By our man at the Hill Dickinson Stadium
THE NEW era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium has officially hit its first major roadblock.
Everton’s shiny new £750million home on the Mersey was supposed to be a fortress, but yesterday it looked more like a bouncy castle as Igor Thiago and his Brentford Bees swarmed all over David Moyes’ shell-shocked Toffees.
Despite the 52,000-strong “Blue Army” turning the docks into a cauldron of noise, the atmosphere soured faster than a pint of milk in the sun as the visitors walked away with a chaotic 4-2 victory.
It was the first time in the stadium’s short history that Everton have lost back-to-back games at home, and the fans didn’t hold back, booing the players off at both the interval and the final whistle.
The Brazilian sensation Igor Thiago was the architect of the misery, helping himself to a ruthless hat-trick that silenced the expensive new stands.
He opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, capitalizing on a sloppy James Tarkowski pass that left the home faithful rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
Moyes tried to fix the leak at half-time, throwing on Beto and Merlin Rohl, but the roof caved in just five minutes after the restart. Nathan Collins rose highest to thump home a header from a corner, and before the “Z-Cars” echoes had even faded, Thiago poked home his second to make it 3-0.
Beto gave the Goodison-in-exile crowd a glimmer of hope with a trademark header from a Jack Grealish cross in the 66th minute, sparking a brief roar that shook the stadium’s steel girders. But as Everton threw the kitchen sink at the Bees, they left the back door wide open.
Thiago completed his treble on the break in the 88th minute, dinking the ball over a helpless Jordan Pickford to send the travelling Londoners into delirium.
Thierno Barry’s stoppage-time header was nothing more than a consolation prize on a day where Everton’s “Grand Old Team” looked desperately out of tune in their grand new house.
