Everton 2-3 Brighton: Super Mac gives Brighton historic win to start 2022

Historically, the Albion and Goodison Park go together as successfully as Boris Johnson and birth control. Whilst nobody knows how many children the Prime Minister has fathered, everyone was aware before Everton 2-3 Brighton of the number of previous Seagulls victories when visiting the blue half of Merseyside.

None. Zero. Zilch. In 10 visits, the best the Albion could muster was a couple of draws in the early 1980s. Goodison Park was one of those places Brighton supporters would trek knowing that Liverpool would offer a great day out of drinking and merriment ultimately spoiled by 90 minutes of football.

For the Albion to establish themselves as a top 10 Premier League club, it is records such as never winning away at Everton which need to be rewritten. The good news is that under Graham Potter, Brighton have become rather adept at banishing such historic sequences.

Last season, the Seagulls won at Preston North End and Aston Villa for the first time ever. They also claimed their first point from Stamford Bridge.

Four days before getting the Everton (A) monkey off their backs, Brighton scored a goal away against Chelsea in a league game for the first time ever thanks to Danny Welbeck’s late equaliser. This Albion squad are consistently putting themselves into the history books.

Everton 2-3 Brighton was the latest example, the perfect way to kick off a 2022 in which more records could tumble. A highest ever top flight points total, a best ever league finishing position, perhaps even a first foray into European football could all be on the cards if the Albion can maintain the level of performance they displayed at Goodison.

The first half was one of complete control from Brighton, arguably their best 45 minutes of the season. Everton fans might despise Rafa Benitez having won only once since mid-September, but the crescendo of boos that greeted the Toffees and their beleaguered boss as they traipsed off at the break was caused by the Albion being totally dominant.

There is something rather enjoyable when, as an away team, you cause home supporters to voice their opinion in such spectacular style. Wonder if Everton’s CEO will be bashing out a 2,000 word essay on how Everton fans should support their team for the Toffees’ next home programme?

The second half required a different kind of performance from the Albion. Everton rallied and had periods when they were very much on top, requiring Brighton to show the fight, determination and spirit that has become one of their key characteristics so far this season.

Whereas in the past three away games it has led to last minute equalisers, no such drama was needed on this occasion. Instead, Brighton manned the trenches and battled their way to keep the Toffees out as a pulsating encounter ended Everton 2-3 Brighton.

It took only two minutes and 34 seconds for the Albion to make the perfect start with a goal that, had it been scored by Manchester City, would be played on Sky Sports News on a constant loop for the next six weeks.

Adam Webster went left to Dan Burn. Burn went left again to Marc Cucurella. Cucurella knocked up the line to Leandro Trossard. Trossard backheeled inside to Alexis Mac Allister. Mac Allister drifted into the middle and spread right to Joel Veltman.

Veltman hung up a cross to Neal Maupay. Maupay headed into the six yard box to find Mac Allister who continued his run, cushioning a placed volley past the advancing Jordan Pickford. When Potterball works, it can be glorious.

19 minutes later and Brighton doubled the advantage. Everton’s marking from a set piece was absolutely woeful, firstly allowing Enock Mwepu a free header to flick Mac Allister’s corner onto Burn, who was also completely free at the back post to guide past Jordan Pickford.

The sight of Burn scoring set Goodison Park over the edge. 2022 may have been only two days old, but it is hard to imagine a photo better than the one taken of Burn celebrating with despairing Everton fans behind him will be topped.

The greatest trilogy since Lord of the Rings #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/6WFSprU8ZA

— We Are Brighton (@wearebrighton) January 2, 2022

One bald bloke looks like Phil Mitchell whenever he gets arrested on EastEnders. Another man has his head rolled back and his eyes shut, a “Please God help me” look as if he has just been told his mother-in-law is coming to stay for a week over Christmas.

Behind him is a woman in a bright white hood sporting an incredible tan who is screaming like a banshee. When they said a picture can paint a thousand words, they really weren’t joking.

Having assisted a Brighton goal at one end, Mwepu’s next task was to try and help Everton pull one back. Webster, Cucurella and Lallana all squandered chances to smash the ball away from the Albion area, eventually leading to Mwepu making a clumsy and unnecessary challenge on Anthony Gordon as he headed out of the box.

Referee John Brooks waved away the initial penalty appeals but once VAR guided him over to the pitch side monitor, there was only going to be one outcome.

Remarkably, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the man to step up for Everton. This was Calvert-Lewin’s first appearance since August and he had touched the ball only once or twice in the opening 25 minutes.

Quite why the Toffees felt it a good idea to have a bloke so rusty taking the spot kick is an absolute mystery. It worked out well for Brighton, as Calvert-Lewin put the penalty over the bar. Perhaps 2022 is the year the Albion start getting some luck after 18 months of xG woes?

Brighton stepped up another gear after that let off. Jordan Pickford saved well from Adam Lallana before holding a Burn header from another corner. Maupay then beat Pickford with an effort that rose a little too high, clearing the cross bar.

It was all too comfortable for Brighton. Watching the Albion is never meant to be this easy, which had to mean that some sort of unbelievable cock up was coming in the second half to put us all on the edge of our seats again.

Six minutes after the restart and that moment duly arrived. Gordon cut in from the right hand side and struck a shot from the edge of the area.

Lallana stretched out a foot which sent the ball in the complete opposite direction to where it had been travelling, deflecting it into the side of the goal left empty as Sanchez dived the other way.

Suddenly, the mood around Goodison was transformed. Everton fans forgot that they hate their manager and got behind the team.

Brighton were under the cosh and the hosts nearly capitalised when Demarai Gray swung in a delivery and a poor downwards punch from Sanchez sparked carnage in the box. The Albion eventually cleared.

Sanchez was next called into action when Gray cut inside to feed Allan whose 30 yarder had to be tipped over at full stretch by the Albion goalkeeper.

Having also clipped a ball into the box which nearly won Everton a penalty when Cucurella challenged Gordon in the air, Gray was beginning to become an increasing threat down the Toffees left, just as he had been when Everton won 2-0 at the Amex in August.

Potter had been outthought by Benitez that day, the Toffees using two out-and-out, quick and direct wingers against Brighton at a time when the Albion were playing Pascal Gross and Jakub Moder as wing backs.

This time, it was Potter who did the outsmarting. On came Tariq Lamptey to deal with Gray and Shane Duffy replaced Veltman as the Albion switched to a back three.

The changes helped break Everton’s 20 minutes of dominance, so much so that Brighton found a third. Burn came charging out of defence like a giraffe on crack cocaine to win a ball inside the Everton half and play it to Trossard.

Trossard’s low cross was backheeled beautifully by Mwepu straight into the path of Mac Allister, who arrived on the edge of the box to smash a thunderbastard straight into the top corner.

Brighton have scored some cracking goals this season – most of which have come in the hyper-turq away kit – but this was arguably the best of the lot so far from a man who was looking every bit the heir to Lionel Messi as Argentina’s number 10.

Whilst the Albion fans went berserk, home fans began to streak away. Clearly, Everton supporters were unaware of the love Brighton have of making things difficult for themselves and 1-3 soon became 2-3 with 14 minutes still to play.

Calvert-Lewin held the ball up and found a pocket of space to feed Jonjoe Kenny, whose low cross was swept home by the unmarked Gordon. Yves Bissouma had not noticed Gordon was alive.

Everton finished the stronger, Gordon passing up the chance of a hat-trick when putting the ball wide from a good position and substitute Salamon Rondon – whose introduction was greeted with chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” towards Benitez – fired wastefully over.

Brighton though held on for an historic win at Everton. Here is hoping that it is the first of many new records set by the Albion in 2022.