It’s a point, sure. And in a scrappy, ill-tempered affair at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, maybe we should be happy with it. But let’s be honest, this goalless draw against Everton feels more like a missed opportunity than a triumph. The fact that we’re still waiting for our first Premier League goal of the season says it all.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor a team with ambitions of European football, this is a seriously worrying start. We’ve now gone 467 minutes without scoring in the league. The energy we saw last season seems to have vanished, replaced by a sluggish, uninspired style of play that was summed up perfectly by Morgan Rogers’ scuffed pass in the first half.
Emery’s team sheet felt like a defensive move from the start, and it looked like a plan to simply hold on for an hour before bringing on some attacking flair. To his credit, that’s what he did, and we did look marginally better after Evann Guessand came on, but it wasn’t enough. We were ragged, shot-shy, and ultimately lucky to escape with a point.
Emi Martínez: Our Saving Grace?
If there’s one person we can thank for us not leaving empty-handed (or not managing to leave full stop), it’s Martínez. On his first outing after trying to force a move away from Villa Park, he was back to his best, with a sensational save to deny Everton’s Michael Keane a key moment. He acrobatically tipped a goal-bound header onto the bar in the second half, showing exactly why he’s one of the best in the business. After all the talk of him leaving, it’s a reminder he can be the difference between salvaging a point instead of defeat.
Grealish Shows What We’re Missing
Mention has to go to Grealish. He was in top form for Everton, twisting and turning our defence inside out all afternoon. He’s exactly the kind of player who can create a spark and give a team a creative edge—something we’re clearly lacking right now. It was painful to watch him tease us, and it highlighted just how far we have to go to rediscover our attacking threat.
While it’s just the start of the season, Emery has some serious questions to ponder. We’ve got to find a winning formula—and fast. We continue to be lethargic and painfully predictable. The next few matches are crucial (Brentford [Cup] and away to Sunderland) if we’re going to get our season back on track. A point is a point, it is still early days, but we simply need to be more expansive, creative and get the campaign moving.