Match Report

Everton kicked off the new season in the worst possible way, going down to 10 men and suffering a harrowing 3-0 defeat to Brighton in a fashion that has become all too familiar to the Grand Old Lady in recent years.

Yankuba Minteh, one that got away over the summer, created one goal for Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra added confidently-taken strikes to complete a convincing victory for the Seagulls while Ashley Young was sent off to compound the selection crisis at right-back.

The Blues had a goal chalked off for offside and a penalty award overturned in controversial circumstances but in the final reckoning it was an increasingly miserable performance and a result that doused the pre-match atmosphere with the cold water of stark reality. 

With four new signings in through the door this summer, two of them potentially exciting additions to the forward line, optimism was high among Evertonians filing into Goodison Park this afternoon for a positive start to the campaign.

Only Tim Iroegbunam made the starting XI, however — even then, only because of injury to James Garner — while Iliman Ndiaye, Jesper Lindstrøm and Jake O'Brien watched on from the bench as a customarily bright start from the Blues evaporated, their hopes of retrieving something from 2-0 down ultimately killed off by another brain-dead decision from the most experienced player on the pitch.

With Iroegbunam looking assured in the middle alongside Idrissa Gueye, Jack Harrison looking purposeful and hungry on the right and the front two of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucouré harrying the visiting defence into errors, the signs were good early on that Everton could get the new campaign off to a positive start.

Harrison tested Jason Steele early, cutting onto his left foot and whipping a left-foot shot that the Brighton goalkeeper did well to palm away from goal, and the on-loan winger thought he'd got the hosts off to a flyer from the resulting corner.

Unfortunately, Harrison was flagged offside after turning Michael Keane's header past Steele and there was a belated flag from the referee's assistant  a few minutes later after referee Simon Hooper waved away appeals from the visitors for a foul by James Tarkowski on Mitoma and Doucouré was played in behind the defence where he set up Dwight McNeil.

McNeil could only fire across goal and onto the far post before offside was given, though, and, back down the other end, Joao Pedro almost caught Jordan Pickford napping at the other end, his strong effort cannoning off the upright from the edge of the box.

Harrison missed the target with another left-footed shot, Tarkowski planted a set-piece header onto the roof of the net before Brighton finally began to sound the warning bells of what was to come after a quarter of an hour had elapsed.

Keane's sloppy pass allowed the Seagulls to swiftly counter-attack and Tarkowski did well to cut out Minteh's attempted cross, Keane himself then blocked a drive from Mitoma before a cheap turnover by Brighton gifted Iroegbunam the chance to open his account on his debut but he couldn't get the curl on the ball necessary to find the inside of the far post.

With 25 minutes gone, in a fashion eerily familiar to Everton's beleagured fans, Brighton scored against the run of play. Minteh easily powered past Vitalii Mykolenko and drove the ball across goal where Mitoma arrived ahead of Tarkowski to convert at the back stick.

Goodison erupted baying for a penalty just before half-time when Minteh clattered through Mykolenko in the act of clearing the ball off his toe but while, correctly, nothing was given, the winger took a blow to the head off the Ukrainian's elbow that saw Fabian Hürzeler take the decision to withdraw him as a precaution.

The final score and Everton's pathetic collapse in the second half suggest otherwise but Sean Dyche will, no doubt, point to the 47th minute as being a potential turning-point in the contest. Iroegbunam, arguably the only bright spot on an otherwise awful afternoon, pounced on another defensive error and Harrison fed Calvert-Lewin near the penalty spot.

When the striker appeared to be felled by Lewis Dunk and Hooper pointed to the spot, Everton's route back into the game opened up. That was until the referee was advised by VAR Darren England to check the back-up pitch-side monitor and he duly over-turned his decision... despite new Premier League directives to raise the bar to only very clearly obvious errors by the officials.

Nine minutes later, it was game over. Idrissa Gueye's weak lateral pass trying to find Iroegbunam was easily picked off and with every Blue shirt in the vacinity backing off, Welbeck took the invitation to drive into the box and despatch a tidy finish wide of Pickford and into the net.

Dyche finally removed Doucouré, who seemed incapable of staying onside all afternoon, in favour of Ndiaye six minutes later but a mistake by Iroegbunam almost let Hürzeler's men in for a third until Pickford came quickly off his line to deny Mitoma.

It merely delayed the inevitable, however. Shortly afterwards, Young made the fateful decision to try and chest a high ball down in his own half and was easily dispossessed by Mitoma and then, as the Japanese accelerated away, the veteran dragged him back by the arm and was shown a straight red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Calvert-Lewin was withdrawn and replaced by Beto, Mason Holgate was needlessly introduced accompanied by boos for Harrison with five minutes left of the regulation 90, and Adingra completed Everton's misery with Brighton's third following another crisp, incisive move that carved through the home side's midfield.

A tortuous nine minutes of stoppage time was announced to groans from the smattering of Blues fans who remained and the Seagulls looked to have rubbed more salt into the wounds when Yasin Ayari put the ball in the net with his first touch off the bench but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review.

This was Everton's third successive losing start to a new season. More concerning was the fact that it appears as though almost nothing has changed, with the team's early promise giving way to predictable defeat once they had failed to make the breakthrough their early dominance promised. That they managed a solitary shot on target all afternoon was damning of the manager's unimaginative team selection of players who struggled for goals all last season.

It immediately puts Dyche under pressure, while there will be more calls for defensive reinforcements before the transfer deadline given Young's suspension and the lack of fitness blighting Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson. 

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton began their final season at Goodison Park with a lively start against Brighton & Hove Albion but an early goal disallowed was just the beginning of a ridiculous descent into laughable farce with everything going wrong that could.

Despite Sean Dyche and his coaching team taking an ultra-cautious approach to the management of niggles that could develop into more serious problems during a particularly strenuous pre-season, his team selection has been knocked for six by the absence of Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Garner and Youssef Chermiti — along with promising youngster Stan Mills — all sidelined by significant injuries. 

Of the young and inexperienced newcomers incoming during thee transfer window, only Tim Iroegbunam makes it to the starting line-up, the others on the bench where U21 players Metcalfe and Armstong make up the numbers. 

Everton got the final season underway in the hazy sunshine with a wonderful upfield punt from Pickford to give Brighton the ball. An excellent challenge by Iroegbunam stopped Mitoma in his tracks. A second punt from Pickford went straight into touch.

Jack Harrison burst into the Brighton area and lashed a meaty shot that forced Steele into a good save at the expense of a corer that Harrison put into the net for Everton's first goal... but no, he was declared offside having stayed pretty close to Steele as the ball was played on to him. 

Iroegbunam was keen on the midfield challenge but the other blue shirts failed to anticipate his liveliness. Everton escaped a penalty call on Tarkowski when Joao Pedro went down before Doucoure broke at pace with McNeil in support and fired onto the post before failing to net the rebound when he finally discovered the offside Flag was raised.

In some lively action, Joao Pedro fired a surprise shot past Pickford and onto the post! No shortage of excitement in the first 10 minutes! Calvert-Lewin did well to set up Jack Harrison but he was put off by a defender as he shaped to shoot feebly wide. 

Wieffer fouled Iroegbunam in an advanced position, McNeil taking charge, Tarkowski heading over his free-kick off the top of his head at the far post. But Everton kept pushing forward in a fairly positive way until a poor pass allowed Brighton to break at pace until Tarkowski got in their way at the expense of Brighton's first corner, headed behind. 

Mitoma got inside, easily past Young, but Tarkowski again blocked him. Some really lively challenges excited the crowd, with Everton winning on points but still awaiting the first goal, as more crosses from Harrison went astray. 

Iroegbunam stole the ball off a poor Brighton clearance and strode forward but curled his shot wide when he really should have at least kept it on target. From Pickford, a good flick-on by Calvert-Lewin was followed by a dreadful return cross from Doucoure.

Brighton's attack looked to have some better shape and a Millner cross could have easily been converted. Keane played a great ball out to Harrison but he overran it and the turnover saw Brighton scamper upfield for Mitoma to score very easily off Minteh's cross to the far post. 

Brighton realised they could slice through this Everton defence at will, Minteh spooning his shot over. At the other end, a cleared cross came out nicely for Gana to lash his customary shot off target over the bar. 

Iroegbunam worked his way forward but Doucuore had strayed offside before his shot was blocked. Milner was booked for his very late studs-up challenge on Mykoenko.  Calvert-Lewin collected a dropping ball very well but then lost it immediately. Calvert-Lewin got another good flick-on but Doucoure lost it almost immediately. 

Everton countered the lively Brighton press but again both Dooucoure and Calvert-Lewin were offside for the forward ball.  Iroegbunam again got forward but was deemed to have pushed a defender. 

Pickford finally punted left rather than right before the ball was switched across to Harrison, Iroegbunam keeping the attack alive without creating a proper chance. Everton tried to build again and McNeil played in his first cross from the left – which perhaps showed why he had been denied the ball played down his side. Mykolenko was released only so he could reprise the shocking crossing skill that had been very much the theme of this half. 

Minteh came in hard into Mykolenko as he cleared a dropping ball in the Brighton area, and managed to hurt himself in the process, eventually withdrawn for concussion, with Mykolenko walking away unscathed.  McNeil got in a quick cross but again it only found a yellow shirt. Another forward ball over the top; another yellow flag for Docure again offside. 

It looked like a lively and entertaining half but any meaningful critical analysis would surely show that Everton's play was riddled with technical mistakes which Dyche should have been doing a lot more to counter and rectify in pre-season.

No changes, of course, as Brighton restarted. Iroegbunam again stopped a poor attempt to play out and eventually the ball fell to Calvert-Lewin who was clattered by Dunk and Simon Hopper gave a penalty. But then of course VAR had to get involved and, in the slo-mo, contact did look very limited as Calvert-Lewin went down in overly dramatic fashion. No penalty.

Harrison's was headed by Doucoure but deflected off Veltman and it grazed off Dunk's arm but VAR again said No Penalty. Meanwhile, Veltman needed treatment but was not withdrawn for concussion. Gueye then simply gifted the ball away and Welbeck strolled forward to slot far too easily past Pickford.  Shocking defensive play by Everton.

Everton laboured to create anything, Harrison getting a millsecond to shoot before two defenders blocked him out. Pickford out quickly to nullify a good out ball by Brighton that would not have been offside. Harrison again got forward but again the cross was easily snuffed out. 

It had of course taken Sean Dyche over an hour and two goals conceded before he would concede this probably wasn't working. But the only change was Ndaiye for offside exhibitionist Doucoure.

Iroegbunam was next to give the ball away and Mitoma came so close to beating Pickford. Everton cleared the corner but Calvert-Lewin, who had been offside for Pickford's previous punt, was now way too far back in defence to profit from it. 

Another ridiculous moment made this shitshow go immediately from seriously bad to absolutely shocking — Young getting done by Mitoma, grabbing his arm to stop him escaping, and getting an obvious red card. Somehow the ragged Blues defense prevented Mitoma from scoring Brighton's third off the free-kick. 

Tarkowski was lucky not to see a yellow card for his clumsy tackle on Joao Pedro.  Tarkowski was called upon for another superb stop on the other side of the field to stop Adingra. Beto replaced Calvert-Lewin with 15 minutes left. Iroegbunam's first attempt to feed him wasn't accurate enough.

The yellow card that Tarkowski had been working hard for finally came when Joao Pedro spun him and needed stopping illegally. Another Brighton attack sliced through the beleaguered Blue shirts and Pickford had to make a crucial interception. Everton managed to clear the following corner but again, no-one forward and Brighton free to build their attack again.

Harrison's replacement by Holgate 5 minutes from the end signalled that resistance was futile; Adingra found it very, very easy to scamper forward and slot past Pickford again. 

What was meant to be a wonderful start to the final season at Goodson Park had begun brightly with Everton getting forward but crucially with nothing gained before the game descended into a dismal farce before a rapidly emptying Goodison Park as a ridiculous 9 minutes were added as Brighton scored their fourth goal – clearly offside. 

Everton: Pickford, Young [R:65'], Tarkowski [Y:78'], Keane, Mykolenko, Gana, Iroegbunam, Harrison (85' Holgate), Doucoure (63' Ndiaye), McNeil, Calvert-Lewin (76' Beto).

Subs not Used: Virginia, O'Brien, Maupay, Lindstrøm, Metcalfe, Armstrong.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Stelle, Dunk (75' Webster), Milner [Y:31'] (82' Gilmour), Joao Pedro (82' Sarmiento), Minteh (45+1' Adingra), Welbeck, Mitoma (89' Ayari), Wieffer, Van Hecke, Veltman, Hinshelwood.

Subs not Used: Rushworth, Barco, Baleba, O'Mahony.

Referee: Simon Hooper
VAR: Darren England

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton begin the final season at Goodison Park after 132 years when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in their opening game of 2024-25 this Saturday.

It promises to be an emotional nine months as the various "last ever..." occasions at the Grand Old Lady slide by but the Club also enter the new season with a welcome sense of relative stability and, perhaps, a degree of optimism that under Sean Dyche the team can demonstrate some more progress after three difficult years.

In the likes of new signings Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrøm, the Blues might not only have acquired players to improve the team but also inject some excitement and "bums off seats" potential, the like of which has been in short supply since the days of Carlo Ancelotti and James Rodriguez... days when, cruelly, fans were absent from Premier League stadiums because of the pandemic.

Just as they did last year, though, Everton will kick off the new season without Club Captain Seamus Coleman after he was ruled out of Saturday's clash with the Seagulls.

Coleman was withdrawn during the first half of last weekend's pre-season friendly with Roma at Goodison Park after tweaking a calf muscle, leaving manager Sean Dyche with only two fit senior full-backs.

Ashley Young deputised for the Irishman at right-back against the Italian side and, with Nathan Patterson having only just resumed light training following his surgery earlier in the year, the veteran will take up that position against Brighton, with Vitalii Mykolenko back fit and able to play on the other side of defence.

In the centre, Jarrad Branthwaite continues his recovery from hernia surgery and will also be missing, with new signing Jake O'Brien and fit-again Michael Keane vying to start in his place alongside James Tarkowski.

In midfield, James Garner is also unavailable with the soft-tissue complaint he picked up in training last month and that could see Tim Iroegbunam handed an immediate debut on the basis of his impressive displays during pre-season.

Depending on whom Dyche selects to partner Tarkowski, the £9m acquisition from Aston Villa could be the only new man in the starting XI. Famously cautious and pragmatic, Dyche is expected to go with the dependable Abdoulaye Doucouré playing off Dominic Calvert-Lewin and last season's wing outlets of Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil.

In that case, Messers Ndiaye and Lindstrøm would, therefore, need to play their way into starting contention via their performances off the bench in the early games, and the hope among supporters is that they very quickly make it impossible for Dyche to ignore them. 

Brighton, meanwhile, come to L4 in a period of further transition. Roberto de Zerbi left the club at the end of last season after 18 months in charge since coming in to replace Chelsea-bound Graham Potter and has been succeeded by the youngest permanently-appointed head coach in Premier League history in Fabian Hürzeler.

The 31-year-old only received his Uefa Pro License last year but has an impressive record in his short career to date, lifting St Pauli from the grips of a relegation battle to the fringes of promotion to the Bundesliga before completing the job last season, taking the Hamburg club into Germany's top flight.

In terms of their summer business, the Seagulls may have lost long-serving midfielder Pascal Groß but they have drafted in Everton target Yankuba Minteh to add pace and trickery to that already provided in their ranks by the likes of Kaoru Mitoma.

In the four seasons after Brighton gained promition back to the top division in 2017, this was a routine home victory for the Toffees but it's three years now since they beat the south coast club at Goodison, with a couple of harrowing early-January reverses in 2022 and 2023 foreshadowing the imminent dismissals of Rafael Benitez and Frank Lampard before Sean Dyche earned a 1-1 draw last term.

There is a case for saying that Everton should have won both games against Brighton last season and the hope is that home-turf advantage, the optimism of a new season and the green-ness of the visitors' new manager will provide the conditions for the Blues to get off to a flyer.

This weekend's game, fittingly a traditional 3pm kick-off in one of the country's last proper big grounds, will provide an opportunity for the Club to recognise some figures who have passed away since the end of last season. Tributes will be paid to former players Mick Gannon and Frank D’Arcy, ex-physio Les Helm and former first-team coach Craig Shakespeare in the form of a minute's applause before kick-off.

The1878s are encouraging fans to join in applause in the ninth minute in honour of Kevin Campbell but the Club will pay tribute to the former striker prior to the Bournemouth home game at the request of the family who will be in attendance at that fixture on 31 August.

Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 17 August, 2024
Referee: Simon Hooper
VAR: Darren England
Last Time: Everton 1 - 1 Brighton & Hove Albion

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye, Iroegbunam, Harrison, McNeil, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin

Lyndon Lloyd

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