Beto has lifted the lid on his heart to heart with a “upset” Kiernan Dewsbury Hall following Everton’s frustrating 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, as the striker insisted the Blues are still in the European race.
Selhurst Park was meant to be a “must win.” David Moyes admitted afterwards it’s now an uphill struggle. But Beto isn’t throwing in the towel just yet.
The Portuguese forward put Everton ahead two minutes into the second half, outmuscling Maxence Lacroix after being picked out by captain James Tarkowski. Tarkowski had opened the scoring himself on six minutes. But both times, Palace hit back, Ismaila Sarr and Jean Philippe Mateta earning the Eagles a share of the spoils.
And Dewsbury Hall? He had a day to forget. Several inviting opportunities came his way. None found the net.
‘A player of his talent doesn’t need to over think’
Beto saw his teammate’s frustration bubbling over. So he stepped in.
“I told Kiernan: ‘Why are you upset?’ You can miss a pass, you can miss a run, you can lose a duel,” Beto revealed.
“This is what I try to get to all my team-mates because this is football. We can’t just put it in our minds that I need to be perfect.
“No one will be perfect. The other side have good players too, so I was telling him this.
“A player of his talent doesn’t need to over think it too much when he does something bad. This is my job, the striker it’s okay, I’m okay with it.”
It’s the kind of leadership that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet. But in a dressing room fighting for Europe? It matters.
‘One of my best goals this season’
Beto’s finish was special. He knows it.
“He passed to me like this once last season and then this season again, so I’m really happy and we always talk about this,” he said of Tarkowski’s pinpoint delivery.
“It was a little bit of instinct for the finish, but I’ve been trying a lot not to miss these chances and this season I’ve missed a couple of them, and I needed to be a bit more reliable and a bit more composed.”
The result? Calmness. Composure. A goal that even took the scorer by surprise.
“It was a good goal. It was one of my best goals this season because I was calm and composed and I’m happy to score.
“It was working but it gassed me out. This is the way I play, and I want to give everything I have for the team and for the club, it’s tough.”
‘It is not over’
Two games left. Sunderland at home. Tottenham away on the final day.
Everton are still in the hunt. Just about.
“It was a really strange game, a tough game,” Beto admitted. “There is a little bit of disappointment of course but this is Premier League and you’re going to have good games and you’re going to have bad games, or games like this where you are good at certain times.
“Me personally, I just think that we need to focus on Sunderland and try to win the game. Every point away is a good point.
“We won one point, so we are still in the race. We still need to win against Sunderland, it is not over.”
That’s the mindset Moyes will want. Realism without surrender.
But the maths don’t lie. Everton need help now. Results elsewhere. Slip ups from those above them.
Beto has done his bit. Ten goals. Four assists. A striker growing in confidence.
Now he needs his teammates including a certain upset midfielder to find their shooting boots.
Sunderland at home. Last chance saloon. No more room for error.
