Igor Thiago fired Brentford ahead with two goals, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s last-gasp equalizer snatched a 2-2 draw for Everton in a Premier League clash that kept both sides deadlocked in the race for Europe.
The result leaves Brentford and Everton tied on points, with the Bees in seventh and the Toffees in eighth. Brentford have now drawn four of their last five matches, losing just once in nine.
Igor Thiago’s brace took his Premier League goal tally to 21 this season, surpassing Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford’s most prolific scorer in a single top-flight campaign. He now sits just one goal behind Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
“We always knew he had brilliant attributes,” said Brentford manager Keith Andrews. “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.”
Thiago opened the scoring in the second minute from the penalty spot after Jordan Pickford fouled Kevin Schade. The England goalkeeper dived the right way but could not keep out the shot.
Everton leveled in the 34th minute when Idrissa Gueye dispossessed Keane Lewis-Potter and delivered a cross that Beto headed home for his fourth goal in five games.
Brentford hit the crossbar twice through headers from Schade and Nathan Collins either side of halftime.
Thiago restored Brentford’s lead in the 67th minute, deflecting Michael Kayode’s shot past Pickford with his thigh. “It’s not a coincidence when you’re in the right place at the right time,” Andrews said.
Dewsbury-Hall struck in injury time to secure a point for Everton. “I’m pleased to get a draw out of the game because it looked as though that wasn’t going to be the case,” said Everton manager David Moyes. “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.”
Andrews expressed disappointment. “We’re disappointed, naturally. 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.”
Brentford’s current top-flight run is a stark contrast to their 136-year history, which includes decades in the third tier. Their squad now features England captain Jordan Henderson and Brazil striker Igor Thiago.
Thiago recently scored his first international goal for Brazil from the penalty spot against Croatia.
