Bernard Strike Earns Everton Goodison Success

LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom- An accomplished 10th-minute finish from liverwire winger Bernard ensured Everton opened their Goodison Park campaign precisely how they wrapped up the previous one - namely by claiming three points and recording a clean sheet.

This was a win that had to be dug out against a good Watford team, though, and Jordan Pickford saved brilliantly from Troy Deeney after half-time.

Moise Kean came close to a debut goal which would have added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time but Everton will be grateful to have got over the line following a physical and deeply competitive encounter.

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Nevertheless, when Everton claimed their early lead through Bernard's first Premier League goal at Goodison Park it was no less than the Blues deserved.

Lucas Digne, already heavily involved by this stage and primarily in an attacking capacity, sent a ball arcing down the left for his Brazilian teammate.

Bernard feinted to go left. In the split second it took him to switch right, he lost marker Kiko Femenia and raised the possibility of a shot.

It was still a surprise when he went for it early though, not least to Ben Foster. The Watford goalkeeper, perhaps expecting Bernard to wait for support, or take a moment longer to size up his effort, was late getting down and unable to prevent the ball flying inside his right post.

Digne had sent an earlier shot whizzing past Foster’s opposite upright.

Immediately prior to the goal, Everton had two corners in quick succession.

Jose Holebas headed the first behind. The second was met by striker Deeney and cleared as far as Gylfi Sigurdsson. He slid in and out of defenders frantically swiping at the Icelander. One of them located their mark eventually to send Sigurdsson tumbling.

Foster was all at sea with his first attempt at fielding Digne’s deflected dead ball, before regaining his composure to gather at the second attempt.

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It felt as if Everton were ready to go to town on their visitors – and Craig Cathcart needed to be well positioned to prevent a Seamus Coleman cut back from causing mayhem on 22 minutes.

Another 19 minutes on and Richarlison escaped his markers to meet a right-wing free-kick from Sigurdsson. The Brazilian, to his very obvious displeasure, send his effort over the top.

In the meantime, though, Watford had gained a foothold in the game. They were the width of the woodwork from equalising in fact when Craig Dawson – as he seems to have been doing for eons, won a header at the back post.

Latching onto Jose Holebas’s deep corner, the centre-half powered his effort flush against Pickford’s right post.

Pickford sprang to his left to beat out a 20-yard curler from Etienne Capaue and Gerard Deulofeu was more than a mite miffed when his inswung left-wing free-kick travelled the width of Everton’s penalty area unmolested.

Deulofeu wasn’t best pleased, either, when he was tackled by Yerry Mina in the box and was awarded only a corner and not the penalty he thought was he deserved.

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The decision was checked 212 miles south in Stockley Park where it was decided referee Lee Mason called it right.

Everton had claims for a penalty themselves earlier in the half.

Andre Gomes advanced to feed Sigurdsson, who punched a short first-time pass to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The striker went to ground as he tried to roll Cathcart, whose challenge was correctly viewed by Mason as fair.

Everton stitched together another very tidy move five minutes after the break. Gomes and Bernard combined to release Digne on the overlap.