A goal from Danny Ings wasn’t enough to give Southampton the full three points at as Everton’s Richarlison scored to grab a point in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
A starting line up unchanged from Southampton’s latest win against Manchester City showed a dominant first half performance and were unlucky to only be rewarded with a single goal in the 31st minute. In classic poacher fashion, Ings picked up a failed shot from Stuart Armstrong, scuffed it to the side of Jordan Pickford and slid it in from close range.
It could have been more with James Ward-Prowse missing a penalty in the 29th minute and an Ings header from the front post somehow being kept out by Pickford.
Southampton arguably deserved more from the half, launching numerous fluidly triangulating attacks but all lacking that final pass or finish.
It wasn’t all Southampton though. Early on, it took a strong block from Alex McCarthy to stop Alex Iwobi capitalising on a loose ball in the Saints box.
Let off by Southampton’s failure to capitalise on the pressure, Everton managed to equalise before the half was up with Lucas Digne sending a lobbed through ball from the left wing to Richarlison, who took two touches to fire the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box. While McCarthy managed to get a hand to it, the shot was struck with enough power to mean in wasn’t going to be stopped.
After such a one sided first half, the second matched the score line a bit better. Everton were off to a jittery start, allowing Ings and Adams to combine in the 46th, requiring a parry from Pickford, and gifting an uncharacteristically missed free kick in Ward-Prowse country in the 47th. However, they soon settled turning the half into more of a stale mate with both sides asking questions but not convincingly.
A moment of controversy came from the fouling of a rapidly advancing Richarlison by Jan Bednarek. Richarlison had caught a wayward Ward-Prowse pass and looked to have exposed Southampton but Bednarek was quick to bring him down just outside the box. The Everton players were visibly outraged at the yellow card presented to Bednarek, believing red would have been the right colour.
But neither side did enough in the end to seal the win, leaving Everton 11th and Southampton 12th on the table as they both had been before.
Southampton head to Old Trafford in their next game to face an in-form Manchester United.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Mina, Keane, Digne (booked), Iwobi (Sidibé 45′), Davies, Gomes (Sigurðsson 42′), Gordon (Bernard 74′), Calvert-Lewin (booked) (Kean 68′), Richarlison (booked). Unused subs: Baines, Walcott, Stekelenburg, Branthwaite, Baningime
Southampton: McCarthy, Bertrand, Bednarek (booked), Stephens (booked), Walker-Peters, Redmond, Romeu (Hojberg 70′), Ward-Prowse, Armstrong (booked) (Smallbone 88′), Adams (Long 70′), Ings. Unused subs: Obafemi, Gunn, Vokins, Danso, Ferry, Jankewitz,
Wessex Scene Man of the Match: Danny Ings (Southampton)
Referee: Lee Mason
