NafisaEverton squandered a two-goal lead, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town in their second-to-last match at Goodison Park.
David Moyes expressed his frustration that Everton couldn’t secure a win against Ipswich Town.
The Toffees relinquished a two-goal lead to end with a 2-2 draw in their penultimate match at Goodison Park. Everton seemed poised for an easy victory against the already relegated Tractor Boys after Beto nodded the hosts ahead, followed by Dwight McNeil extending the lead within 35 minutes.
Julio Enciso’s long-distance shot pulled Ipswich back into the contest before halftime. Despite several promising moments in the second half, the Blues failed to generate enough clear opportunities and were penalized when George Hirst headed in the visitors’ equalizer with 11 minutes left.
This result means Everton have secured only one victory in their last 10 matches and missed an opportunity to climb to 13th in the Premier League standings.
Goodison boss Moyes said: “I’m disappointed. We never shook Ipswich off, really. They were always there or thereabouts. We just couldn’t quite get there. We did a lot of good things. We tried some different things to see how players play in different roles. I thought we did really well in the opening part of the game. We played really well, got the goals eventually but the goal just before half-time rocked us a bit and gave Ipswich something to keep going at. We couldn’t quite get the third goal.”
When asked why Everton couldn’t maintain their lead, having let slip a similar advantage against Manchester United in February, Moyes remarked: “If we all knew the answer, we’d make sure it wouldn’t happen again. It’s about how to see the game through. We made a couple of terrible decisions, a couple of players on the pitch, for the second goal with runs and tackles that were not needed and left ourselves a bit exposed.”
Moyes did highlight some positives from Everton’s display, though he conceded they didn’t carve out enough chances in the second half.
“Probably a bit of what we’re saying,” Moyes responded when asked what he told the Toffees dressing room after the final whistle. “I’m disappointed we didn’t win but I think there are a lot of positives in how we’re playing, what we’re doing and trying to create chances.
“We didn’t have enough shots in the second half but I thought we had near enough control for most of the game up until the last five minutes when they got a couple of corners and long throws. I thought we controlled the game and they scored, I wouldn’t say on the break but a bit like that.”
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