Fabian Hurzeler made a fantastic start to his Brighton and Hove Albion tenure as the Seagulls opened their Premier League campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over 10-man Everton at Goodison Park.
Having endured a difficult start on Merseyside, Brighton found their groove with goals from Karou Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra securing an impressive triumph.
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Mitoma rounded off a fine first-half move after being picked out by debutant Yankuba Minteh, with Welbeck adding a second in the 56th minute.
Everton’s chances of a comeback were all but halted 10 minutes later as Ashley Young was given his marching orders for a pull on goalscorer Mitoma, with Adingra adding a third four minutes from time before Yasin Ayari saw a goal awarded on-pitch but overturned after a VAR review.
How the match unfolded
The Toffees thought they had begun their Goodison farewell tour in style as Jack Harrison prodded home from Michael Keane’s flick on, only for the offside flag to be raised.
But Brighton offered a warning of their attacking quality when Joao Pedro struck the woodwork and, albeit against the run of play, they took a 25th-minute lead when Mitoma finished from close range after he was picked out at the back post by Minteh.
The youngster was later forced off with a concussion.
Everton seemed to have been handed a lifeline when Dominic Calvert-Lewin tangled with Lewis Dunk in Brighton’s area, but after awarding a penalty on-pitch, the VAR Chris Kavanagh advised referee Simon Hooper to review the decision. After watching a replay on the back-up monitor, Hooper overturned his decision after deeming that Calvert-Lewin had stood on Dunk.
Sean Dyche’s frustrations only grew when Idrissa Gueye’s loose pass was punished by Welbeck, who coolly swept home from the edge of the area to put Brighton in complete control.
Young became the oldest player to receive a Premier League red card after a heavy touch led him to pulling back Mitoma, and Adingra was on hand to add further gloss to a convincing win with a fine finish from outside of the box in the 86th minute.
Ayari thought he had got in on the act late on, but saw his effort disallowed for offside after a VAR review.
It was also a historic day for Brighton's James Milner as he appeared in a Premier League match for a 23rd consecutive season.
10 November 2002: James Milner makes his #PL debut
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 17, 2024
17 August 2024: James Milner becomes the first player to appear in 23 different #PL seasons#TheKickOff pic.twitter.com/YyY5DLbzrL
Few home comforts as Toffees come unstuck
Having scored just 40 goals in the Premier League last season – the second-lowest total in the competition – Everton’s wastefulness in the final third proved to be their downfall once again on home soil.
An early Harrison effort that stung the palms of Jason Steele showed signs of their attacking intentions, with the resulting corner finding its way into the net only for the offside flag to be raised, while Dwight McNeil hit the post too – albeit it would not have counted as Abdoulaye Doucoure offside in the build-up.
But for all Everton’s promise in the first half, moments of individual lapses proved costly in the second, with Gueye’s poor giveaway the standout of those mistakes, while James Tarkowski and Keane looked particularly shaky at the back.
The Everton players were greeted with boos around a mostly empty Goodison Park at the sound of the full-time whistle, with Dyche not getting off to the start he would have hoped in the club’s final season at their grand old stadium.
Hurzeler makes his mark
Hurzeler became the Premier League’s youngest ever coach when he replaced Roberto De Zerbi in June, and some onlookers had questioned the credentials of the 31-year-old to take charge in such a fierce competition.
And for the opening 15 minutes on Merseyside, Brighton looked on the ropes, but ultimately their star quality at the top end of the pitch proved more than enough.
Minteh, formerly of Newcastle United, showcased the quality he produced during his loan spell with Feyenoord last campaign.
The youngster was forced off with concussion just before half-time, having shown his worth at the other end of the pitch with a brilliant tackle to thwart Vitalii Mykolenko.
His replacement, Adingra, was typically impressive as he looks to build on a fine campaign last season, while Minteh’s fellow new recruit Mats Wieffer had a decent day in the middle of the park, albeit he was at fault for losing possession when Everton thought they had won a penalty.
All in all, it was an emphatic first showing for Hurzeler’s Brighton.
What managers said
Sean Dyche: "To start like that is a big disappointment, without a doubt. There are reasons for it, as we can talk about but, at the end of the day, people aren't bothered about the reasons and want the scoreline. You know I'm big on that. I have to make sense of the reasons, I have to look at the details and balance that. But you have to win games - that's the business we're in."
Fabian Hurzeler: "It was a good result. It was a tough game, especially the first minutes. It was really intense and a loud atmosphere and we suffered in some moments, but we defended quite good. After that we tried to control the game and we had very good chances.
"We went 1-0 up and then it was helpful for us to control the game and have ball possession. In the end, a clean sheet is so important to win games in the Premier League and everyone was responsible today in defending their own box.
"It showed the attitude and character of the players so I am very happy for them. It was a good start, nothing more, and now we try to keep working to stay humble after a win like this."
Club reports
Everton report | Brighton report
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Key facts
Brighton’s James Milner has now appeared in 23 different Premier League seasons, more than any other player in the competition’s history.
At 39 years and 39 days old, Everton’s Ashley Young became the oldest ever player to be sent off in a Premier League match.
Everton have lost their opening Premier League game in each of the last three seasons, having been unbeaten on MD1 in each of the previous 10 campaigns beforehand.
Brighton forward Danny Welbeck has now scored in 16 different Premier League campaigns, with only six players ever scoring in more (Ryan Giggs 21, Paul Scholes 19, Frank Lampard 18, John Terry 17, Jermain Defoe 17, James Milner 17).