Jack O'Brien: The team performed poorly in the first half, lacking ball control and creating few scoring opportunities.

Jack O'Brien said his first goal of the season came a little too late and emphasized that Everton must be more consistent if they hope to achieve their goal of qualifying for European competitions. Furthermore, in Everton's match against Manchester City, the team narrowly missed a potentially memorable victory thanks to Jeremy Doku's stoppage-time goal.  

The two sides eventually drew 3-3. Everton, after falling behind, briefly took the lead against Guardiola's Manchester City thanks to a brace from Thieno Barry and a header from Jack O'Brien. However, their opponents scored two goals late in the game to equalize.  

Jack O'Brien said, "Overall, it was a bittersweet game. We didn't play to our potential in the first half, lacking ball possession and effective scoring opportunities. But in the second half, the team showed more resilience, created more chances, and put more pressure on the opponent. It's very frustrating not to win the game in the end; we couldn't hold onto our lead."  

"I think we put constant pressure on our opponents in the second half, successfully forcing them into mistakes and controlling the tempo of the game for most of the time. Under different circumstances, we could have created more opportunities. Although we ultimately got a point, the result is still a bit disappointing."  

After scoring his first goal of the season, Jack O'Brien expressed his desire to score more goals from set pieces. He said, "I really needed to score, and this should have happened sooner. There were a few goals disallowed before, and given my physical condition, I should have scored more. I haven't done this in a long time, so I'm very happy to score my first goal."  

After a lackluster first half, Everton bounced back in the second half, catching the visitors off guard with three goals in quick succession. Jack O'Brien added, "I think the last 30 minutes completely belonged to Everton, but we need to carry that performance throughout the game, not just for the last half hour."  

“I think this kind of performance should become the norm, especially at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The fans play a crucial role; when the cheers are on and we keep putting pressure on our opponents, they give us an advantage. It’s a fantastic stadium, and we need to maintain this level of play for the full 90 minutes and make it difficult for our opponents to perform.”  

Image source: Internet/Everton official website