Another stoppage-time sickener for Albion

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Everton equalise in the last minute of injury time after Pascal Gross opened the scoring in 1-1 draw.

Bruce Talbot

2026-01-31T17:00+00:00

A triumphant roar from Pascal Gross after he broke the deadlock against Everton. 📷Paul Hazlewood

Albion were stung by a stoppage-time goal for the second successive Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton.

Pascal Gross seemed to have won it 16 minutes from time with his first Amex goal since December 2023.

Six minutes of stoppage time had already been played when James Garner slung over a deep cross from the right. Bart Verbruggen somehow blocked Jake O’Brien’s powerful shot but substitute Beto reacted quickest to the loose ball and buried it into the empty net.

Albion should have turned their early dominance into a goal or two but after offering no attacking threat of their own in the first half Everton had chances themselves in the second period and will claim they deserved some reward.

Two changes saw Maxim De Cuyper and Georginio Rutter come in and Albion began very strongly and ought to have scored in the first 20 minutes.

Pascal Gross enjoys the moment in front of the north stand after scoring his first goal at the Amex since December 2023. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

In the second minute Gross’s close-range shot, after Ferdi Kadioglu’s cross picked him out, was heading for the corner until it was deflected wide off Jarrad Branthwaite. Gross had his head in his hands it was that close and Danny Welbeck’s reaction was the same when he rose above Everton’s skyscraper-tall defenders but headed the German’s corner a yard wide.

The best opportunity came when Welbeck got possession after Kieran Dewsbury-Hall gave the ball away and slid the perfect pass to Kaoru Mitoma who beat Jordan Pickford from the corner of the six-yard box but his effort rolled across the face of goal and just beyond the far post.

Kaoru Mitoma in full flow during the first half. 📷James Boardman

After that it was more of a struggle in the first 45 for Albion to break down a typically resilient and well-organised Everton side.

The visitors had an XG of 0.00 in the first half but they came out of their defensive shell after the break.

Dewsbury-Hall cleverly worked space for a left-foot shot that was just wide before Branthwaite flicked Jake O’Brien’s cross that didn’t miss the far post by much.

Fabian Hurzeler turned to Yankuba Minteh on the hour but Everton were still offering more attacking threat and Bart Verbruggen rescued his side in the 68th minute, blocking Dewsbury-Hall’s close-range effort with his feet after Thierno Barry had set up the chance with his pull-back – the clearest opening of the game to date.

Jan Paul van Hecke clears his lines during the first half. 📷Paul Hazlewood

James Tarkowski met a corner at the far post but Verbruggen blocked his header on the line. At that stage Everton looked much more likely to score but when the deadlock was broken it was Albion who did it.

It was a superbly worked goal too. Babis Kostoulas, who’d only been on for four minutes, dummied Yasin Ayari’s cross and it created enough space for Gross, who had made a late run into the box, to steer his shot into the bottom corner from 12 yards. Moments later he was celebrating in front of an ecstatic north stand and all was well again in Albion’s world.

Gross’s last Amex goal had been in December 2023 and this was Albion’s first home win over Everton since October 2019 – when Gross was among the scorers.

Georginio Rutter at full stretch keeps the ball in play. 📷 Paul Hazlewood

It should have been decisive. Mitoma had the ball in the net with six minutes to go but Joel Veltman had strayed offside in the build-up. Albion looked to have done enough but as there had been at Fulham a week ago there was a sting in the tail.

Albion: Verbruggen, De Cuyper (Veltman 70), Dunk, van Hecke, Kadioglu, Baleba, Ayari, Gross (Milner 90+5), Mitoma, Rutter (Minteh 60), Welbeck (Kostoulas 70).