Huddersfield earn draw at Everton

Posted Sunday, September 02, 2018 by PA

Huddersfield collected only their second point of the Premier League season after grinding their way to a 1-1 draw at injury-hit Everton.

It has been an inauspicious start for the Terriers but they battled resolutely at Goodison Park against a disjointed Everton, who found little rhythm without eight first-team members.

They maintained their unbeaten record under Marco Silva but only after Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck less than two minutes after Philip Billing gave Huddersfield a shock first-half lead.

Calvert-Lewin, starting for the first time in the league this season due to Richarlison’s suspension, was one of the few Everton players to make a favourable impression and went closest to a winner, but was inches away from getting the final touch into an empty net.

A disappointing afternoon for the Toffees was compounded when Theo Walcott limped off in the second half and Silva will be hoping he avoids joining a lengthy casualty list that includes Idrissa Gana Gueye, Andre Gomes, James McCarthy, Bernard, Michael Keane, Phil Jagielka and Yerry Mina.

Alongside Calvert-Lewin, Kurt Zouma and Lucas Digne made their first league starts for Everton after impressing in the Carabao Cup win over Rotherham in midweek, while their visitors made wholesale changes after exiting the competition at the hands of Stoke.

They were happy to keep plenty of men behind the ball early on, allowing Zouma to race forward from the halfway line before unleashing a speculative shot from distance that only just flew wide.

Cenk Tosun felt aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty when he appeared to be barged in the back by Huddersfield defender Mathias Jorgensen while attempting to get on the end of Walcott’s cross.

The visitors had largely managed to stifle their opponents in the opening half-hour but did not offer much going forward until the 34th minute, when they scored only their second goal of the season.

Chris Lowe’s corner was flicked inadvertently by Calvert-Lewin into the path of the unmarked Billing, who was left with the simplest of tasks to head beyond Jordan Pickford.

Everton’s response was immediate, however, as Calvert-Lewin made an impact at the other end of the field, guiding his near-post header from Digne’s left-wing cross beyond Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.

They began on the front foot at the start of the second half but were unable to put the Huddersfield defence under consistent pressure.

Indeed, Huddersfield carried the greater goal threat as Steve Mounie stung the palms of Pickford from just outside the area before blazing over shortly afterwards.

Walcott gave Everton further cause for concern on the injury front after limping off just before the hour mark, with the former Arsenal forward replaced by Ademola Lookman, who was making his own comeback after a groin complaint.

Lookman made his presence felt when a teasing ball into the area evaded the despairing dives of both Gylfi Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin, running in towards the back post, to the despair of the anxious home crowd.

Tosun then headed over after Lookman had played the ball back across the area from a corner – their 11th effort of the day, with only one attempt on target – as Huddersfield, despite some apparent time-wasting tactics towards the end, clung on for a draw.

While they are still awaiting their first win of the season, they will leave Merseyside much the happier of the two teams.