Following their Premier League match versus Burnley, Everton’s comprehensive match analysis
Dom’s got his eye in
Now that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored twice in as many games, he’s turning the tide after going 23 games without scoring.
Football players, especially strikers, often have strange confidence issues. Although Everton’s number nine’s drought was always a statistical anomaly—his run included games against Tottenham Hotspur both at home and away, where he had attempts disallowed—it was undoubtedly on his mind. Though Calvert-Lewin has always been a “streaky” scorer, perhaps he is now experiencing a fortunate purple patch for the last stretch of the game.
He may look back on Tuesday night’s pressure penalty he scored against Newcastle United to secure a share of the spoils at St. James’ Park as a turning point for the squad and the individual alike. He avoided that one here, but pedantic statisticians might have altered the story to count the games in which Calvert-Lewin had failed to score “from open play.”
Although the striker may have scored a hat-trick in this game, he passed up more attractive opportunities. Rather than claiming luck, he should be given credit for his skill to stop Arijanet Muric when the keeper was weak. It was Calvert-Lewin’s fourth goal against Burnley; he had previously scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory here on Boxing Day 2019 in Carlo Ancelotti’s debut game as manager. However, this was unquestionably far more significant, with his performance against Crystal Palace on May 19, 2022 perhaps being the most crucial.
Silk among the steel
