Beto cut an emotional figure after his late goal heroics rescued a point for Everton against Fulham.
The Toffees striker has no doubt been frustrated by his lack of chances and his performances for the Blues. With just four goals in the Premier League across two seasons, it is understandable as to why. But he might be the first to admit he hasn’t been good enough to feature more.
He’s made 35 appearances but he still hasn’t played 1,000 minutes since joining Everton in a deal which could rise to £26m. It’s a significant sum with clauses to be triggered to get there. He showed a glimpse on Saturday of what he can bring.
Until Beto replaced Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton’s attack was blunt. He brought a bit of chaos. His goal was a striker’s finish, rising to head a cross from Ashley Young in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Everton defender James Tarkowski believes the Portugal-born forward will find his best form at the club. “For someone who works as hard as him, things are only going to work out for him at some point,” said Tarkowski.
“It is tough when you are not playing; it is hard to stay match ready and match fit. He does everything he can to be ready to play, and he gets his rewards here.
“He caused problems, running in behind, and he was in the box getting his head on things. I am really pleased for him because he deserves it.” But it hasn’t been easy for Beto. He has, at times, looked well below Premier League level but on Saturday showed signs he can have an impact.
The time on the bench hasn’t helped his belief but now he needs to consistently step up if he is to crack it in England. “Every player, at every level, unless you are [Lionel] Messi or [Cristiano] Ronaldo, suffers a bit of confidence issues at times,” said Tarkowski.
“I have been through it myself. When you are not playing, it is difficult; I am sure we all do [find it difficult], but he never shows it, he just works hard and sticks at it. You can see how much it means to him, and I am really pleased for him because he works so hard and he hasn’t played much this year, so for him to get that moment is amazing.”
Beto’s equaliser earned Everton a point that they maybe didn’t deserve given the performance. It looked like former player Alex Iwobi had given Fulham three points to end their two-game winless run.
It was a fine finish just after the hour mark from a player who so often frustrated the home fans at Goodison Park for some hot-and-cold performances when he was in a blue shirt. But Everton remain unbeaten in five and are creeping up the table after they showed character here to get a result when it looked to have escaped them through Beto’s header.
It is nice to draw and get a point when you don’t play very well because there have been plenty of games in my time here when we have played really well and not got a result at all, a couple of times already this season. “We are pleased to get a point on the board after not playing well, and we move on to next week.
“In my first season here, if we went 1-0 down, we probably wouldn’t have come back into that game.”
