A “frustrated” Sean Dyche was left to rue a late lapse after seeing Everton slump to a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth thanks to Seamus Coleman’s own goal.
The visitors looked set for a valuable point when Beto’s 87th-minute goal cancelled out Dominic Solanke’s opener but in the dying moments Adam’s Smith deep cross bounced up and hit Coleman on the chest before dropping agonisingly into the net.
Dyche said: “Obviously I’m frustrated and disappointed with the dying embers of the game.
“For such a simple moment we get confused and they get a goal out of nothing really.
“We find a goal and I’m pleased with that, because it’s an ugly goal and you can’t always score the perfect goal.
“We should go away with a point of course, but we can’t defend like that.”
Both sides were denied by the woodwork, with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo striking the base of a post in the first half and Dwight McNeil hitting the near post as he attempted a cross in the second.
The home side took the lead in the 64th minute when Solanke got between Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey to head home Lloyd Kelly’s cross.
Everton hit back when goalkeeper Neto dropped McNeil’s cross right at the feet of Beto who rolled the ball home from close range, but Dyche’s delight soon turned to despair.
This is a crunch time both on and off the pitch for Everton, with majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri saying he remains confident the protracted takeover of the club by 777 Partners will be completed soon.
The club are also due to find out the verdict of a second charge of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, with a further points deduction a possibility before the end of the season in addition to the six they have already lost.
Next up for the Toffees is a trip to Newcastle followed by a clash with relegation rivals Burnley at Goodison Park but, even though his side are just three points above the bottom three, Dyche’s belief is not wavering.
“The question marks over this club have been here for two-and-a-half, three years,” he said.
“I believe in the players and I believe in myself.”
The win moved 13th-placed Bournemouth on to 38 points but manager Andoni Iraola is confident they can climb higher.
“Obviously it’s a very good amount of points but we still have nine more chances. We still want to win. Now we are going to take the games one by one,” he said.
“For us it was a very important win. Everton always put you under pressure with the long ball and the set-pieces.
“I think we dealt with it quite well against them and it’s not easy to score against them.”
