Everton may have lost against Aston Villa, but they did not go down without a fight even if the manner of their defeat was another embarrassing collapse.
In fact, just as was the case against AFC Bournemouth, they squandered plenty of chances on top of the two they already scored, only adding to the frustration.
Had they been well-beaten and deserved to lose by a huge margin, there would be cause for more widespread fear, but this is not a side that has downed tools.
They are giving their all, even if some players at times lack the quality needed to make their dominance pay.
Alan Shearer reacts to Dominic Calvert-Lewin miss vs Aston Villa
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, there was widespread sympathy across the three pundits as they combed over Everton’s latest fixture.
After all, with their 3-2 loss at Villa Park, it marked the second-straight defeat for Sean Dyche‘s side after initially racing into a two-goal lead.
However, Alan Shearer had little sympathy for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, as he analysed the first of two one-on-ones that he simply had to score to snag a result for his side.
The former Newcastle United finisher noted: ‘Look at what happens… Haaland has been through twice in the last two or three weeks, one on one. He has always controlled the situation.
‘Whereas what happened yesterday with the goalkeeper, and when I say Haaland controls the situation, because of his body shape he can actually go whatever way he wants. He can do what he’s done twice which is actually dink it over the goalkeeper.
‘Now if you looked at Calvert-Lewin yesterday, he was just flat on to the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper was always in control of the situation. The goalkeeper, he never blinked. His job is to try and delay the forward to try and get help back, and he delayed him and delayed him and delayed him.
‘By the time he decided to come back inside it was too late because Konsa’s got back. For me, he was always flat on and he never opened himself up, gave his body options of which way to go.’
Calvert-Lewin sympathised with Evertonians after the game, so hopefully that can provide ammunition with which he can better himself going forward.
Does Beto deserve to start over Dominic Calvert-Lewin?
Although frustrations over Calvert-Lewin’s profligacy are well-founded, it does not necessarily mean that he must be replaced.
After all, he remains quite comfortably the best and most well-rounded striker they have, more than capable of holding up possession and battling to get his side up the pitch.
Beto has a similar physical presence, but is far more unpredictable when called upon, often unable to make it stick but far more likely to succeed with a rogue flick.
However, that remains unsustainable, and his cameo against Brighton and Hove Albion exhibited this.
From just 14 minutes on the pitch, he completed a single pass of the four he attempted, losing possession six times from just eight touches. When they needed someone to come on and calm things down, bringing others into play to bypass the Seagulls’ press, he was unable to provide that.
Calvert-Lewin may be one to waste a few big chances, but he must be persisted with for now, at least until Youssef Chermiti returns to action…
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