Everton have lost a third Premier League game in a row to Bournemouth, despite being two goals ahead of their opponents heading into the 87th minute.
The Toffees dominated throughout the match in what looked like a spirited response to the 4-0 drubbing away at Tottenham, however they threw it all away in the dying embers of the match.
After a decent first half display, Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Everton 2-0 up early into the second half with two very well-taken finishes.
However, goals from Antoine Semenyo, Lewis Cook and Luis Sinisterra sealed Everton's fate on a sunny Saturday afternoon to complete an unbelievable comeback from the Cherries despite them not being at their best.
The Toffees remain at the foot of the Premier League table after failing to register a win in their first three games of the season, Everton will be looking to bounce back against Aston Villa after the international break.
- Dyche's substitutions are poor
Everton, until the 87th minute, were cruising along - 2-0 up - and completely dominating the match, not letting Bournemouth have a real sight of goal.
Sean Dyche's substitutions, however, let the Cherries back into the game completely , as he took off Everton's two main attacking outlets on the afternoon.
Iliman Ndiaye and Dominic Calvert-Lewin both had very good games (Ndiaye in particular), but both were took off by Dyche in the last 10 minutes for Doucoure and Beto respectively.
Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin had offered the Toffees control throughout the match, with Ndiaye regularly dribbling the ball away from danger on multiple occasions, driving the team forward. Whilst Calvert-Lewin won eight aerial duels during the game and held the ball up very well.
Both substitutions were brought on, and whilst Bournemouth scored their first goal very soon after - allowing them a pathway back into the game - it seemed as if Everton had lost control of a match which they had dominated.
The substitutions were made increasingly more frustrating by the fact that players such as Dwight McNeil and Tim Iroegbunam, who gave the ball away for Bournemouth's equaliser, looked more and more tired as the game went on - yet both were left on the pitch.
If Everton are to win the fight against relegation this season, Dyche has got to improve his game management, as the result today will feel like three points easily tossed away - with pressure starting to mount on the Everton manager.
- Iliman Ndiaye has to play
Despite not featuring amongst the starting 11 for Everton's opening two matches, the Senegalese man started this game and showed the Toffees faithful exactly what they had been missing.
Even though he did not register a goal contribution, the new Everton man looked very good on the left-wing, constantly taking on his man and driving the Toffees forward on multiple occasions.
One thing which may go unnoticed from his game was his defensive work-rate alongside his attacking performance, as Ndiaye had more tackles than anybody else in the match with three tackles to his name.
He attempted four dribbles throughout the match and completed three passes into the final third, getting Everton fans off their seats many times with his evident flair and set of skills.
Ndiaye was a shining light in what ended up being a very dull afternoon for Everton and you can imagine he will be an ever-present in the Toffees' lineup for the coming matches.
- The Premier League is ruthless
Bournemouth would have been disappointed with their performance had they not scored three times in the remaining nine minutes of the match, as they looked to be completely unable to deal with the Toffees play.
However Bournemouth, who only had their first shot at Jordan Pickford's goal at the 82nd minute, ended up taking all three points from Everton in what was the latest comeback from two goals down in Premier League history.
Everton were very dominant throughout the game until the Cherries' goal, scoring twice and hitting the post whilst putting up a 2.08 xG against Bournemouth's 1.44 xG and the Toffees had more shots, corners and big chances missed than their opponents.
Dyche and his Everton side will see this match as a huge opportunity missed, as a win would have seen his side climb off of the bottom of the table for the first time this season.
There a no easy games in the Premier League, a lesson which Everton will have learnt through this game - they will have to put in a better performance if they are hoping to gain a result away at Aston Villa in two weeks time.
- There are positives to be taken
Even though the disappointment at Everton not taking all three points will be the story which makes most of the headlines, the Toffees did play very well for the majority of the game and there are major positives to be taken.
Everton were impressive for much of the afternoon, registering 18 shots with eight of those being on target whilst also hitting the woodwork.
It looked like a performance which would help put to rest Everton fans' fears of relegation this season, as Bournemouth were second best all afternoon.
Alongside the dominant performance for much of the game, new signings Iroegbunam and Ndiaye looked very impressive as they helped Everton to control the game in large proportions.
It was a display which looked much different from the other two games this season, batterings from Brighton and Tottenham, as the Toffees looked like a team who were actually capable of winning a Premier League game this afternoon rather than submitting to a drubbing.
Whilst the end of the game was far from desirable, Everton should look at their performance from the first 87 minutes and take inspiration from it heading into future matches.
The Toffees travel to Villa Park next to face Aston Villa after the international break.
