Brentford keep Everton at bay after Christian Nørgaard's red card | first division

Trouble is at Sean Dyche's door just as the Friedkin Group hopes to step in as Everton's new owner. The manager had no doubt about the growing discontent inside Goodison Park after Brentford They got their first away point of the season despite playing with 10 men for 53 minutes. They did so in relative comfort, which says everything about the paucity of Everton's attacking game.

Brentford captain Christian Nørgaard was shown the red card in the 41st minute for hitting Jordan Pickford's knee with his studs. Thomas Frank confirmed that his club will likely appeal the decision. The Brentford manager was furious at the time, but a first first division clean sheet of the season and, in these circumstances, it lifted his spirits.

Goodison went dark to the rhythm of an increasingly clueless display of a Everton team that performed better against 11 men. There are already five draws in eight league games and no goals in three games. A sinister December awaits us, including matches against the top four, Ruben Amorim's first home league game as Manchester United manager, a revitalized Wolves and a Nottingham Forest side.

“They can direct it at whoever they want,” Dyche said of the boos that greeted the small mercy at the final whistle. “They expect us to win. I hope we win. It is our responsibility and mine to make sure we do better than today. We need to find killer moments more often and we didn't. It's been a long-standing thing here. Most managers can cash it via checkbook. “We can’t do that, so development continues.”

Brentford scored 16 points before kick-off, all won at the Gtech Stadium. Their impressive home form was in stark contrast to their away results and Frank's team immediately went on the defensive. Everton had enough pressure and openings to have capitalized before the break. Not for the first time in Dyche's reign, a lack of ruthlessness and quality in the final third prevented them from doing so. Mark Flekken in goal for Brentford proved to be another obstacle.

Flekken made a superb reflex save to prevent Dominic Calvert-Lewin from giving Everton an early lead by latching onto Idrissa Gueye's low volley. Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil also had decent chances, three times in the case of the latter, before Flekken again denied Calvert-Lewin when the striker was behind the defence.

Everton's continued search for a killer touch left Goodison with a familiar sense of foreboding. Brentford looked to take advantage and Pickford made an important block to prevent Yoane Wissa from scoring after a good pass from Mikkel Damsgaard.

The visitors' performance was improving when a video referee intervention left them with 10 men. At first glance, Nørgaard thought it was a deep red. He and Wissa attempted to play the ball when Ethan Pinnock's header crossed the Everton box towards the unmarked pair. Neither scored, when they could have scored, but Nørgaard's elevated studs embedded themselves in Pickford's right knee as the Everton goalkeeper opened up to save. The midfielder went high and did not try to avoid Pickford's knee.

Chris Kavanagh, sent to the pitch barrier, was shown a red card for serious foul play. The incident was shown on giant television screens, causing an uproar among Brentford fans. Frank also joined the protests and received a yellow card for his increasing problems.

“It wasn't a red card,” the Brentford manager insisted. “Christian's eyes are clearly on the ball. There is no force or intent to hurt Pickford. If the law says it is red then the law has changed. “I will have to tell my players that they cannot jump and try to score in the six-yard box.”

Everton worked hard against 10 men and were almost punished on Keane Lewis-Potter's counter-attack. Pickford saved his low shot and Mathias Jensen failed to convert the loose ball from 18 yards. Vitalii Mykolenko should have broken the deadlock, but he ducked a pass from Ndiaye. Beto, who was again a substitute in the late rescue act, could have won in added time had it not been for a vital block by Pinnock. Brentford soon celebrated a well-deserved point in front of their enthusiastic fans. Boos rained down elsewhere.