Penalty condemns Albion to defeat against Everton

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Albion 0, Everton 1: Iliman Ndiaye settles scrappy tussle from the spot.

Bruce Talbot

2025-01-25T17:00+00:00

Jan Paul van Hecke challenges Jake O'Brien. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

A controversial penalty condemned Albion to defeat by Everton at the Amex on Saturday.

A scrappy first half ended with the visitors ahead thanks to Iliman Ndiaye’s 42nd-minute penalty awarded for handball against Joel Veltman after a pitchside monitor check by referee Tim Robinson.

Georginio Rutter went close with this second-half strike. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Albion improved in the second half but couldn’t break down a well organised Everton who won on the road for only the second time in 22 Premier League games. It was, though, their third victory in four visits to the Amex.

Despite enjoying two-thirds of the possession and creating some promising positions Albion could not find a way through Everton’s massed ranks.

Danny Welbeck shields the ball from James Tarkowski. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

There were two changes to the team which beat Manchester United with Tariq Lamptey and Brajan Gruda recalled and Lamptey was heavily involved in the early stages. Latching onto Lewis Dunk’s long pass out to the left, he raced past Jake O’Brien but his cross flew harmlessly across the face of goal. Another delivery had Joao Pedro stretching and his header drifted over.

Everton had to make a change in the 13th minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin limped off with Beto coming on. Albion hogged possession and pressed diligently when they didn’t have the ball, but Jordan Pickford had little to concern him in a cagey opening half hour.

Yasin Ayari takes a tumble under Jesper Lindstrom's challenge. 📷 James Boardman.

Five minutes before the break the deadlock was broken – and Albion were fuming. Joel Veltman felt contact from Abdoulaye Doucoure in his own box and as he fell the ball struck his right hand. Referee Robinson awarded a corner but then VAR Graham Scott intervened and sent Robinson to the monitor. That usually means only one thing and Robinson awarded a penalty which Ndiaye drove into the bottom left corner. Everton now had something to defend, and Albion had struggled to find a way through.

Rutter replaced Brajan Gruda at the break, Lamptey and Veltman swapped wings and immediately Albion improved. Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro both got to the byline within three minutes of the restart but their pull-backs were cleared, then Mitoma shifted the ball onto his right foot and curled a shot a yard wide of Pickford’s far post.

Skipper Lewis Dunk brings the ball forward. 📷 James Boardman.

Joao’s volley was deflected by Jesper Lindstrom and when the resultant corner dropped to Carlos Baleba his goalbound volley flicked off James Tarkowski and over. All the momentum was with Albion but with an hour gone they still hadn’t created a clear-cut opening. Rutter was next to threaten when he controlled Lewis Dunk’s long ball and held off Jarrad Braithwaite’s challenge to volley a yard wide of the left-hand post.

Hurzeler brought on Jack Hinshelwood and Yankuba Minteh with 16 minutes to go before Everton nearly doubled their lead after Baleba was dispossessed but Beto’s angled effort found the side netting. It was a rare foray forward but at the other end Albion’s final ball or cross lacked sufficient quality all afternoon.

Tariq Lamptey goes past Jesper Lindstrom. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Matt O’Riley came on to add to the offensive options in the closing stages and when Albion won a corner in the seventh minute of stoppage time Bart Verbruggen came up for it - but Everton held firm.

Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman (O’Riley 84), van Hecke, Dunk ©, Lamptey (Minteh 74), Gruda (Rutter 45), Baleba (Webster 90+1), Ayari (Hinshelwood 74), Mitoma, Joao Pedro, Welbeck.