Everton halted Brighton’s run of three consecutive wins as star-man Richarlison scored twice in 3-1 win.
Of course, Richarlison would be the player to open the scoring at Goodison Park after a sublime assist from Gylfi Siggurdson; but Brighton answered quickly with Lewis Dunk heading in a cross from Solly March. Despite establishing themselves late in the first half, Brighton were pushed back by Everton once more and Seamus Coleman doubled the Toffee’s lead early in the second half. Unsatisfied with one goal, Richarlison took advantage of a Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy mistake late in the second half to seal Everton’s comfortable win.
Digne and Coleman decisive
Were it not for Everton’s fullbacks the scoreline would have been very different today. Marco Silva has injected his modern football into Everton, and the fullbacks are the clearest manifestation of the Toffee’s transformation. Involved in both attack and defense, Digne and Coleman are threats on both sides of the pitch and were decisive in todays victory.
In the first half, Lucas Digne created 4 chances which was more than the rest of Everton’s side combined. On the other flank, Coleman scored a terrific goal which Matt Ryan had no chance of saving in the Brighton goal, as well as his goal he provided several chances for his teammates. Overloading Brighton’s defense looked to be Silva’s strategy; and without Digne and Coleman, Brighton would have had much more room to force their style of play and possibly get something from the match.
Hughton’s transfer gambles playing off
Some of Hughton’s signings have been perplexing. Two of Brighton’s newer signings, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jurgen Locadia, both came from the Dutch Eredivisie in the summer and history has shown that players jumping from the Eredivisie to the Premier League fail. Do the names Vincent Janssen and Memphis Depay sound familiar?
Despite this history, the Englishman has placed his faith in Eredivisie players, and it seems that his patience may pay off with Jahanbakhsh playing well in Merseyside, providing a hand in Brighton’s first goal and further solidifying his place in the starting XI. Although Locadia has not done much since his arrival on the South Coast it may just be a matter of extracting the form the Dutchmen displayed at PSV. The Brighton manager doesn’t have the funds that other teams in the Premier League have, but he has made the most of what he does have, and it looks as though his risk-taking is paying dividends.
Gylfi Sigurdsson slowly regaining form
Sigurdsson was one of Everton’s main threats in attack and provided a marvelous pass for Richarlison’s opener. The former Swansea man is one of the best creative players in the Premier League, and his potential is tremendous. He has already surpassed his goal tally from last season with five goals in 11 appearances, and in Silva’s attacking side that number is likely to increase.
Still, there is room for improvement in Sigurdsson’s game which can be seen in the two clear chances he missed early in the match. Everton could have led Brighton by three goals at the interval, but chances were wasted which led to a more complicated match. Everton’s no. 10 will have to improve if Everton are to qualify for Europe, but with players like Richarlison in front of him, there should be more goals for Everton in the near future.
Depth necessary to compete in Premier League
In the past few seasons Everton made some terrible signings. Plenty of cash was spent on plenty of players, but so few of those players actually contributed something valuable to the team. Silva’s signings are making a difference for Everton, and if one compares Everton’s bench this season to their bench last season there is a stark contrast. The Toffee’s bench now carries the likes of Yerry Mina and Cenk Tosun; players that can and have had an impact off the bench.
The same can be said for Brighton. Brighton’s bench has improved tremendously with the addition of Nigerian international, Leon Balogun and Malian, Yves Bissouma. Hughton’s additions have made sense for Brighton and like Everton it took some time for these signings to work their way into the starting XI. However, now that the season has progressed these signings have made their presence known. Depth has been key for Brighton as they continue to solidify their place in the Premier League and Silva has made certainly improved Everton after lackluster seasons under Koeman and Allardyce.
Brighton’s defense temperamental
One of Brighton’s most appealing features is there resilience at the back. That resilience was missing today, and they were torn apart by Everton’s attack. Three consecutive clean sheets for Brighton suggested that they would pose a significant challenge for Everton this weekend. Yet they were swept aside and lucky to only concede three goals.
The first goal came from a counterattack following a Brighton corner, displaying a lack of organisation from the Seagulls. Likewise, the third goal showed a lapse in concentration from Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy. Both goals were goals that Hughton’s men do not typically concede, but a seeming underestimation of their opponent and a gross lack of focus cost Brighton dearly. Consistency will be what Brighton’s back line will have to improve as some weekends they are extremely impressive, and others they are pulled apart by both wingers and strikers.
