Sean Dyche called Everton’s stunning 3-2 home loss to Bournemouth the most frustrating defeat of his career after three goals in 10 minutes saw Bournemouth come from 2-0 down to win it at the death.
For 86 minutes Everton had delivered a hugely encouraging performance, leading through goals from Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and spurning a series of chances to add to their lead.
But after Antoine Semenyo scored with what was then only Bournemouth’s second shot on target in the 87th minute, Everton collapsed as stoppage-time goals from Lewis Cook and Luis Sinisterra completed a turnaround that Andoni Iraola admitted his side did not deserve.
Dyche said: “I’ve had a few (defeats) down my years as a player, coach, manager, but this is the most frustrating because to dominate a game for so long and come out of it without something at least is incredibly frustrating.
“These are ones that as a manager you scratch your head at.”
Seamus Coleman, Idrissa Gana Gueye and the impressive Iliman Ndiaye all missed opportunities to add to Everton’s lead before the defensive collapse. Everton have conceded 10 goals in their opening three Premier League matches and once again face an uphill challenge after a terrible start to the campaign.
“You explain it by not doing the hard side of the game,” Dyche added. “I speak to the players all the time and that’s been my biggest frustration since I walked in here. I tell them, ‘The game lasts for as long as the referee makes it last and you have to play for every breath of the game’.
“You see a side dominate so clearly and create so many chances, unfortunately (taking chances) has been a challenge as long as I’ve been here, and then just not do the basics. Win your headers, win your tackles, win your races and you win the game.
“But for whatever reason they score a goal and we’re just looking at each other, ‘Who’s going to win a challenge, who’s going to win a race, who’s going to win a header?’ We’re waiting for someone else to make a difference.
“After the first goal I could smell it in the air. Not necessarily not winning but I could smell it, ‘This ain’t right’, and I’m screaming at them to get their shape and do the ugly side of the game, and we didn’t and they get a win out of nowhere.”
Bournemouth, coming into the match on the back of two frustrating Premier League draws and a Carabao Cup defeat to West Ham, savoured their first win of the campaign.
But Iraola said he told Dyche on the touchline that Everton had been the better side.
“It’s a very important win for us,” the Spaniard said. “I think it has been the worst game from the four we have played this season. We were the best team in the previous three and I think Everton were the best team today.
“For most of the game we played the game Everton wanted to play rather than our game and I have to accept I think they deserved to win today.
“There are many reasons (we won). I think one is the spirit of this team to keep believing. We needed the spark of scoring the first one and then everybody started to think, ‘We can do it because we’ve done it previously’.”