Everton vs Bournemouth: Kurt Zouma and Dominic Calvert-Lewin ease pressure on Marco Silva

Everton 2-0 Bournemouth: Two second-half goals earned the hosts a much-needed three points

Kurt Zouma’s first Everton goal arrested his team’s alarming slide down the Premier League table and added to the growing concerns for Bournemouth and their manager Eddie Howe.

After a bright start, a run of seven points from the last available 36 has derailed Bournemouth's league campaign and, while the relegation places still remain some way in the distance, a similar run over the next dozen games may well paint a very different picture.

On-loan Chelsea defender Zouma struck in the 62nd minute after Bournemouth failed to clear a Gylfi Sigurdsson corner and Everton left-back Lucas Digne found the space to attack Joshua King down the left side of the area.

His near-post cross was met by Zouma, still upfield following the corner, and his powerful header from inside the six-yard area was only ever going to produce one outcome.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin secure the victory deep in the five minutes of added time, slotting in an impressive finish from 15 yards, after a cross from the influential Ademola Lookman.

Yet, for a side that has now won just twice in their last 14 league and cup games, Bournemouth certainly turned in an impressive first half display, David Brooks orchestrating their play as the visitors struck the post and failed with two decent penalty claims.

The second of those - for handball after Ryan Fraser’s cross struck Digne’s arm - was probably correctly ruled out by Anthony Taylor, but Idrissa Gueye could consider himself fortunate not to have been penalised after sticking his foot into the path of Brooks’s enterprising run into the area.

Brooks himself was unlucky not to open the scoring on 13 minutes as Eddie Howe’s side dominated the opening exchanges.

Zouma was caught in possession by King, Junior Stanislas moved the ball through to Brooks and the Welsh international’s shot beat Jordan Pickford only to strike the foot of the far post and rebound back into play.

Zouma headed in to break the deadlock (Action Images via Reuters)

Pickford, in front of a watching Gareth Southgate, was comfortably the busier of the two keepers in a first half played in gale-force winds and driving rain with the England keeper diving to smother the ball at King’s feet and then scurrying low to keep out Stanislas’s 20-yard free-kick.

Those saves were sorely needed for Pickford, whose kicking and general distribution was poor and drew groans from home supporters on more than occasion.

Still, by the later stages of the opening half, Everton appeared to have weathered the worst of it and Lookman, preferred to the under-achieving Theo Walcott, was becoming a factor.

First, his cross was headed over by Bernard and then his 41st minute cross was met by Michael Keane whose header skimmed the Bournemouth bar on its way over the net.

Everton started the second half maintaining that improvement with Richarlison, a virtual spectator over the opening 45 minutes, finally starting to become involved.

The win eases some of the pressure on Marco Silva (AFP/Getty Images)

His 48th minute header was only half cleared by Jefferson Lerma, directly back to him, and the Brazilian managed to place a shot through keeper Asmir Begovic, only for Nathan Ake to clear off the line.

It was the start of a period of dominance that led to the opening goal although that, at least, prompted Bournemouth into a response.

King raced clear on a break and shot into the side-netting and an indication that a proper contest was now underway came when Andre Gomes and Zouma were both booked after a foul by the former saw players squaring up to each other.

Gomes was fortunate to stay on soon after, for a foul on Steve Cook, although Bournemouth would have had graver concerns had Richarlison’s stooping header after 77 minutes flown into the goal instead of just wide.