Match Preview: Toffees always prove sticky opponents for Brighton

January 25, 2025January 29, 2025 Andrew James 0 Comments

Two sides with renewed confidence meet at the Amex. Brighton have won three games in a row having not tasted victory in the previous eight and Everton picked up a morale boosting three points at Spurs last weekend.

It was the Toffees first win since December and first for David Moyes, back in charge at Goodison Park for a second spell after replacing Sean Dyche.

The Albion always came unstuck against any team managed by Dyche, so hopefully his sacking is one potential barrier to a Brighton win removed.

Brighton gave 5* performance in Manchester

Last weekend saw the Seagulls travel north to face off against Premier League royalty, Manchester United. The trip to Old Trafford came off the back of a much needed win over Ipswich Town.

The Albion were looking for their third successive victory at Old Trafford. And boy, did they deliver. It finished Manchester United 1-3 Brighton as the Seagulls ran riot.

A fast start saw Brighton take the lead only five minutes into the game when Yankuba Minteh bagged his third league goal of the campaign.

However, just 18 minutes later and Ruben Amorim’s men got themselves level. A clumsy challenge by midfield sensation Carlos Baleba saw him bring down Joshua Zirkzee in the box. United captain Bruno Fernandes put away the resulting penalty effortlessly.

The Albion started the second half as quickly as they had the first and thought they had taken the lead on 55 minutes. Only for a VAR check to rule that Jan Paul van Hecke had fouled Diogo Dalot in the build up to Joao Pedro scoring.

Not that this stopped Brighton’s determination. Kaoru Mitoma put the Albion ahead and Georginio Rutter wrapped up the victory late on.

The Albion walked out of the Theatre of Dreams with all three points whilst Amorim was left calling his team the worst Manchester United side in history.

Everton return to winning ways

Spurs visit to Goodison Park was Moyes’ first home game since his reappointment as Everton boss. It could not have gone any better as the Toffees moved four points clear of the relegation zone with a shock 3-2 victory which not many tipsters saw coming.

A real team performance saw Everton take a 3-0 first half lead courtesy of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Iliman Ndiaye and an own goal from Tottenham’s Archie Gray.

Truth be told, 3-0 actually flattered Spurs. The Toffees could have been further ahead and Calvert-Lewin with a hat-trick. More on him in a bit…

Tottenham finally woke up midway through the second half. On 77 minutes, Dejan Kulusevski pulled one back to give the visitors a glimmer of hope.

Spurs continued to push and struck again with 92 on the clock through former Everton man Richarlison. The Toffees though held on for a vital victory.

Everton showed energy, determination and plenty of fight to give a display their fans could be proud of. Those qualities have been missed for a long time.

Everton v Brighton head-to-head

These two sides have played just 26 competitive games in their history. Everton currently lead the way in the head-to-head but only narrowly.

The Toffees have claimed maximum points on 11 occasions. Brighton have walked away victors in seven meetings. The remaining eight games ended with the points being shared.

Everton and Brighton last met on the opening day of the season. The Seagulls travelled to Merseyside and came away 3-0 winners for only their third ever victory at Goodison Park, all of which have come in the past two-and-a-half years.

It was also their final win there with the Toffees all set to move into their new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium for 2025-26.

Brighton v Everton team news

Fabian Hurzeler is still without a number of individuals, meaning our Brighton against Everton team news section features the name of nine – yes, nine – Albion players who could be absent.

Brazilian centre back Igor Julio and Turkish international Fedri Kadioglu have both been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on hamstring and toe problems respectively.

Striker Evan Ferguson is also unavailable for this game due to an ankle injury that he has had for some time now. The Irishman’s future has been a hot topic of discussion over the last couple of weeks, with a potential loan move being on the cards.

James Milner remains injured. The veteran has not pulled on a Brighton shirt for months now. Honestly, I am starting to question if he ever will again.

Dutch midfielder Mats Weiffer is yet another that will sit this one out. He is recovering from an unspecified injury sustained against West Ham United just before Christmas.

Back up goalkeeper Jason Steele is going to be a long term absentee after it was confirmed during the week that the 34-ear-old has undergone shoulder surgery.

The club reacted by recalling Carl Rushworth from his loan spell at Hull City. Rushworth will now act as number two to Bart Verbruggen for the foreseeable future.

Brajan Gruda, Matt O’Riley and Lewis Dunk are all carrying knocks but have been training. We will only know if they are involved when the team is announced at around 1.45pm.

Finally, I like to end this segment with some good news. Jack Hinshelwood has been back in training this week and looks set to return to the squad. Hopefully we get a cameo from the local lad on Saturday.

Everton are enduring an equally tough time right now with injuries plaguing their squad. Captain Seamus Coleman has a muscle injury and ex-Manchester United man James Garner is out with a back problem.

Moyes has two strikers absent. Armando Broja has an ankle injury and Youssef Chermiti a hamstring problem. And Everton are also without their most dangerous player in Dwight McNeil.

The forward has an ankle issue with no return date set. McNeil is a player who Brighton were briefly linked with in autumn despite having signed 27 other wide players in the summer transfer window and having a wealth of number 10s already at the Amex.

Everton players to watch out for

Everton have failed to impress this season and are currently the lowest scoring side in the Premier League. What most make this particularly frustrating for Toffees fans is that they have some great individual talents who have not performed for various reasons.

If Moyes can find a way to get the following two players to improve their contributions at the Amex, then Everton have the potential to hurt the Albion.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

One of the main men for the visitors is of course Calvert-Lewin. Only a few seasons ago he was second to Harry Kane in the England centre forward pecking order and linked with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Sadly, injures have plagued Calvert-Lewin throughout his career. Three goals in 21 appearances so far is a disappointing return but he did bag against Spurs last time out. One could have been two or three were it not for an inspired performance from Antonin Kinsky in the Spurs goal.

Not only is Calvert-Lewin currently playing to impress Moyes. But he is also trying to put himself in the shop window.

He has only six months left on his Everton contract and with no breakthrough so far over a renewal, will be looking to catch the eye of watching potential new employers.

Calvert-Lewin is still only 27-years-old and could still have many more seasons at the top if he can stay injury free. It does though feel like he has been around forever!

lliman Ndiaye

Another man Brighton needed to watch out for is Ndiaye. The French-born Senegal international winger joined the Toffee’s over the summer, swapping Marseille for Merseyside for a fee in the region of £15 million.

Since his arrival, Ndiaye has been a shining light in an otherwise poor Everton side. The 24-year-old has four goals so far this season, brings plenty of speed to the team and can operate on either flank or slot into the number 10 role if needed.

He is no stranger to the Premier League, having previously represented Sheffield United.

Final thoughts

Everton in previous years have been somewhat of a banana skin for Brighton. The Albion have picked up just a single point from the Toffees past three visits to Sussex, whilst nobody who was there when Everton won 5-1 at the Amex is ever likely to forget that 90 minutes.

Brighton do though have the chance to make club history against the Toffees. A win would see Brighton victorious in three successive Premier League games for the first time.

As noted at the beginning of this match preview, both sides should play with confidence after their respective successes last weekend. And every point is precious to both for different reasons.

Talk around Brighton amongst fans and professional tipsters has again shifted to European football after the United and Ipswich results.

As for Everton, they need to pull further away from the drop zone to secure their Premier League status and ensure Bramley-Moore Dock does not open with a Championship fixture against Oxford United.

On paper, the Albion are the stronger side and are on a longer winning run in all competitions. Failure to beat the Toffees would take some of the shine off those wins against United and Ipswich and again leave questions over why Brighton cannot defeat struggling opposition at home.

With a tough trip to surprise title contenders Nottingham Forest to come next week, three points are a must for the Seagulls.