Brighton 1-1 Everton: Dunk levels late to avoid another Dyching

Well, at least the Albion avoided another Dyching. It was close, mind. Sean Dyche was mere minutes away from masterminding his traditional win at the Amex when Lewis Dunk powered home a header to ensure it finished Brighton 1-1 Everton.

The spoils being shared was a result not really of use to either side. The Toffees needed a win to try and get out of the sticky situation they find themselves in hovering just outside the relegation zone.
Brighton meanwhile have now failed to beat all of Burnley, Sheffield United and Everton at the Amex this season. Luton Town are the only opponent in the bottom four the Albion have defeated at home.

Forget that cringe-worthy “De Zerbi’s right, the refs are shite” song which seeks to pin any Seagulls woes on the match officials.

If Brighton fall just short of European qualification come the end of May, taking just six points out of a possible 12 from the clubs battling relegation will be to blame rather than any refereeing decisions.

Still, us Albion fans are nothing if not a blinkered and biased lot on occasions. Take Billy Gilmour’s red card in the final 10 minutes of Brighton 1-1 Everton for example, which some Seagulls supporters have attempted to defend.

He even got clapped off the field afterwards despite it looking like the moment Dyche was handed a third consecutive win at the Amex, to go with Brighton 0-3 Burnley in February 2022 and Brighton 1-5 Everton last season.

Gilmour has been excellent by-and-large this season, but to go flying in so recklessly represented a stupid piece of decision making at the best of times.

Let alone with your team trailing 1-0 at home – and with six season-defining games coming up in the space of 20 days when you are part of a squad already seriously stretched in the position you play.

Gilmour now misses the trip to Fulham next week and the visit of Nottingham Forest to the Amex – two more huge matches in the battle for a top six place.

He is also due to sit out Brighton hosting Manchester City, but seeing as that game falls on FA Cup quarter final weekend it is likely to be moved as at least one of the Albion or the Citizens will be involved. In which case, the third and final game of his suspensions will be away at Liverpool on March 31st.

Roberto De Zerbi publicly bemoaned the lack of midfield reinforcements when the January transfer window shut; one can only imagine the anger the fiery Italian feels now at having even fewer options to pick from in such a crucial position.

With Kaoru Mitoma ruled out with a back injury, De Zerbi opted to name Evan Ferguson and Danny Welbeck in the same starting XI for Brighton 1-1 Everton.

De Zerbi has tried this approach on multiple occasions in the past without any sort of success. Welbeck looked lively enough in the opening stages against the Toffees, but Ferguson was lost as his poor run of form continued.

Cue the sadly inevitable comparisons to Aaron Connolly. But Shooshh‘s favourite client mark II Ferguson is not. He is just a 19-year-old going through a barren spell, as all teenagers do at some point in their development.

Once he gets a goal and the monkey off his back, Ferguson will return to being hailed a future Ballon d’Or winner and linked with a £100 million move to Chelsea.

Welbeck pushed a one-on-one with Jordan Pickford just past the post and then saw a shot blocked behind for a corner as the Albion made a promising start. Certainly more promising than conceding inside 60 seconds to the Toffees, as was the case in last season’s horror show.

Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke headed corners straight at England’s number one, either side of Simon Adingra dancing past a couple of tackles and firing a powerful drive narrowly over the bar.

The closest Everton game to scoring was when Dominic Calvert-Lewin got across Dunk, only to not get enough contact on a glancing header which skimmed just wide from a Vitalii Mykolenko cross.

James Tarkowski could consider himself a little lucky to still be on the pitch by the hour mark. Already booked for a cynical trip on Welbeck, the Everton defender then hacked Dat Guy down and escaped without caution.

Needless to say, this did not please De Zerbi and a 27th yellow card of the season was the result for the Albion head coach.

De Zerbi’s mood would have worsened almost immediately were it not for a sensational clearance off the line from Tariq Lamptey to prevent the Toffees taking the lead.

Abdoulaye Doucoure volleyed over Bart Verbruggen. Lamptey though had read the situation perfectly and got himself in position to block the effort with a leaping header which defied the fact he is only 3’5 tall.

With a little over 25 minutes to play, Julio Enciso made his return after six months out with a meniscus injury. Enciso received quite the reception from the Amex crowd but the noise did not last long as the Albion number 10’s first task was to watch Everton take the lead.

Pickford launched a pinpoint free kick 70 yards up the pitch. Ben Godfrey somehow won the header in a crowd of Ferguson, Van Hecke and Albion substitute Joel Veltman, allowing Jarred Branthwaite to fire the loose ball into the top corner.

There was not so much despair around the Amex as sad resignation that Brighton getting Dyched once again was now inevitable.

Suddenly, the car fire which had been raging on the A27 and sending smoke into the air above the North Stand became a hot topic of conversation. Anything to avoid accepting another defeat to Dycheball.

The despair deepened when Gilmour saw red. But Brighton to their credit kept going and it was the two players who have done more than anyone else to establish the Albion in the Premier League who combined to rescue a 1-1 draw with Everton.

Pascal Gross threw in two Gross Turns to make room to cross. When he then delivered one of those beautiful, sweeping aerial balls with his right foot it was straight onto the head of Dunk.

Pickford had made a series of ridiculous saves since the Toffees took the lead. There was nothing he could do this time though as Dunk picked out the far corner which Pickford had no hope of reaching, levelling the game and sending the Amex wild.

Last minute goals do that to people. And given the circumstances of playing with only 10 men against their kryptonite Dyche, the delirium at securing a late draw was understandable.

Yet once the dust settles, Brighton and De Zerbi will know this was two points dropped. How costly the Albion’s struggles to beat the bottom four at home prove will only become clear at the end of the campaign.