Everton: Sue Smith hails Beto after ‘Huge’ moment v West Ham live on Sky Sports
Sue Smith gushed over a “brilliant” moment from Everton striker Beto during the 3-1 Premier League defeat against West Ham at Goodison Park.
Beto was selected in the starting lineup in place of the out-of-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin and was presented with a chance to put Sean Dyche’s side ahead, but his final shot was poor.
Smith was full of praise for the way the striker got into the position with his first touch, but a “weak” finish let him down despite his good work previously.
Speaking live on Sky Sports News [2 March, 15:26] Smith shared: “It’s a huge opportunity. It’s Beto who’s obviously come in for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
“It’s good play from Everton, Tarkowski picks the ball up on the right-hand side and plays the ball into McNeil who’s come central, he finds a little pocket of space and plays the ball through to Beto.
“His first touch is brilliant, then his shot is just so weak and it’s a simple save from Areola.”
Beto needs to improve after Everton v West Ham
Despite his “brilliant” touch to set him up for a scoring opportunity, the finish has been what Everton have been lacking all season, with neither of their strikers proving to be as clinical as Dyche would like – leaving the fans frustrated.
Calvert-Lewin hasn’t scored since October, a run which goes back 20 games, but was advised by Alan Shearer to keep getting into positions to take his chances when they come – this decision by Dyche disrupts that effort.
However, given the form of Calvert-Lewin in front of goal, perhaps Beto would benefit from being handed the number of chances his rival up front has been given, and he did score once despite his rusty all-round display.
It’s fair to say Beto had a fairly shocking game, not only with the missed chance described here by Smith but with the missed penalty added, he must improve if he wants to keep his place in the team despite the eventual goal.
Dyche has questions to answer in the final third, but his defence may also need looking at soon.
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