Everton snatched a dramatic late point in a chaotic 2-2 draw with Brentford, as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s injury-time strike canceled out Igor Thiago’s double and kept both sides locked in the Premier League’s European chase.
The result leaves the teams tied on points in seventh and eighth, with Brentford now drawing four of their last five matches. Thiago’s brace took his season tally to 21 goals, putting him one behind Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
“We’re disappointed, naturally,” said Brentford manager Keith Andrews. “I felt we were slightly the better team in the first half. Second half, for half an hour, I thought we were outstanding – controlled the game, created good opportunities and looked more like us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite manage those last few moments to see out what would have been a well-deserved win.”
Everton boss David Moyes struck a more positive note. “I’m pleased to get a draw out of the game because it looked as though that wasn’t going to be the case,” he said. “Taking a draw from here isn’t the worst result. The [first] goal took a while to get over. It really rocked us. We’ve got a bit of maturity about us and we had to show that today. We had to show some resilience, stick at it and believe a chance would come.”
Brentford struck first in stunning fashion. Just 90 seconds after kickoff, Jordan Pickford’s outstretched leg felled Kevin Schade in the box. Thiago stepped up and buried the penalty, giving the Bees a dream start.
Everton shook off the early blow and leveled before halftime. Idrissa Gueye dispossessed Keane Lewis-Potter and dinked a cross to Beto, who headed home expertly for his fourth goal in five games.
The second half saw Brentford regain control. Michael Kayode drove in from the right and fired a fierce shot that deflected off Thiago’s thigh past Pickford, putting the hosts up 2-1.
“It’s not a coincidence when you’re in the right place at the right time,” Andrews said of Thiago’s opportunistic finish.
But Everton refused to fold. In stoppage time, Dewsbury-Hall collected the ball outside the box and arrowed a low drive past CaoimhÃn Kelleher to steal a point.
Thiago’s performance highlighted his remarkable rise. With 21 goals, he has surpassed Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford’s most prolific scorer in a single Premier League campaign.
“We always knew he had brilliant attributes,” Andrews added. “He’s selfless in the way he plays the game for us. The goals obviously get all the attention, but his overall performance levels continue to get better and better. He’s evolving his game. He’s a very special player. He can do pretty much everything.”
Brentford have lost just one of their last nine Premier League matches, but the four draws in that stretch have stalled their push for Europe. Everton, meanwhile, showed the resilience Moyes praised, battling back twice on the road.
The draw keeps both clubs in the hunt for continental football next season, a testament to their surprising campaigns. For Brentford, a club with decades in the lower leagues, competing with stars like Jordan Henderson and Thiago marks a seismic shift.
Stats tell the story: Thiago’s 21 goals, Beto’s four in five, and Brentford’s lone loss in nine. But it was Dewsbury-Hall’s late magic that ultimately defined this frenetic clash.
