Richarlison dazzles again as Everton cruise to victory over Brighton

It was pure joy seeing Seamus be Seamus again for the first time since his Neil Taylor encounter.

Gomes has truly liberated Gueye to an extent that I never anticipated – Gana now has 55 tackles, a third more than anybody else in the Premier League.

As for Brighton's goal, it was less a function of zonal marking than Zoumal marking – for all his impressive talents, our Chelsea loan never seems to have any idea what's going on behind him because he never looks to see.

Lyndon, you are right it could have been more, but what is annoying me is the injustice of last week. This team didn't deserve that.

If we want to get to the next level, we need wins against the likes of Chelsea next week. We have strength in depth and proper quality in all positions. We have the ability to win at Chelsea. They will have more possession but goodness me – that breakaway goal from Siggy, Bernard and Richarlison was scintillating. Pep Gardiola would have been jumping for joy if his Man City side had scored that one.

Chelsea will be wary of our threat and rightfully so. We can hurt them.

How long before the red tops start spreading the rumours to unsettle our players? Can't be challenging the elected elite, can we?

We'd be mad to let Richarlison go. Hoping we can keep that team together for a couple of seasons.

If we can keep Zouma and Gomes and find or coach a more productive striker, we are a decent outfit.

Silva continues to back Walcott which is questionable when he's not scoring. He offers very little protection to Coleman who is down on pace. I know Lookman isn't defensive-minded but his inclusion is growing by the week.

On another day, Walcott could have scored one and assisted a few. His end product wasn't bad at all – the finishing was! Agreed he's been poor last few weeks but I actually thought our finishing let his delivery down yesterday – not the other way round!

I think he's correct in what he's doing too, the team is gelling, bonding and playing for one another. Walcott was vastly improved from last week, as was Coleman and Bernard.

Partnerships are forming all over the place. I think Silva believes continuity is key... I just hope it stretches to the FA Cup.

I don't get the negativity about Walcott either. He was one of our best signings last season and we've been crying out for players of his quality for years. The end product will come back again.

We don't have to have a whipping boy, it's okay to be positive!!

We should have been 2 up by half-time against Arsenal, they were the better team against the red shite. Gana is a whole new ball game now alongside Gomes, an out and out warrior. We can take them at midfield and Richarlison can do damage against anyone.

They will target Seamus all day no doubt and hopefully yesterday gives Seamus some much-needed confidence and it must be drilled into either Lookman and Walcott to consider themselves more of a defender this game. Savage work rate required.

Sorry for going off topic, but I'm just bloody loving Everton at the moment, it's been a tough life following them!!

Great article above.

A little more belief at the so-called big 6 and getting results at their grounds may not be far away. The football is so much better to watch; of course results always help, and it looks like there is much more to come from the players which are all reasons to be positive going forward.

We do need to be patient … Pep, Klopp have been at their respective posts for over two years at least – Marco only one-third of a season,

The new pressing, passing, attacking style is coming together; it will take time to be sharper and more consistent. If they keep progressing, with the odd glitch, then we will have a top team on our hands to compete with the best.

Another week of training and honing Silva's patterns of play will stand them in good stead. Irrespective of anything, or how well Chelsea can play, or how the ref makes blunders, or the luck goes against us – we know we are going to be positive and be confident and go and continue building on this style of play.

There will be setbacks but we are showing great signs. Silva is definitely our man! And of course Mr Brands – who is obviously managing the spirit and togetherness of the players.

Goodison is becoming what the old lady deserves once again, and hopefully it's only going to get better!

Managers stand or fall by the players they bring in and if they have the ability to improve players already at the club. I think most fans are delighted with all the signings Silva and Brands have made, and the improvement in the players who were here when he came is noticeable.

Especially Michael Keane: last season, many (including me) criticized him but, under Silva, he looks like the assured defender we watched play for Burnley. I know he wrote about his bad foot injury and that must have played a part in his form last season. But his positional sense under Silva has improved out of all recognition.

I was pleased Richarlison scored a couple of goals yesterday as it will have given his confidence in playing the main striker roll a major boost. Gomes gives us a presence and assured approach that had been sadly lacking, his first thought is can he play a forward pass which again is a big plus. Then you come to Mr perpetual movement in Gana Gueye – what an engine this man has... and yesterday, despite some very good performances was for me head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch yesterday.

I also thought it was a very clever move of Silva not to take off either of his central defenders who have performed very well over the past few weeks, to allow Mina to make his debut. His headache will come after the Chelsea game, obviously Mina will partner Keane but what does he do for the following game? Reinstate Zouma or keep Keane and Mina together?

What a change from last season when the choice was an out-of-form Keane or Williams or Jagielka, who has been a brilliant servant to this club but age catches up with everybody some time.

I was pleased to see Lookman come off the bench; he is 21 as are Richarlison and Calvert-Lwein – all need to know how important they are to the future of this club.

● There is no substitute for pace. Ask Duffy if he'd like to play Richarlison every week.

● There's no substitute for a settled defence. Ask Keane if he enjoyed last year.

● There's no substitute for class in the middle.

Gomes and Gylfi were a class above that Brighton team, and Gana is simply going to be irreplaceable in the years to come.

If they could all click into gear on 2 December and tear into a team. Well that would be the best crimbo present I could ask for.

Hopefully the goal will start him on the road to where he was before the terrible injury.

On another day, that quite easily could have been 5 or 6. I wouldn't be surprised if we dish someone out a hiding real soon.

Apart from two or three positions, the team is picking itself right now. The back and midfield have nailed their places and then Calvert-Lewin, Niasse, Tosun, and Lookman can fight it out with Bernard, and Walcott while Richarlison has a left wing option.

As for Davies, Baines, Schneiderlin, Kenny, and McCarthy they need to be realistic atm. That's not to mention the quality coming through the youth ranks.

This is a common failing of Pickford, from every corner, centre and free-kick, he is glued to his line. I put that goal down to him, never mind what his defenders are doing, those centres are his problem; he fails to deal with them quite a lot.

Watch Zouma on the goal. His eyes never leave the ball. As they never leave the ball during the entire game. He is a towering presence with blazing speed and exceptional passing skills, but he ballwatches like a 12-year-old. It's not the first time he's been burned by something behind him. It won't be the last.

And after 150 top-level games, I think it's incurable. I suspect it's why he's unwanted at a club that still features the now-sub-average David Luiz and still has a place on the bench for creaky old Gary Cahill.

What I've seen of him, he has added strength and speed to the Everton defence and, hope I'm wrong, I think we will miss him more than Keane next week. Keane has upped his game this season and unfortunately has to start again next week with a new partner; let's see what happens... hopefully we will have three good centre-backs to help our team with a continued progression that is filling fans with more than just hope right now.

Safe journey over in a few weeks, Mike, and keep your winning run following the Blues! Best wishes.

Dave, what day is it you are taking Mike to The Midland?

I imagine the date will be announced again as it gets nearer the date, I am sure it is the one above.

Richarlison can score plenty from the wing as he did earlier. I think we are far more balanced this way, and it was interesting to see Kevin Ratcliffe say exactly this in the Echo.

One player who could do it and is yet to kick on this season is Walcott. And, with Lookman, we have options.

I would like our travelling hords to really take it to their home crowd and Barkley… He is looking to regain some of his old self…

By consistently singing "We've got a Diamond called Ross Barkley…" etc

That would really confuse the fuck out of them and him… mental breakdown guaranteed! ;-)

We can laugh all the way to the three points.

I agree with the main thrust of Lyndon's opening post, that we are still very much a work in progress and are yet to hit our full stride. Thus, the encouragement that there is lots of room for improvement across the board and throughout the team.

For a good few seasons now we have very, VERY rarely put together a good performance over two halves, or 90 minutes. On Saturday we did. That has to become the norm, rather than the exception.

Of individual players, Pickford is a diamond who can only get better than the very high standards he already sets. Keane and Zouma look a solid pairing at centre-back and Mina is going to have to put in a special performance at Chelsea to permanently displace Zouma. Keane is a man re-born. He is consistently an 8 out of 10 player – at least! – every game this season.

Seamus has struggled, but he was another standout performer against Brighton. Digne did 'okay', but there is still room for improvement on what he can offer the team.

Gueye is a key component in this new-look Silva side, looking more like the outstanding player he appeared to be when first arriving at the club – and then some! His performance Saturday was of the highest caliber.

Some nominated Gomes as their MotM, but for the 3rd consecutive game, I thought he had a quiet and passive 1st half before growing more into the game in the 2nd half. Again, given his limited game time due to injury in a new league, plus him needing to exorcise the negative memories of his time at Barcelona, he is another with a lot more to offer than he has shown already, which is extremely exciting given some of the plays he has made since coming into the side.

Sigurdsson, like Keane, is paying back his transfer fee now and is contributing with goals and assists. Still messes up on occasions, but he never hides or quits in a game.

Bernard has been over-praised for me by some. Yes, when he is good, he is very, very good, but whilst he has quick feet and control, is technically sound and can pick a pass, he still appears to be getting to grips with the pace and physical aspect of the Premier League. So that's another with plenty of wriggle room to improve.

Walcott was better on Saturday, but he is another capable of producing more for the team. Richarlison, as his goals on Saturday showed, is the magic dust which spearheads the team. He is still learning his trade, but his potential continues to dazzle.

Add to that mix some very fine back ups and we have good reason to have stirrings of belief that the slumbering giant that is Everton is finally awakening once more.

And for those saying 'it was only Brighton', no game in the Premier League is an easy touch. Chris Houghton is a manager I have huge respect for. He wasn't shy in calling Everton a 'top side' who will challenge for the top six this season.

Clearly, the Goodison faithful are warming more and more to what they see at the Old Lady these days. And like others, I see signs that when it all clicks we are going to give some teams a right twatting.

I haven't felt as enthusiastic for the football we are playing since Martinez's first season. I still think we will struggle against quicker forward lines, eg, the RS and we do still need a regular and reliable goalscorer. Whilst we didn't get the results at Old Trafford and the Emirates, we gave a good account of ourselves and were a bit unlucky.

It would be nice for us to go and get something at one of these tough away games we have coming up. At least I'm looking forward to the games again though.

"A right twatting" means a good hammering.