liverpool can no […]
Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham have all shown an interest in signing Roma striker Patrik Schick, according to a report from Italian outlet Gazzetta Italia. Schick is currently on loan with RB Leipzig, but the German club are unwilling to trigger their €27m (£24.1m) option to complete a permanent deal for the forward. The 24-year-old has played second-fiddle […]
Ivorian strikers are invariably compared to the iconic Didier Drogba, but Lacina Traore shares a frame more similar to former England striker Peter Crouch! Tall, fast and good on the ball, his physical presence made him hard to miss when he ws playing football on the streets of Abidjan as a 17-year-old. It was there […]
Everton have offered veteran defender Thiago Silva, according to a report from The Express. The Brazilian is set to become a free agent as Paris Saint-Germain have already informed him that his contract, which expires this summer, will not be extended. The report claims that Everton have offered the 35-year-old a one year deal with […]
Injury-related news hasn’t exactly been kind to Everton in recent weeks and this latest update isn’t the best news for the Blues either. Thankfully for Carlo Ancelotti, this news doesn’t relate to another Everton star picking up an injury, instead, it relates to their opponents for their game this weekend. According to Dom King of […]
Everton Quiz: How well do you remember the Roberto Martinez years? Having just won the FA Cup in the same season that his side was relegated, it was difficult to get a real gauge on the true level of Roberto Martinez as a coach when he arrived at Everton in 2013. The former midfielder quickly quietened the doubters in his first year at the club though […]
Everything Everton fans need to remember about the Toffees' season so far Things were looking up for Everton prior to the suspension of football in March after a small renaissance under new boss Carlo Ancelotti. Appointed in December, the Italian helped the Toffees climb away from the bottom three and up towards mid-table, just six points adrift of sixth-place and a European spot. Since his arrival, Everton […]
We’re in the final stretch of the 2019-20 Premier League season, with just five more gameweeks remaining in the season. The top two positions and the bottom position in the league seems to be confirmed, but the competition is intense and close from third all the way to 19th. Spots for Europe as well as the relegation zone is still undecided, and we will learn more about which sides will finish where in Match week 33. Battle of the underdogs for top 10 position Two of the underdogs of this year’s Premier League campaign are Sheffield United and Burnley. The
Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos, who is currently on loan at Arsenal, does not have a future at the Spanish club, while the Gunners are also reluctant to sign him on a permanent deal. According to Marca, if current Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane stays at the club, Dani Ceballos will have to look elsewhere for regular game time. The report further states that Ceballos’ reputation in Europe is strong and that he won’t have a problem finding a new club in the summer. According to the same report, Spanish side Valencia are interested in signing him. Which Premier League clubs
South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, who currently plays for Chinese side Beijing Guoan, is reportedly a target for Premier League side Everton. The 23-year-old joined the Chinese club in January 2019, but could be on the move after his impressive performances for the side. As per The Guardian, numerous clubs across Europe, including Everton, are interested in the Korean centre-back. Southampton and Watford in the Premier League, as well as the likes of RB Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven, Porto, and Lazio are also tracking Min-jae. His current deal with Beijing Guoan expires in 2021, having penned a two-year deal when he
Five of the worst football ads ever: Owen, Rooney and Venkys chicken Every business out there wants to be associated with a successful football club or player to get more attention for their brand, but it doesn’t always work out so well. In some cases, the resultant advertisements and endorsements are just downright awful. Marketing agencies should learn from these lousy examples. Liverpool bring Paisley back from …
Fantasy Premier League GW33+: Three must-buy midfielders for your team this week With the Fantasy Premier League season coming into the final six games, it’s extremely important to get your transfers right ahead of gameweek 33+. Here are the three cheap midfielders we think are must-have in your FPL team: Phil Foden, Man City – £5.3 The moment Philip Walter Foden turned 20, he immediately found his …
Ancelotti opens up on why he appreciates Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison Carlo Ancelotti has spoken of the importance of Everton forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison and praised the duo’s energy in their defensive work. Everton have enjoyed a positive restart to the Premier League season and are eyeing European qualification following the club’s midweek win over third-placed Leicester, the Toffees’ unbeaten in three league fixtures since …
The best Premier League stats of gameweek 32: Bruno’s brilliance, Awesome Auba, lacking Lampard Presenting some of the standout statistics from gameweek 32 of Premier League action, featuring Bruno Fernandes’ fantastic form, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s ridiculous goal scoring record for Arsenal, Frank Lampard’s faltering Chelsea, Southampton’s joy on the road and Liverpool’s recent lack of it. Bruno does it again Another week, another Bruno Fernandes masterclass, as the Portuguese playmaker …
Revisiting the 1999/2000 Premier League Team of the Year The new millennium saw Manchester United continue their dominance of English football and the Premier League era, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side winning a sixth title in just eight seasons since the launch of the rebranded division. Elsewhere the 1999/2000 campaign saw surprise package Sunderland thrive on the back of the goalscoring form of Kevin Phillips, …
Ancelotti hails Everton ‘spirit’ after hard fought 2-1 win over Leicester Carlo Ancelotti has hailed his side’s ‘spirit’ after Everton moved closer to the European places with a 2-1 victory over Leicester at Goodison Park. Everton continued their unbeaten restart to the Premier League season with a hard fought victory over the third-placed Foxes on Merseyside, goals from Richarlison and a controversial Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty moving …
Why Everton made a right decision by releasing Luke Garbutt According to Daily Mail, Premier League side Everton released forgotten defender Luke Garbutt on Tuesday. The 27-year-old left-back spent the whole season on loan with at Ipswich Town and has not played a single game for Everton’s senior side since 2015. Despite 11 years with the […] More
Why Hirving Lozano to Everton would bolster their attack As per Corriere del Mezzogiorno (h/t Liverpool Echo), Napoli winger Hirving Lozano has come under the radar of Everton ahead of the summer transfer window. Lozano, 24, came through the ranks of CF Pachuca’s youth system in his homeland. After four years with the Mexican outfit’s […] More
Why Everton should reignite their interest in Teun Koopmeiners Back in April, the Sun claimed that Everton were interested in signing AZ Alkmaar midfielder Teun Koopmeiners. The 22-year-old came through the ranks of Alkmaar’s youth system and already has a vast experience in Dutch football. He is also a regular member of the Dutch U21 […] More
Why Everton should press ahead with their interest in Franck Kessie According to Tuttosport (h/t Daily Mail) AC Milan star Franck Kessie is considering a move away from Italy with Everton are reportedly interested in signing the midfielder. Kessie moved to Italy from homeland Ivory Coast in 2015, joining Atalanta. The midfielder had a loan […] More
Why Colin Dagba to Everton would boost their defence As per Le10 Sport (h/t Liverpool Echo), Everton are interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain defender Colin Dagba in the summer transfer window. Dagba, 21, rose through the ranks of Boulogne’s youth system and joined PSG’s B team in the summer of 2016. He made a breakthrough […] More
Three Premier League clubs who could benefit from signing Joe Hart on a free transfer Burnley have confirmed that Joe Hart will be allowed to leave on June 30th after the club decided not to extend the player’s contract for the remainder of the prolonged season. Hart signed for Burnley back in the summer of […] More
Champions League restrictions may be imposed on Leicester unless they find an antidote to 2020’s downturn. Brendan Rodgers can feel Manchester United and Wolves breathing down his neck after his side’s winless restart continued at Everton.
Everton’s advance their push for a Europa League spot by denting Leicester’s Champions League hopes. It was a deserved win for the home side, who were sharper and smarter than the visitors. Leicester enjoyed an upturn for about 20 minutes in the second half and threatened to equalise, but they sagged again after that. Vardy was barely involved for most of the match. In the end, Leicester were just too flat. And now, despite so much fine work this season, their campaign is at risk of ending in an anti-climax.
90+5 min: Leicester keep passing. But it’s too slow and predictable.
90+2 min: Keane, who has been excellent today, heads away the latest Leicester cross, this time from Gray.
90+1 min: Vardy, of whom we’ve seen little, skips past two down the left and fires in a low cross. Perez, from a position similar to the one from which Richarlison shot Everton in front, gets off a first-time shot. It’s deflected wide.
90 min: There will be at least six more minutes. Time for Leicester to find a second wind, even if they never truly found a first?
89 min: Everton are seeing this game out intelligently. Leicester upsurge in the first half of the second period has subsided.
87 min: That’s awful by Maddison. Instead of rolling a straight-forward pass to Justin on the right, he went for an ostentatious chip to the full-back and found only touch. Leicester are fizzling out. Like their season?
86 min: Chilwell glides past Gomes but can’t beat Coleman.
85 min: Leicester take an age to deliver a corner. And then Gray flops it straight to the defender and the near post. This is not good enough from Leicester.
82 min: Iheanacho lopes down the right on to a dinked pass over the top. He dabs an elegant pass into the danger zone. But it’s fractionally too high for Vardy.
80 min: Leicester substitution: Gray and Perez on, Albrighton and Tielemans off. A huge 10 minutes on the way for Leicester. Turn this around and it’ll be a mighty boost to their confidence and their top four hopes. Fail, and Chelsea, Wolves and Manchester United will be sensing their blood. “If the Brendon and envelopes thing is getting a bit old here, I can only imagine what the Rodgers family goes through every time the post is delivered,” guffaws Ian Copestake.
78 min: Everton substitution: Bernard on, Gordon off.
76 min: Chilwell tries to outfox Coleman and get in a cross. But Coleman’s having none of it.
75 min: Maddison and Iheanacho have made a big impact since coming on. And they’ve just combined beautifully to work their way into the area. Maddison then lofts a cross from the byline towards the back post. It eventually comes to Chilwell, who wellies it into the stands from eight yards.
75 min: Pickford booked for time-wasting.
74 min: Everton now have a five-man defence. Mina, in the heart of it, heads Chilwell’s latest cross clear.
72 min: Iheanacho skips between two and then wraps his foot around a decent low shot from 20 yards. Pickford gets down to it and doesn’t mess up.
67 min: Everton substitution: Mina on, Iwobi off. it’s all about clinging on to the lead now for Everton.
66 min: Drinks break. “Just catching up on this and have been led to ponder sending the keeper the wrong way for a penalty hit straight down the middle”, drawls Geoff Wignall. I get the point you’re trying to make, Geoff. But I submit that if a keeper did not go the way that the ball went, then he went the wrong way.
65 min: Pickford runs of his line as he goes fishing at he back post for a long cross by Albrighton. Vardy gets to it first and nods it back to Iheanacho, who does brilliantly to flip it over the head of Keane. But he can’t keep his shot down, blasting over from eight yards. Leicester are banging on that door, though, and Pickford isn’t helping his defenders’ nerves.
62 min: What a blunder by Pickford! He allowed a harmless low cross from the left to roll through his hands. Keane, caught unawares, nearly nudges it over his own line from close range! But he recovers in time to swipe it clear. Leicester were millimetres away from drawing level!
61 min: Brilliant work by Maddison. He showed close control and wriggly skills to weave his way past three and into the area. But he was off-balance when he fired of a left-footed shot. Blocked.
60 min: Everton push back Leicester for the first time in this half. Justin has to make a great block to deny Sigurdsson from the edge of the area after clever work down the right by Iwobi.
57 min: Everton substitution: Davies on, Richarlison off. That whack that the Brazilian took around his ankle from Ndidi has forced Everton into a change. Introducing a midfielder for the striker is no doubt intended to stem the flow that Leicester have get going in the second half.
54 min: Leicester have been much sharper since the break, and even more so since their goal. Their passing is sharper and smarter. Everton are having to strain harder to keep them at bay. But they’ll get a break now because Ndidi has arrived late into a tackle on Richarlison. A booking for the midfield, some treatment for the striker.
Leicester have changed all right! Their substitute gets them back in the game thanks partly to a lucky break. Tielemans floated a pass into the area, which Vardy helped on. Iheanacho ran on to it and Pickford tried to whack it clear but smashed the ball into the striker’s head. Iheanacho didn’t care when he saw the ball bounce into the net. Game on!
48 min: Digne unloads a rockets from long range. Justin tries to block it and is knocked over! The changes trajectory to much that Schmiechel has to scramble across to the other side of his goal and tip it out for a corner.
46 min: Unsurprisingly, Leicester have made changes: Maddison and Iheanacho are on in place of Barnes and Praet. Will the new arrivals help give Leicester the spark they’ve lacked so far?
That was quite accomplished from Everton. They took the lead through a well worked goal, then got a lucky break with a penalty for a handball by Ndidi. Since then Everton have pretty much kept Leicester at arm’s lengths, rejecting a slew of crosses from either flank. Only twice have Leicester picked a way through the middle: the first time resulted in a shot by Tielemans being blocked, and the second one ended with Pickford making a fine save to deny Vardy. Leicester’s Champions League ambitions are at stake: the second half will is going to be huge for them. “If Leicester carry on with this form, Brendan will be opening those envelopes early,” blurts Stephen Carr.
45+2 min: Everton are finishing the half strongly. They’re making Leicester chase them, and Leicester aren’t doing that particularly effectively. Everton look sharper.
45 min: Everton pass their way froward crisply. Then Digne fizzes over a low ball from the left-hand side and Richarlison fails to make a clean connect. That was very similar to his goal, except for the finish.
44 min: After a few more crosses are slung in and repelled, Barnes tries to go for goal directly from long range. His shot whizzes into the stand. No fake ‘ouch’ from the crowd?
42 min: A beautiful sliding tackle by Chilwell brings an abrupt end to a burst down the right by Iwobi. Leicester resume probing at the other end.
40 min: Barnes flips over a fetching cross from the left with the outside of his boot. Albrighton traps it 10 yards out, but Digne then blocks his shot. Justin latches on to the loose ball and had a pop from long-range. A reasonable idea, but his shot veers away from the target.
39 min: Everton zip the ball around for a bit, their first sustained phase of possession for a while.
37 min: Justin does well to win a corner down the right. Albrighton’s delivery is cleared as far as Tielemans, whose thunderous volley from the edge of the box is blocked by Keane. Soyuncu’s head the ball back into the area and Vardy finds himself free in front of Pickford! He tries to nudge a low shot past the advancing keeper, but Pickford makes an excellent save with his feet!
37 min: Chilwell sends over a cross from the right. Cleared. Justin sends over a cross from the right. Cleared. Chilwell sends in another from the left. Cleared. Yes, there’s a pattern alright.
36 min: Everton have Leicester where they want them. The hosts are absorbing Leicester’s attack, most of which conclude with hopeful crosses; then Everton spring forward on the counter.
34 min: Digne sends his corner beyond the back post. Keane tries to loop it back into the danger zone but it drops down on to the top of the net.
33 min: Albrighton sends over another decent cross. This time Leicester had more bodies in their to try to get on the end of it. But Keane clears again. And then Everton rip forward on the counter. Iwobi’s attempt to pick out Calvert-Lewin is diverted behind for a corner.
31 min: Justin motors down the right, then lays the ball off to Albrighton, who bangs over a cross from the touchline. Keane takes command and nuts it away.
29 min: Albrighton hares back to stop Digne centring from the left. Corner to Everton. Sigurdsson’s delivery is cleared by Soyuncu.
27 min: Coleman makes another important intervention, this time tracking Barnes’ crossfield run and then poking the ball off his foot.
26 min: Praet whips over a dangerous cross from the right. Coleman does very well to nod it away before Barnes can connect.
23 min: Drinks break. And plenty of food for thought for Rodgers. He seems to be making a point to his players very strenuously. Let’s see how they react.
21 min: Calvert-Lewin charges into the box after being released from deep. Soyuncu runs over to challenge him. They go shoulder to shoulder and the striker hits the deck. But the ref’s not falling for that.
20 min: The fake Everton fans are in full voice on my TV. But Leicester are still out of tune. Evans tries to go long for Vardy, but its easy pickings for Keane. “If you don’t like fake crowd noise, I take it you’re not a big fan of laugh tracks on sitcoms?” chortles Robert Andrews. Dead right. Canned laughter is fascistic peer pressure.
The Icelander sends Schmeichel the wrong way and strikes the ball into the middle of the goal. Leicester are in a world of bother! The top four spot that looked so secure is under serious threat now. But they’ve got plenty of time to get something from this match yet.
PENALTY! VAR has ruled that the ball hit Ndidi’s hand first.
13 min: Sigurdsson curls in a freekick from the left. Keane and Ndidi leaps to head it ... but it hits hands before anyone gets their noggin to it. VAR is having a look: did it hit Ndidi’s or Keane’s? Both! But which did it hit first? VAR is taking an age to decide, which suggests it’s not clear and obvious.
11 min: Rodgers said getting an early goal would give his team the confidence boost they need. But what effect will going behind have on them? Their immediate reaction is positive, as they hurtle down the other end and create a half-chance for Praet, whose shot from 20 yards is deflected wide.
Gordon runs on to a headed pass down the left, then pulls the ball back from the byline into the path of Richarlison. The Brazilian ignores a lunge by Chilwell and slams a low shot into the net from nine yards.
6 min: It’s been fairly even so far but not boring. The tempo is good and the duels vigorous; but both teams have pretty much matched each other.
4 min: This fake crowd noise is dangerous. You don’t want people getting used to believing in things they can see aren’t true. The government have been trying that for too long already. Plus, it’s good to hear the players holler; some might say it’s reassuring to hear that top superstars don’t tend not to shout anything esoteric, just roar “man on”, “tuck in” and “oi ref!” like you and I.
2 min: Nice patient play by Leicester. Then Tielemans makes an incision with a sudden change of pace and a body swerve past one opponent at the edge of the D. He slips a pass through to Vady, who takes a touch and readies himself for a shot from 15 yards .... but Digne does exceptionally well to put himself between the striker an the ball, which he ushers calmly back to Pickford. Still, that was encouraging from Leicester, especially the flicker from Tielemans, from who a return to form would be very welcome.
1 min: Leicester set the ball rolling.
The teams saunter into the empty arena, with Z cars blaring out at its usual volume. The players, meanwhile, are dressed as if their outfits were chosen hastily from a traditional babyware outlet: Everton are in blue, Leicester in pink.
In cricket they talk about the “nervous nineties”, when a batsman can start asking himself all kinds of paralysing questions after swishing his way to the brink of a century. Should he blast his way to that 100? Should he play tight to make sure he gets there? Often those questions prey on his mind so much he gives his wicket away. Is that what’s happened to Jamie Vardy lately? He’s been tantalisingly close to reaching 100 Premier League goals for a heck of a long time now: he had 97 by the turn of the year but since then has only added made it to 99 thanks, having scored against no one other than Aston Villa in 2020. But here’s the thing: he hasn’t missed a huge amount of chances; the problem has been a lack of regular service: Maddison and especially Tielemans have gone a little flat lately, while the likes of Barnes and Gray are not consistent enough. Add in the fact that Ndidi was injured for a while and Ricardo Pereira is still absent and you see why Leicester haven’t been firing on all cylinders. But they’re not far off, and one big win, no matter how it comes could help them get their groove back. And Vardy may finally get his 100 up - and what a feat that would be for a guy who was still playing in non-league at the age of 25. Today could be the day.
Carlo Ancelotti says Everton are still in the hunt for a European place, saying “our aim is to be in the fight until the last game of the game of the season.” Rodgers, meanwhile, says the first goal in today’s game could be crucial, suggesting that if Leicester get it, the surge in confidence will help them rediscover their pre-Christmas vibrancy.
Everton have made two changes to the side that started the win at Norwich, with Gordon and Sigurdsson replacing Davies and Bernard. Leicester, meanwhile, have introduced Albrighton for Perez. James Maddison is only fit enough for a place on the bench
Hello there. If you’re looking to banish a creeping sense of anti-climax, then you’ve come to the right place. Because Leicester are trying to shake off that exact same feeling. After excelling to get themselves third in the table, they’ve started to teeter, and now there’s real danger of them tumbling out of the Champions League slots. Given that Brendan Rodgers’ side advanced far in both cup competitions only to fall flat, there are question marks about this youngish team’s ability to hold their nerve when the heat is on. And make no mistake: with Wolves, Chelsea and Manchester United hitting powerful strides, the heat is on, on, on!
As for Everton, the early stages of their evolution under Carlo Ancelotti have been promising. He has tightened them up and has a top-half finish in his sights. His team haven’t conceded a goal since emerging from lockdown; meanwhile, Jamie Vardy has failed to score in 12 of his last 13 appearances. Something has got to give, right? Because 0-0 would do no one any good. Action stations!
John Nettles is currently doing a voiceover on a programme where people repair knackered items. Not for me.
Keane: “First half we weren’t great, we weren’t at our best.
“We changed formation at half-time and it changed how we played out from the back and allowed a midfielder to get more space.”
Norwich could have had a point from a dreadful game if they’d bothered to defend a corner.
Another great national morale booster brought to you by Project Restart. Everton were the better side and Norwich are going down. Good to have clarity on a couple of things during these confusing times.
90+4 mins: Everton are holding the ball up in the corner. Nothing to see here.
90+2 mins: Kean drives into the box but is clipped on the edge by Cantwell. The free-kick is sent wide, though.
90 mins: Idah pings a shot from the edge of the area and earns a corner due to a deflection.
Six minutes added on.
88 mins: Norwich have a throw in the corner but when it is given back to Aarons it turns out he’s a yard offside. What a waste.
86 mins: Iwobi, who has impressed, takes it down the pitch and then waits for company, allowing Everton to run down the clock. Nothing left to see here.
Cantwell on for the final few minutes.
84 mins: Calvert-Lewin whacks a low shot from 25 yards but it’s straight at Krul.
82 mins: Pukki breaks down the right but he hands it straight back to Everton much to the chagrin of the breaking Norwich players.
80 mins: Idah is on for Hernandez as Norwich chase a goal.
Kean is on for Everton and has now been booked for a very late challenge on Vrancic.
78 mins: Norwich come alive as Pukki slips the ball through to Buendia, who goes round Pickford but is forced too wide and can’t get the ball back into the danger zone, allowing Everton’s defenders to get back in order to clear the lines.
75 mins: Everton work to calm things down by knocking it around the defence, forcing Norwich to up their game to get it back.
73 mins: Aarons wins a free-kick from Digne on the right flank. Buendia sends the ball into the box and it almost finds the net via the knee of Gomes but it goes just wide.
71 mins: Pukki and Buendia come on for Klose and Rupp. A crucial 20 minutes in Norwich’s season ...
69 mins: Iwobi sends in a perfect cross for Calvert-Lewin but the striker can only divert it wide from 10 yards out.
Drinks break.
67 mins: The ball bounces out of the box to Tettey who divs a shot from 25 yards, which Sigurdsson deflects behind.
VAR checks to see if McLean hit the ball too hard.
65 mins: The fake crowd seem to have found their voice at this crucial time for Norwich.
63 mins: Norwich need to make some changes soon, otherwise I think Everton will completely take the game away from them.
61 mins: Everton certainly on top now. Their latest corner comes from the left courtesy of Digne but Calvert-Lewin heads it calmly to the goalkeeper.
59 mins: Calvert-Lewin drives towards the box and fires a shot from 18 yards, which Krul tips over the bar. Bernardo complains that the ball was not passed to him, but it would have been a tricky one to perfect from the striker.
Mary Waltz says: “Finally, a bit of quality. Nice cross into the box, fine header by Keane. Horrible zonal marking by Norwich but as a Everton fan I will ignore that.”
57 mins: Really commendable stuff from Norwich’s defence who completely fail to pick up a 6ft4 centre back six yards from their own goal. I think they might be going down.
Everton get a corner, which Digne swings in from the right towards the six-yard box where Keane is waiting to flick it into the far corner. Dreadful defending from Norwich.
53 mins: Norwich cannot clear the ball, instead on two occasions they just kick it straight at an opponent. Do not worry, though, as Everton have just whacked it straight out of play.
Watching this just makes me fear for my return to five-a-side after six months away.
51 mins: This is frightfully mediocre. Missplaced passes and sending the ball as far back as you can.
49 mins: Duda swings in a corner from the left but, naturally, it is cleared by the first man.
47 mins: A lively start as Everton push forward quickly, with Richarlison receiving the ball in the box but his shot is blocked behind by Aarons.
Things can only get better.
Sigurdsson is on for Everton. Davies off.
I might stick with the Thatcher doco, to be honest.
23 mins: Scargill has a dig from distance ... denied!
Pickford makes his first save of the half by palming away Rupp’s 25-yard strike just prior to the break. A quiet opening 45 minutes overall. At least the weather is nice.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Richarlison finally has an impact but it results in him being penalised for a high foot on Godfrey.
42 mins: The ref has a word with Davies for a foul on McLean. Duda takes it again - it is better but the goalkeeper still claims it.
40 mins: Iwobi is penalised for doing little to nothing, causing Ancelotti to wave his arms in annoyance.
Duda takes the free-kick but sends it straight out of play in an embarrassing fashion.
38 mins: Tettey tries to thread the ball through the defence but instead sends it out for a goal-kick.
I am starting think about what the Hairy Bikers made on the programme on before this. I bet it included a pie.
36 mins: Slick work from Everton allows Iwobi to dink a cross to the back post for Digne to head back into the danger zone but it is read by Godfrey and whacked away. Everton are trying to speed the play up, it would seem.
34 mins: Norwich try to be cute on the left touchline but overplay it in the end. Eventually, Lewis to smacks it up the line without aim.
32 mins: Duda is taken down by Holgate 22 yards from goal to earn Norwich a free-kick. He gets up to take it himself but then remembers that he is a Norwich player and whacks it against the knees of the wall.
30 mins: Stephen Carr (not that one) responds (26 mins): “I’m not that one but I’d be keen to establish if Jonathan gets out of hours access to Tandys just like Alan did.”
Pearce can do what he wants. He would refuse to drive a Mini Metro.
28 mins: If I forget to change the channel at half-time, I will end up watching ‘Thatcher: A Very British Revolution’ which would be disastrous for my personal morale.
26 mins: Pickford is looking into the sun and does not have a cap! Dangerous.
Calvert-Lewin spins 20 yards from goal but drills his shot straight into the arms of Krul.
24 mins: Jonathan Pearce spends the drinks break doing his best Partridge. Surprised he missed out the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre.
22 mins: Norwich are growing in confidence, which is good to see. Hopefully they will offer more intent.
Drinks break.
20 mins: Lewis swings a cross to the back post where fellow full-back Aarons is waiting but his header into the centre of the box is pathetic, allowing Everton to clear.
18 mins: Oof! Hernandez cuts in from the left, goes on a zany dribble before getting a shot away from the edge of the area which is deflected by a defender towards the bottom corner but Pickford pushes it behind. Norwich then take a woeful corner which does not beat the first man.
16 mins: I must say, I admire the Playmobil stylings of Michael Keane’s hair. Solid.
Calvert-Lewin spins, knocks the ball past Klose but is then cleaned out by the defender on the halfway line.
14 mins: Iwobi beats the defender, pulls the back but Tettey is there to meet it. Sadly, for the Norwich man, he passes it straight back to the winger who cannot make the most of it in the box.
12 mins: Everton are on top here and look like they will be quite happy to keep the ball and move it side to side to create openings. Coleman almost gets on the end of a chip over the top but it just eludes him and bounces out of play.
10 mins: Digne gets down the line and whips in a cross, which is cleared. Another cross is sent in soon after but Calvert-Lewin gets under it and heads the ball straight to Krul.
8 mins: Krul takes a poor touch when receiving a backpass but saves himself just in time as he whacks it clear before Calvert-Lewin can get to the ball.
6 mins: I suspect the Canaries will just be desperate to be more solid than they were against Southampton at the weekend when they were cut open repeatedly.
Holgate takes the ball up the pitch unchallenged but ruins it all by sending his through ball straight to Krul.
4 mins: A bit of a slow start with Everton looking slight brighter than Norwich.
2 mins: The teams swapped ends before kick-off. Maybe the sun is in the ‘keeper’s eyes at one end.
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Dion Dublin says Norwich have a great chance of getting a result tonight. Although, he also said I could make a 20% profit on a semi-detached house in Nuneaton and he was very wrong with that one.
Ancelotti is wearing a long sleeve jumper, which is madness in this weather.
Ezra emails to say: “Looking at Everton’s bench is a who’s who of nostalgia - I remember Maarten Sketelenburg in 2010 guarding the Dutch goal en route to the World Cup Final, Cuco Martina from his wonder goal for Southampton against Arsenal and Gylfi Sigurdsson’s heroics at Swansea.”
A Panini sticker book of fun.
Everton are wearing their pink away kit. It’s yellow v pink, which makes me think of ...
Is anyone going to try and watch the four games simultaneously? I feel it would be pretty tricky.
Might explain why he is on the bench.
28 - Excluding penalties, Norwich’s Teemu Pukki hasn’t scored with any of his last 28 shots in the Premier League since netting against Leicester in December. Bench. pic.twitter.com/doYFKN1g7g
BBC go straight in with a discussion about crowd noise. Lads, you’ve got half an hour. Engage me.
Matt emails to say: “As an Everton supporter I feel compelled to note that even though they are currently in 12th, a win will put them temporarily in 10th, ahead of Arsenal, and they still have to play Wolves, Spurs, and Sheffield United. This is my long way of saying Europe isn’t out of the question just yet. Grasping at straws, perhaps, but we have to take what we can get in these unprecedented times.”
You’re very welcome to grasp but it does not help my lazy narrative.
The Hairy Bikers: Best of British, followed by Premier League football on BBC 2. Maybe this is the future. Mary Berry’s Jolly Good Bakes, then West Ham v Crystal Palace. Perfect with a half pint of cider.
Everton players are, supposedly, fighting for their future, according to Seamus Coleman.
No Anthony Gordon today, he is replaced by Bernard, meaning the Everton bench is youthful. Good to see Ancelotti is sticking with the two ‘keepers on the bench, too. Always good to have spares.
It is absolutely boiling at 5.15pm. I think the players will be very grateful of the drinks breaks during the evening’s game. I know I will be.
The Guardian are testing me to see if my capabilities include switching channels at half-time. BBC have one of their four free-to-air games on but failed to schedule it properly, so the first half will be on BBC Two and the second on BBC One due to something called the news. Surely there is no news to report bigger than Norwich v Everton!
Greater escapes have happened. Teams have pulled back from grimmer positions than this. Two factors continue to play in Norwich’s hands: their run-in is, relatively, gentle and three of the other strugglers have returned from shutdown with the haunted look of the doomed. But still, after the great reset, if you were planning to stay up you probably wouldn’t start this final quarter of the season with a pair of home defeats against Southampton and Everton.
All teams will have their tales of woe, their theories as to how they were the ones who really suffered from lockdown and the absence of fans, but Norwich’s perhaps rings truer than most. All five of their scheduled home games after the restart were against teams currently in the bottom half of the table; the loss of home advantage perhaps has afflicted them more than most. It’s hard to claim a 3-0 defeat by Southampton would have been different with fans but this might have been. Drab games have sputtered along in front of the most passionate crowds, but this was one of those matches that felt like it needed something, anything, to shake it from its drift.
Séamus Coleman has said Everton’s players are fighting for their futures under a “world-class” manager in Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian organised an impressive defensive display to nullify Liverpool in Sunday’s Merseyside derby, although Everton’s 10-year wait for a win over their neighbours continued with Tom Davies hitting a post in the 80th minute.
