SIMON STACPOOLE/OFFSIDE/GETTY IMAGESthe times | Monday January 3 2022 1GG 7
thegame
THE MATCH IN A GRAPHIC
Statisticians Opta show who was on top throughout game
Attacking threat0 mins 15 30 45 45 60 75 9053’ 76’3’ 21’ Brighton
goalsEverton
goalsFirst half Second halfBrighton more threateningEverton more threatening71’New year but same sorry Everton
2
Gordon 53, 76RATINGS
Everton (3-4-3): J Pickford 7 — B Godfrey 6, M Keane
5, M Holgate 6 — J Kenny 6 (S Rondón 77min),
A Doucouré 6, Allan 6 (A Gomes 87), S Coleman 6 —
A Gordon 8, D Calvert-Lewin 5, D Gray 7.
Booked Kenny.
Brighton (4-4-2): R Sánchez 7 — J Veltman 7
(S Duffy 61, 6), A Webster 7, D Burn 7, M Cucurella 7
— E Mwepu 7, A Lallana 7 (T Lamptey 61, 6),
Y Bissouma 7, A Mac Allister 9 — N Maupay 7,
L Trossard 6 (J Moder 82). Booked Webster.
Referee J Brooks.Everton Brighton
3
Mac Allister 3, 71
Burn 21Calvert-Lewin, making his first Everton appearance in more than four months after injuring his thigh against Brighton in August, blazes his first-half penalty over the bar before showing his despair, inset
over Brighton in August. He had
scored from the spot that day, but hit
his effort too high on this occasion
and it clipped the top of the crossbar.
When the deficit was eventually
halved, it was again down to a slice of
luck rather than grand design.
Gordon, a homegrown talent who
clearly takes Everton’s malaise
personally, had shone above the
general mediocrity and would eke
reward. Cutting in off the right, he
produced a shot that did not look like
troubling Robert Sánchez until Adam
Lallana instinctively thrust out a
boot and sent the effort away from
the goalkeeper. The youngster
celebrated raucously.
If there was any doubt as to
whether the goal belonged to him, he
would score again in the 76th minute
when sweeping home Jonjoe Kenny’s
cross. However, it was mere
consolation, arriving moments after
Everton were again complicit in their
downfall. A risky pass from Michael
Keane was picked off by Burn and the
ball transferred to Maupay. His cross
was deftly flicked by Mwepu for Mac
Allister, who thumped home an
exquisite finish.
“It is a fantastic three points,” Potter
said. “A great start to the new year and
a great end to a really big week for us
after three points against Brentford
and a point against Chelsea.”
More of the same for Everton was
far less appealing.beyond Jordan Pickford, the Everton
goalkeeper, from six yards. The final
touch was the ninth of a patiently
constructed move that went right to
left and back again.
The breakthrough neatly
encapsulated the difference between
the teams. Brighton were bright and
vibrant and, of course, have benefited
from the 2½ years Potter has been at
the helm. Benítez is Everton’s third
permanent manager since then.
They have now conceded the first
goal in 13 of their 18 league games, a
shortcoming as squalid as Everton’s
propensity to concede from set pieces.
Mac Allister’s corner was flicked on
at the near post by the unattended
Enock Mwepu and headed in at the
far post, where Dan Burn was one of
two unmarked players.
“I can tell you we were practising
specifically these corners and how to
defend them and we made too many
mistakes,” Benítez said.
Individual errors would continue,
even when Everton were offered a
lifeline. When Demarai Gray’s shot
was blocked, Anthony Gordon
collected the rebound but was
needlessly barged over by Mwepu.
The referee, John Brooks, awarded a
penalty after reviewing the incident
on the pitchside monitor, but
Everton’s fortune would end there.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was
making his first appearance since
suffering a thigh injury in a 2-0 winit should and they could do far worse
than model themselves on Brighton,
whose fortunes are founded upon a
strong, coherent structure that runs
from top to bottom.
Despite only six points from a
dozen matches, the Everton hierarchy
is seeking to support Benítez. The left
back Vitaliy Mykolenko, signed from
Dynamo Kiev for £17 million, was
introduced before kick-off and has
been earmarked to replace Lucas
Digne, who is out of favour after a
bust-up with the manager over tactics.
Digne was on the bench and was
cheered when he warmed up. Benítez,
whose late introduction of Salomón
Rondón was berated by the crowd,
said that the France international was
overlooked because he wants only
players “who want to be there and
fight for the club and team-mates”.
It was left for Seamus Coleman to
fill in on that flank, a right back
playing as a left wing back, and an
awkward formation was breached
with ease inside three minutes.
Mac Allister, who had licence to
move off the right and operate behind
Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard,
twice eluded Everton’s clutches. He
had time to sweep a pass to the right
back Joël Veltman, before continuing
a forward run unchecked.
When Veltman’s cross was played
into the area, Maupay cushioned a
downward header that offered Mac
Allister the opportunity to side-footRafa Benítez has been bullishly
confident that Everton will improve
markedly during the second half of
the season. Increasingly, he must
hope he remains in command to put
the theory to the test.
This was another damaging loss to
test the patience against a slick
Brighton & Hove Albion outfit, who
performed with a pizzazz that should
not have necessitated withstanding a
late push for parity from the hosts.
Instead of an equaliser to celebrate,
however, the final whistle was greeted
with the familiar refrain of a chorus
of boos. The new year has started for
Everton much like the old one ended.
And the one before that.
The clarity of Brighton’s football
was in stark contrast to Everton’s
laboured toils. In Alexis Mac Allister,
Graham Potter’s side boasted the man
of the match, who scored two very
different goals to showcase his
repertoire. As Brighton climbed up to
eighth in the table with their first win
at Goodison Park, Everton’s haul of 19
points from 18 Premier League games
is their worst tally since 2005-06 —
although they eventually finished 11th
that season.
Events here can form another
section in the club’s eagerly awaited
strategic review that has been taking
place since the departure of Marcel
Brands, the director of football, last
month. It is likely to be a weighty
report given that nothing functions as
PAUL JOYCE
Mac Allister, the man of the match, puts Brighton ahead in only the third minuteBenítez to sign
£12m Patterson
Everton are closing in on a deal for
the Rangers right back Nathan
Patterson for a fee which could
exceed £10 million with add-ons.
Talks have been taking place
between the clubs for the past
fortnight and the Premier League
club are hopeful of a breakthrough,
having had two bids in the summer
rejected by Rangers.
Patterson, 20, the Scotland
international, has become frustrated
with a lack of opportunities at
Rangers, where he is behind their
captain, James Tavernier, in the
pecking order.
The Merseyside club have been
looking for a replacement for their
captain, Seamus Coleman, 33, who
started yesterday’s home defeat by
Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Everton owner, Farhad Moshiri,
is seeking to back Rafa Benítez, the
manager, despite only one win in 12
matches. The club signed the Ukraine
left back Vitaliy Mykolenko from
Dynamo Kiev for £17 million on New
Year’s Day and are also keen on
bolstering their midfield options.PAUL JOYCE