Albion fans enjoy reading positive reports about the team’s exploits, so we must be prepared to take it on the chin from the national press when Graham Potter’s men are slightly below par, as they were at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Fortunately, most reporters were so keen to eulogise Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez that they rather overlooked the part played by Albion slip-ups in the 4-2 victory for the Toffees.
Ian Hawkey of the Sunday Times wittily referred to Everton’s number nine as “Dominic Calvert-Lewindowski. The striker’s sixth goal of the young league season — his tenth across competitions — set Everton well on the way to what would be a comfortable, dominant win over Brighton & Hove Albion, who only found the time and space to express themselves at all after the home side had taken control.
“That Brighton equalised in the first half was because of Everton errors, particularly one from Jordan Pickford, and though Yves Bissouma volleyed, from distance, a wonderful second goal, the match was by then well into stoppage time, The points were secured by Yerry Mina’s header and two second-half finishes from the dashing James Rodríguez, although in the period between 3-1 and 4-1 Brighton had imposed themselves with more gusto. Bissouma’s late consolation was, at least, a handsome souvenir to take home.”
Observer veteran Paul Wilson also found reason to give faint praise to the visitors, writing: “Brighton looked organised and compact for the first quarter of an hour but paid the price for collectively falling asleep for the opening goal. Their first mistake was allowing Everton to take a quick short corner to put Gylfi Sigurdsson in a position to send a cross across the face of goal. Their second was losing the whereabouts of Calvert-Lewin in the six-yard box – inexcusable really given the form he is in.
“That sort of start should have settled Everton down, but they did not have everything their own way for the rest of the first half. Aaron Connolly popped up to reach a Solly March cross, only to divert the ball the wrong side of an upright. Finally, Brighton levelled through an error that Pickford will want to forget quickly, fumbling Leandro Trossard’s less than stinging shot and allowing Neal Maupay to claim the rebound and poke the ball across the line.
“It was a soft goal to concede, yet not an entirely undeserved equaliser. Brighton had been growing into the game, and Lamptey found far too much space to deliver the cross that found Trossard. However, the home side’s advantage was restored from a set-piece in first-half stoppage time. It was an all-Colombian effort, James Rodríguez sending over a free kick for Yerry Mina to climb above Adam Webster to head home, the second time the Brighton defence had been undone through failing to deal with crosses.
“Yves Bissouma’s well-taken goal in stoppage time was the least Brighton deserved for keeping their forward momentum in the second half, but their earlier mistakes had made life easy for Everton, who will need to be judged against better opposition before getting carried away. Liverpool, next visitors to Goodison after the international break, should fit the bill.”
In the Sunday Telegraph, Jim White wrote that “in previous encounters this season Brighton had come close to matching Manchester United and Chelsea and walloped Newcastle. Against this newly revived Everton side, however, they were out-witted, out-maneuvered, out-classed. Schooled at the school of science.
“But then any side with James Rodriguez demonstrating this sort of form is always at an advantage. Carlo Ancelotti’s galactico was on another planet to the rest here. His vision, his execution, his simple delight in his own ability is electrifying.”
“However potent Everton’s No9 might be, though, Brighton have a weapon of their own. And at every opportunity the visiting midfield pushed the ball wide to find the runs of Tariq Lamptey. His speed was alarming the Everton back line, who continuously doubled up on him.
“It is not just pace the young full back possesses. He can cross too. As he demonstrated when he found Leandro Trossard with a precise, looping pass. Well placed, Trossard tried to volley home, but put no power into his shot. As it gently bounced up off the turf, it appeared to be a straightforward catch for Jordan Pickford. Maybe the goalkeeper took his eye off it, maybe he was confused by the bounce, maybe the rain had lubricated his gloves: whatever the reason the man Gareth Southgate rates the best in England, let the ball skid from his hands. It dropped to Neal Maupay who knew a gift when it landed at his feet and duly equalised.
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“Parity was not long. As is his wont, Seamus Coleman barrelled down the wing and was fouled. From the free kick, Rodriguez span in a delicious cross in which Yery Mina thumped beyond Ryan: a goal made and finished in Colombia. The loudest celebratory shout came from the Everton area and the mightily relieved Pickford.”
In the Mail on Sunday, Joe Bernstein also referred to Albion’s previous exploits. “Brighton had hit the woodwork five times in their previous game against Manchester United last weekend but there was no way this beating could be deemed unlucky.
“Mat Ryan was called into action to deny Seamus Coleman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin even before Everton’s No9 deservedly headed his side in front after 16 minutes with his ninth goal of the season.
“’We were disappointed with the goals we conceded. We contributed to our own problems today and that’ s not a good thing against a team of Everton’s quality,’ said Brighton boss Graham Potter, whose team have had a beastly fixture list so far having already faced Chelsea and Manchester United.
“Rodriguez wasn’t given the chance of a hat-trick, making way for Theo Walcott 12 minutes from the end, and Brighton surprisingly completed the scoring with a thunderbolt from Yves Bissouma. This time Pickford was blameless.”
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti told the BBC website: “Brighton played well. We played well also. We managed the situation of the game well. We had composure defensively and had opportunities on the counter-attack. The performance was complete and this was the reason we deserved to win."
But if Albion can have no complaints about some of the harsh verdicts from Fleet Street, Carl Markham of the Press Association was surely being unnecessarily negative in his report for The Independent.
First he wrote that “much of Brighton's game-plan appeared to involve going in hard on both Everton's playmaker and Richarlison, who passed a late fitness test on an ankle injury.
“The tactic partly succeeded with the Brazil forward forced off 25 minutes into the first half after a crunching-but-fair tackle by Tariq Lamptey.”
Then he concluded by suggesting that the international break “may benefit the Seagulls, for whom Yves Bissouma volleyed home an added-time consolation, after a third defeat in a week and a ninth in succession on the road in the Premier League.” Er, Albion had actually gone eight without defeat on the road before this. Maybe the rain had blurred his notes.