Everton in attacking ‘dismay’ as unwanted Premier League record broken in 1-0 loss v Fulham
Everton really do have an attacking issue on their hands, with manager Sean Dyche doing his utmost to address the issue.
The Toffees boss has brought in both Arnaut Danjuma and Youssef Chermiti this summer in a bid to bring much-needed goals to the club.
But it was Neal Maupay who was handed a starting role in their Premier League opener against Fulham on Saturday (13 August).
The former Brighton man, who has scored just one goal in 30 matches since joining the club last summer, couldn’t find the target as the hosts lost the match 1-0.
It was not all his fault, of course, but his issues throughout the game and indeed throughout his entire Toffees spell so far were highlighted by journalist Shamoon Hafez, who wrote for BBC Sport after the match: “With Dominic Calvert-Lewin not fit to play, Frenchman Maupay led the line and the out-of-form striker highlighted his problems in front of goal.
“He has scored only one league goal since joining from Brighton last summer and dragged a shot wide in the opening 30 seconds, a sign of more dismay to come.”
Maupay’s issues represented the home side’s struggles in the final third as a whole, with Everton having 19 shots throughout the 90 minutes.
As per BBC Match of the Day (12 August), the Toffees now boast the unwanted record of the highest Expected Goals (xG) figure (2.93) in the Premier League since the start of the 2022/23 season.
The Merseyside club really need their injury-prone man Calvert-Lewin back to full fitness as soon as possible, while there is also plenty of pressure on new youngster Chermiti to find the back of the net in his early days as an Everton player.