Everton 1-0 Burnley: Survival hopes hang by a thread following Muric howler and O'Shea red

After the gap to safety grew to six points in midweek, Vincent Kompany’s men knew they realistically had to win this game to stand any chance of staying up.

They looked to have navigated the first-half of a tense encounter relatively well, but they shot themselves in the foot deep into stoppage-time when Dominic Calvert-Lewis capitalised on a huge error from Arijanet Muric.

Burnley’s task got even bigger when Dara O’Shea was shown a straight red card in the second-half to become the seventh player to be dismissed this season.

The visitors had very little left to give though and were unable to create any late openings, despite the nervousness inside Goodison Park.

Lorenz Assignon was brought straight back into Burnley’s starting line-up after serving his one-match suspension during the midweek draw with Wolves.

He was the only change from that game, with Vitingo the man to make way.

On the bench, Lawrence Vigouroux kept his spot as the backup goalkeeper with James Trafford absent for the second game running.

Ameen Al-Dakhil, Jordan Beyer, Han-Noah Massengo, Aaron Ramsey, Luca Koleosho and Nathan Redmond all remain sidelined.

As for Everton, Sean Dyche made four changes from the midweek draw with Newcastle United, as Seamus Coleman, James Garner, Andre Gomes and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all came into the side.

Neither side were able to create anything during what was a very bitty, scrappy opening to the game. But given what was at stake, perhaps that was to be expected.

We had to wait until the 17th minute for the first real opening of the game, as Aro Muric got down well to claim a dangerous low ball into his six-yard box from Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Burnley’s first chance of the game fell to the unlikely source of Charlie Taylor, who saw his powerful drive well blocked after a Lyle Foster cross deflected kindly into his path.

Lorenz Assignon, who looked a real threat down the right, created some space for himself with a sublime bit of skill before almost picking out David Fofana inside the six-yard box, only for Everton to desperately clear.

Fofana was again left in space when Foster surged into the Everton box, but the South African couldn’t quite pick out his teammate - otherwise the Chelsea loanee would have had a free shot at goal just 10 yards out.

Burnley, who were beginning to take the initiative in the game, then came close through Jacob Bruun Larsen who curled a free-kick just over Jordan Pickford’s bar.

The visitors continued to look the most likely, with Fofana glancing a header straight at Pickford from Josh Cullen’s corner.

Burnley had navigated the first-half in an ideal manner, coming through that shaky first 20 minutes or so before slowly, but surely growing into proceedings.

That’s why Kompany will have been left so frustrated at half-time to go 1-0 down with virtually the last kick of the half.

There’s no nice way of saying it, it was an absolute howler from Arijanet Muric who, under no pressure whatsoever, saw his ball out from the back charged down by Dominic Calvert-Lewis, resulting in the ball looping up and over the hapless keeper and into the back of his empty net.

It was a moment that undid all of Burnley’s good work in one swift second of madness.

The Clarets needed to issue a response at the start of the second-half but they struggled to get anything going.

Instead, they almost gifted Calvert-Lewin a second when Lorenz Assignon played the ball straight to the Everton striker, whose eventual shot was well saved by the legs of Muric.

Burnley weren’t playing like a side that needed to win, with no urgency to their play at all. Instead it was Everton who looked the more likely.

Their task got even bigger midway through the second-half when Dara O’Shea was inexplicably sent off for a blatant foul on Dwight McNeil after the winger had pounced on his poor control.

Kompany responded immediately, replacing Bruun Larsen with Josh Brownhill, who was straight into the action with a snapshot on the turn that flew just past the far post.

The Clarets, just as they did against Chelsea last week, still managed to create chances with 10 men, with Foster almost slipping in Josh Cullen following a flowing move from back to front.

The hosts began to look a little nervy, stuck between whether to go for a second to kill the game or hold on for a 1-0 win.

Kompany’s final throw of the dice came with seven minutes left on the clock when Johann Gudmundsson, Zeki Amdouni and Jay Rodriguez were all introduced.

It proved too little, too late though, as the visitors ran out of steam and were unable to offer anything during the dying stages.

Muric came up for a last-gasp corner, looking to redeem himself for his earlier howler, but Everton were able to clear – with the referee’s final whistle following shortly afterwards.

TEAMS

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Gomes, Doucoure, Young (Harrison), McNeil, Calvert-Lewin (Beto)

Subs not used: Virginia, Lonergan, Keane, Patterson, Godfrey, Chermiti, Warrington

Burnley: Muric, Assignon (Rodriguez), O’Shea, Esteve, Taylor (Amdouni), Cullen, Berge, Bruun Larsen (Brownhill), Odobert (Gudmundsson), Foster, Fofana (Vitinho)

Subs not used: Vigouroux, Delcroix, Cork, Benson

Referee: Michael Oliver

Attendance: 39,125