Brentford 2-2 Everton: Premier League Match Report

Brentford 2-2 Everton, four goals split evenly across the two halves and evenly between the two teams. One each before the interval, one each after it — as level a ninety minutes as the scoresheet is capable of recording.

The table said as much before anyone kicked a ball. Brentford were seventh on forty-six points from thirty-one matches with a goal difference of +4; Everton were eighth on forty-six from thirty-one with +2. Same points, same games played, two goals of separation in the only column left to divide them. Fixtures between sides this closely matched do not usually resolve neatly, and this one did not resolve at all.

What is worth noting is the volume. Two teams whose goal differences hovered a couple of goals either side of zero produced four goals between them, which is not what a season's worth of scoring patterns would have suggested. Neither side could hold a lead in either period, and neither could keep the other out for a full forty-five minutes.

Both clubs move to forty-seven points, and because the scoreline was level, both goal differences finish exactly where they started at +4 and +2. Seventh and eighth arrived at the Gtech Community Stadium separated by two goals and left separated by the same two goals, having spent an afternoon proving the point.

With seven matches to play, forty-seven points puts each side in the awkward middle: too far up for the bottom of the table to be a concern, close enough to the European places that a shared point feels like a missed opportunity for whichever of them ends up finishing behind. Head-to-head fixtures between direct rivals are the ones that swing races by three points rather than one, and this one swung nothing. Both squandered the same chance in the same ninety minutes, which is the reason neither can really complain about it.

Our pre-match call was Over 2.5 Goals at 1.85. Backing goals between two mid-table sides with near-neutral goal differences was not the obvious read, and the market price reflected genuine doubt. The half-time score did most of the work: 1-1 at the break left the selection needing a single goal from forty-five remaining minutes, which is a comfortable position for any over bet to be in. The second half delivered two. A selection that was never in trouble after the interval and was settled well before the finish. Verdict: won