Everton succumbed to a last-minute strike from Scott Arfield as they went down in a 2-1 defeat to Burnley.

In spite of dominating the first half proceedings at Turf Moor, the Blues fell behind after Sam Vokes pounced on a fumble from Maarten Stekelenburg.

Yannick Bolasie had redressed the balance after taking the ball on from a Romelu Lukaku run before firing his first Everton goal into Tom Heaton’s net.

But Scott Arfield struck in the 90th minute to snatch victory for the hosts.

Here were the key talking points from Turf Moor…

More substance required from Koeman

 

The omens seemed to conspire against Everton; their record in the past 12 games when they had trailed at the break culminated in 10 defeats.

An unlucky 13th followed the pattern but while it is easy to assess the Turf Moor defeat in isolation, the Blues’ form this season has been largely uninspiring.

There have been flashes, such as the purple patch against Sunderland and an emphatic win over Middlesbrough, but consistency remains a sticking point.

Questions about Ronald Koeman require some perspective after inheriting a team fashioned into mediocrity during three years under his predecessor.

But even in times of transition, Everton must still see definitive shoots of growth.

From hero to zero for Stekelenburg

 

Seven days ago, Maarten Stekelenburg was on top of the world.

He had kept out Manchester City for the best part of their hard-fought encounter with the Blues and had promised a repeat performance.

But any hopes of repaying Ronald Koeman’s faith fell short for the Dutch stopper with an horrific blunder which put Everton behind at Turf Moor.

There are blunders and then there are howlers. Stekelenburg’s weak parrying of a tame Scott Arfield shot certainly fell into the latter category.

Sam Vokes could not have asked for an easier goal scoring opportunity.

Barkley still isn’t getting it

 

Koeman had described Ross Barkley’s omission from the starting line-up at City as a potential ‘wake-up call’ but it has still left him none the wiser.

Restored at Turf Moor, the Everton midfielder offered little in the way of encouragement that lessons had been learned from a spell on the sidelines.

The symptoms have been all too familiar throughout this season with the possible exception of the Middlesbrough game in mid-September.

Barkley can have few complaints; both the cold shoulder and an arm around it have been deployed by Koeman but he has struggled to respond to either.

It is only a matter of time before the Everton manager gives up with the conundrum surrounding his Wavertree-born playmaker.

Keeper masterclass works against Blues

 

A goalkeeping masterclass worked in Everton’s favour last weekend but subsequently conspired against them at Turf Moor.

Tom Heaton proved to be a largely unbreachable barrier as Everton launched relentless waves of attacks on the Burnley goalkeeper’s net.

Only Yannick Bolasie’s first strike for the club managed to find a way past although his left-field shot from range later on prompted a finger tip stop.

Sometimes there is no accouting for an opposing player enjoying the game of his life but Everton will wonder why it always seems to happen against them.