Brighton displayed their tenacity and strength at home once again with their narrow win over Marco Silva’s Everton.
In a match with plenty of chances for both teams, the Seagull’s were able to capitalise on their one clear opportunity following a corner, which after being delivered by Pascal Groß hit Andre Gomes opportunistically falling for Jurgen Locadia, who drove past Jordan Pickford.
Everton continued to apply pressure, but the home team remained resilient throughout. Brighton’s back line blunted efforts from Richarlison, and a late header from Kurt Zouma would only manage to hit the crossbar. Thus leaving the Toffee’s to ponder what went wrong at the Amex.
The Amex: Brighton’s Fortress
It’s a monumental task for the majority of Premier League teams to travel to the Amex and leave with a win or draw. Brighton have created something magical with 77% of their points this season coming from home matches. Quite frankly, expecting Everton to win even after their demolition of Burnley was a tad unrealistic.
Although it seems unwise for the Seagull’s to depend so heavily on their South Coast castle, they must be commended for their strength at home. Hughton and his team’s place in the Premier League is still not promised, and although they sit in 13th place at the moment, there is nothing to guarantee they will be there when the season ends. That said, Brighton should continue working with what they are familiar with, and continue to make use of their impressive home advantage.
Striker needed: Everton missing a pivotal piece to the puzzle
Despite all of Everton’s terrific new signings, Marco Silva is still missing a key section from the jigsaw. A genuine striker has been needed for some time now, and with Cenk Tosun not quite gaining the Portuguese manager’s favour, it is unclear on how the Toffies will attempt to fill the void.
Richarlison’s time in the striker role has not been particularly successful, and there have been rumours swirling of the club bringing in the likes of Hirving Lozano to help in attack. However, Silva has been stubborn and “is tired” of being told he has to sign a new striker.
As Silva sees it the team is fine, though the match against Brighton suggested otherwise. In fact, there have been many matches this season that have shown Everton’s need to replace Tosun. With rumours last season of the club moving to sign Raul Jimenez, it’s not presumptuous to suggest, Silva and sporting director Marcel Brands have at one point, or the other considered alternative options.
Dutch and German: Brighton’s recipe for success
Pascal Groß was magnificent going forwards, and the German seems to have finally returned to form after a long injury layoff. Indeed, the majority of chances that fell for Brighton began with the German playmaker whose crosses troubled the Everton back line throughout proceedings. With the former Ingolstadt player finally being fit once more, one can expect Hughton to focus his attacking play around the creative midfielder.
Davy Propper and Jurgen Locadia are both products of the famous Dutch giants, PSV, and although Propper’s impact on the team has been more pronounced, Locadia has made a name for himself in the last two matches. The Dutchman’s goals against Arsenal and Everton have earned his team 4 points.
There were rumours of the former PSV striker leaving Brighton during the January transfer window, but now it seems the striker’s fortunes may have turned for the better.
Everton: Toffees still inconsistent
Everton can be a great to watch and terrible team to play against as was evidenced in their recent victory over Burnley. That same team lost to Brighton without scoring and was decimated by Tottenham at Goodison Park. It was believed Marco Silva would rid Everton of these embarrassing situations- that he would do wonders with what Allardyce had squandered.
It appears there is still much work to do, and that throwing money at the problem is like stopping a leak with paper. Of course, Everton’s signings have been fantastic, but the team’s play could be considered less than desirable. The level of inconsistency is not becoming of the calibre Everton aspire to be.
The fault cannot be laid at Silva’s feet in the entirety; the players have also committed errors. It is not exactly clear what must change at Goodison Park, but it is clear that change is needed if they are to ever truly challenge the top six.
