Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall delivered a dramatic injury-time equalizer to snatch a 2-2 draw for Everton against Brentford on Saturday, spoiling Igor Thiago’s brace and keeping the European race wide open. The result leaves both clubs locked on points in seventh and eighth place, with Brentford now drawing four of their last five Premier League matches.
Igor Thiago’s double propelled him to 21 goals this season, surpassing Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford’s most prolific scorer in a single Premier League 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.”
The Brazilian striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot just 90 seconds into the match. Jordan Pickford’s outstretched leg felled Kevin Schade, and Thiago converted the spot-kick despite Pickford diving the right way. Thiago had recently scored his first international goal for Brazil in a penalty against Croatia.
Everton recovered from the early blow, with Caoimhín Kelleher making a stunning double save to deny Idrissa Gueye and Beto. The duo combined five minutes later to level the score: Gueye dispossessed Keane Lewis-Potter and dinked a cross that Beto headed expertly into the net, marking his fourth goal in five games.
Brentford hit the crossbar twice with headers from Schade and Nathan Collins either side of halftime, but Everton’s sluggish response made their slow start look energetic by comparison. Thiago restored Brentford’s lead in the second half with a fortunate deflection, turning Michael Kayode’s powerful shot past Pickford with his thigh. “It’s not a coincidence when you’re in the right place at the right time,” Andrews noted.
Everton mounted a late surge, culminating in Dewsbury-Hall’s precise finish past Kelleher deep into stoppage time. “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 after the late collapse. “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 have lost just one of their last nine Premier League matches, but the four draws highlight their struggle to close out games. The club’s current top-flight run is a stark contrast to their 136-year history, which includes decades in the third tier. For fans accustomed to lower-league football, watching an England captain like Jordan Henderson and a Brazil striker like Igor Thiago must feel surreal.
With both teams level on points, the race for European qualification remains tightly contested. Thiago’s scoring form could yet crown him the Premier League’s top scorer, while Everton’s resilience keeps their hopes alive in a season defined by late drama.
