Everton have been handled brutally both on and off the field in recent years, as they are the only Premier League team yet to receive a penalty this season and have also been fined ten points.
Nobody should be surprised that they have also gone a long time without their opponents obtaining a red card in normal time, despite some great examples of dismissals that should have occurred against them.
Almost every English club fan has a chip on their shoulder when it comes to their team, but with the Toffees, there is reason to be concerned.
One data has emerged that further explains why Evertonians are such skeptical people.
Everton eventually faces ten men.
Despite seeing red on a few occasions this season in all competitions, Sean Dyche’s side has largely been disciplined.
That applies to both their incredibly rigid shape and their conduct, with only Ashley Young’s recklessness in the Merseyside derby and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s perfectly legal tackle resulting in a dismissal, which was later overturned.
That FA Cup incident only added to growing frustration, as Everton went on without having faced a depleted side despite a ludicrous decision leaving them in the lurch on the road against Premier League opposition.
FIFA journalist James Pendleton exposed this on X, writing after Billy Gilmour’s red card: ‘A first red card given in EFC’s favour in normal time in 1,253 days’. Naturally, Lucas Moura’s lunge in last year’s match against Tottenham Hotspur is excluded, as his dismissal came late in the game and did not give Everton a man advantage due to their previous red card.
Everton failed to make Brighton pay.
Teams who use a possession-dominant and high-pressing strategy, such as the Seagulls and Manchester City, frequently play with more than 11 men.
So, when one is sent off, it does little to shake them out of their stride, and it is simple for them to maintain their possession-based stranglehold over games.
That is only emphasized when Dyche is also pleased without the ball.
While it is easy to be outraged with the hosts’ sustained dominance despite the ejection, what should irritate fans the most is how they conceded.
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