Five-star Everton boost survival hopes

Sean Dyche: 'The feelgood factor is very important but a good away win is only another step and we have three more big steps we have got to take'

JOY: Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates after Abdoulaye Doucoure scores their side's first goal of the game. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire

Brighton 1 Everton 5

Everton ripped up the form book at the Amex on Monday evening, winning for the first time in eight games and only the second time on the road all season. A brace from Abdoulaye Doucoure and an own goal from Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele gave them a 3-0 lead at the break and Dwight McNeil added a fourth and a last-gasp fifth in the second half. It was easily their biggest win of the campaign, and their highest margin of victory since another 5-1 away win, over Burnley on Boxing day 2018 when their present manager, Sean Dyche, was in charge at Turf Moor.

It takes them out of the bottom three at the perfect time, with three matches to play: at home to Manchester City – good luck with that – and Bournemouth and away to Wolves. They may well have to win one of those to avoid a first relegation in most fans’ living memory but this match shows that they have the spirit to do it.

“People will think ‘There is life in that team’ but we have never lost sight of that,” Dyche said. “I have always believed we had quality. But talking about it doesn’t win you games. Tonight we had many good individual performances but also a very good team performance against a team that has rightly been applauded this season. The feelgood factor is very important but a good away win is only another step and we have three more big steps we have got to take.” 

Alexis Mac Allister replied for Brighton, who made a game of it after half time, but it was too little, too late. Their chances of a first European campaign remain, but Solly March limped off to add to a lengthy injury list with matches now coming thick and fast. Roberto De Zerbi, their head coach, suggested that his team were still basking in the glory of the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in their previous outing. 

“Of course we can lose against Everton but I’m disappointed for the first half because we showed we are not ready yet to compete to achieve the big target,” he said. “I’m speaking about mentality. We didn’t forget the victory against Man United and the biggest quality of big teams is to forget when you win. You have to be ready to play every game every day and today we arrived at the stadium late – in the second half.” 

Everton were ahead after only 34 seconds when Brighton lost possession on their left. Dominic Calvert-Lewin spun past Lewis Dunk and crossed low to the far post where Doucoure was unmarked and hooked the ball in unchallenged.

Everton were energised and snapped into tackles enthusiastically. A second Everton goal was looking more likely than an equaliser and it arrived after 29 minutes. Brighton lost the ball far upfield and McNeil was allowed to carry it unchallenged down the left. He had all the time he wanted to look up and spot Doucoure’s run into an equally vast amount of empty space on the right, and the midfielder gratefully accepted the gift, volleying past Steele from 10 yards.

Everton were taking great pleasure in interrupting Brighton’s pretty patterns with some uncomplicated clearances and extremely robust challenges. After 34 minutes they led 3-0 as McNeil crossed low, the ball going in off Steele’s leg.

De Zerbi took drastic action at the interval, making a quadruple substitution that included the return from injury of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson. For a while the signs were promising as Pickford saved twice from Ferguson and Mac Allister glanced a header onto the bar. But no breakthrough came and Everton made sure after 75 minutes when McNeil took Alex Iwobi’s pass, twisted past Dunk and Steele and scored in an empty net.

Brighton got a small consolation with ten minutes left as Kaoru Mitoma’s lunging shot came back off the post and went in off the head of the prone Mac Allister. Pickford saved again from Ferguson but McNeil sealed it in added time, racing away from Pascal Gross and driving the ball high between Steele and his near post.

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1): Steele 5; Gross 4, Webster 6 (Colwill 46, 6), Dunk 4, Estupinan 5; Caicedo 5, Mac Allister 6; Buonanotte 5 (March 46 6, Gilmour 78), Welbeck 4 (Ferguson 46, 7), Mitoma 6; Undav 5 (Enciso 46, 6).

Substitutes: Sanchez, Ayari, Gilmour, van Hecke, Moran.

Everton (4-5-1): Pickford 6; Patterson 6, Mina 7, Tarkowski 7, Mykolenko 6; Iwobi 7, Garner 7, Gueye 7 (Onana 86), Doucoure 7, McNeil 9; Calvert-Lewin 8 (Maupay 87).

Substitutes: Begovic, Holgate, Keane, Gray, Davies, Coady, Simms.

Referee: Simon Hooper.