A goal apiece saw the spoils shared with Everton unable to salvage some late season pride and Southampton losing ground in their fight for European football next season.
Roberto Funes Mori, acting on some sloppy defending from Ryan Bertrand, gave Everton the lead in the 68th minute of the game. Parity was soon restored though, with Sadio Mané poking the ball in past Joel Robles just eight minutes later.
It seemed the travelling team looked the more likely to grab a winning goal, hitting the woodwork twice and forcing Robles into a fantastic save to deny Jay Rodriguez late on, but ultimately things ended in a stalemate.
Saints slip in Europa League race
Ronald Koeman’s side have lost momentum in their target of qualifying for European competition next season, unable to grab all three points against a far less fancied Toffees team. Still holding seventh on the table the chance is still there for the South Coast club, but they now see themselves sitting five points behind Manchester United in fifth place –who also have a game in hand.
On top of this they are closely chased by Liverpool, who lag just three points behind but have an extra three games to play, which could quite easily see them overtake the Saints. With more challenging opponents to come in the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as more winnable games against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, Southampton desperately needed to grab a win at Goodison to keep within reach of the teams above.
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Pressure mounting on Martinez
The start of Martinez’ tenure as Toffees manager saw an amazing season in which they finished fifth. Filling the void of the Red Devils bound David Moyes, the former Wigan coach hit the ground running and formed a winning team filled with names that may not have necessarily seemed as dangerous on paper.
Recent times have seen the Spanish man’s fortunes turn around dramatically, however. Having been allowed to prize some money out of Everton’s coffers, Martinez managed to assemble one of the most potent looking lineups that the Merseyside club has had in a long while.
That team though has been playing at well below expected levels and is languishing in mid-table obscurity. Everton have seen points slip from far too many games in which they dominated and, as is inevitable, supporters have started to turn the blame to the manager. Banners of ‘Martinez out’ caught the eye recently and momentum behind the sentiment is growing with each game it seems.
With it looking almost certain the Toffees will finish outside the top-half for a second consecutive season (the first time since the turn of the century no less) the stats paint a poor picture for Martinez. With the FA Cup the only remaining glimmer of hope in the campaign, time will tell whether the club will choose to go in a new direction.
Who is Tom Davies?
Even more switched on fans at Goodison Park may have been questioning who their 83rd minute replacement for Darren Gibson was, as Tom Davies entered the field for his senior debut. The red card to James McCarthy last week forced Martinez to dip into the academy’s talent pool, with the 17-year-old midfielder one to get his chance.
A regular in the club’s Under 21s side, Davies made the news when he caught the eye of England manager Roy Hodgson and was invite to train with the senior national side last year. Already regarded as a potential future star, it is certain not to be the last time Evertonians hear the name of Davies.
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