Everton ease relegation fears with unlikely rout of Brighton

08-May-2023 18:38:22 | The Guardian

The scoreline is not a misprint. Everton really did come to Brighton and produce one of the season’s most stunning results, taking their opponents apart with as lethal a display of counterattacking as anyone present will witness. A team that began the day as the country’s lowest scorers, winless in their previous 13 away games to boot, confounded every expectation and ignited their bid to escape relegation. The muckiest, grubbiest of victories would have sufficed but instead they delivered a spectacular evening’s work.

At the outset it seemed far more likely that Brighton, with their smart operations and often exquisite style, would be lauded for embodying everything Everton are not. Instead this was, in the moments that mattered, men against boys. Most of those instances came during a first half in which Sean Dyche’s players, ahead within 33 seconds through Abdoulaye Doucouré, smothered Brighton’s attacking efforts and swamped them going forward. The outstanding Dwight McNeil, who finished with two goals and two assists, led the way but their entire attack was relentless. A team packed with six‑footers won through speed and guile as well as physical power.