Sean Dyche must hook James Garner after first-half stinker for Everton v Luton Town
Everton may have secured their safety in the Premier League, but they still put in an impressive display in the first half of their clash with Luton Town.
The Toffees headed into the break level at 1-1 at Kenilworth Road on Friday (3 March) as Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first-half penalty was cancelled out by an excellent strike from Elijah Adebayo midway through the half.
While the Blues were in control for much of the opening 45 minutes and managed to keep the Hatters at arm’s length, James Garner relieved the pressure with several clumsy challenges and misplaced passes.
The 23-year-old was booked after nine minutes as he chased after the counter-attacking Taith Chong before treading on the Luton star’s heels to bring him to the ground and pick up an early yellow card.
Only minutes later the former Manchester United man committed another foul as he recklessly challenged inside the home side’s half to halt the Toffees momentum as they looked to put Luton to the sword.
If he continues to fly into challenges like this, he could well be sent off in the second half and leave the Toffees down to 10 men.
On the ball, Garner failed to navigate the bodies in the penalty area with a shot from the edge of the penalty area as he wasted a good chance to score before Calvert-Lewin’s opener when Thomas Kaminski was left stranded.
In addition, the Everton man overhit a cross that missed both Dwight McNeil and the Toffees number nine in the penalty area. For whatever reason, the 23-year-old appeared to be off of the pace at Kenilworth Road.
Will Everton claim all three points against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road?
While injuries have ravaged parts of Dyche’s side at Goodison Park, the Everton manager still has plenty of depth in the middle of the park with Amadou Onana and Andre Gomes waiting to make an impact from the bench.
The Portuguese and Belgian midfielders have both struggled for form in recent weeks and have been linked with the exit door ahead of the summer transfer window, but they could offer a calmer head alongside Idrissa Gueye.
Hopefully, Dyche will switch on and make the change before he loses his midfielder for the remainder of this game and next weekend’s clash with Sheffield United.
In other Everton news, sources close to Farhad Moshiri have spoken out after new issues arose around 777 Partners at Goodison Park
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