Sam Allardyce tasted defeat for the first time as Everton manager in a 2-1 Premier League loss at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Ryan Fraser deservedly gave Bournemouth the lead when he steered a volley into the net after being picked out by Josh King in the 33rd minute.
Everton struggled to get going in the second half but a substitution by Allardyce immediately paid dividends as Oumar Niasse stepped off the bench to set up Idrissa Gueye for the equaliser in the 57th with Everton’s first shot on target.
Bournemouth remained on the front foot and earned victory thanks to Fraser’s 89th-minute winner, with the aid of a deflection, as they climbed out of the relegation zone and up to 13th, while Everton remain in ninth despite the defeat.
“Overall it is disappointing,” Allardyce, who was six league games unbeaten since taking charge, said. “It was a great run which has come to an end.”
After an uneventful opening to the match, Callum Wilson muscled his way through the heart of the Everton defence in the 18th minute, but his fierce strike was kept out by a smart stop from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Pickford then had to be at his best to deny Jordon Ibe as Everton remained on the back foot, and soon enough the home side got themselves in front.
Wilson sent King away down the right channel, he looked up and picked out the run of Fraser, who volleyed home from close range.
Everton didn’t muster a single shot on target in the first half, but with that first effort on Asmir Begovic’s goal, the visitors were level. Steve Cook’s pass was poor, Gylfi Sigurdsson intercepted and fed substitute Oumar Niasse, who delightfully flicked the pass into the path of the onrushing Gueye, with the Senegal international arrowing the ball into the bottom corner.
“We have been shooting ourselves in the foot in recent games with individual errors and we did it again,” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said. “But when the chips are down we turn to our creative players and Ryan Fraser was excellent.”
The hosts almost got themselves back in front straight away, but Wilson’s drilled effort was brilliantly clawed out by Pickford.
Wilson was proving to be a real handful, but it was Fraser who proved to be the match winner, after he picked up the ball on the left, cut inside, fired for goal, with the ball finding the net after looping up off Michael Keane’s outstretched leg.
