Brighton vs Everton: Match Preview | Toffees look to maintain Moyes momentum

I did chuckle when, after watching Match of the Day 2 for the first time in an age, I spotted myself on the TV cameras in the closing moments. Like those around me I looked tense as Everton threatened to throw yet another game away, before putting slowly putting my head in my hands. Supporting the Toffees encapsulated in a few seconds.

The irony of course is that Sunday is the most I have enjoyed going to a game in months. The Goodison crowd felt liberated, as did the players, and the sight of Moyes prowling the home dugout once more piled a heap of nostalgia on top.

I think the Sean Dyche era – the first two years at least – will be looked on more favourably as time passes, but there is no doubt the last few weeks have been a struggle. It has become almost sad to see Goodison’s days play out in such circumstances. But Sunday was a reminder of what an arena it still can be when the crowd and players feed off each other.

Now. Time for a reality check.

Tottenham were ravaged by injury and woefully out of form, with Ange Postecoglu’s gung-ho tactics not helping. But Everton have struggled against more inferior sides recently so the win cannot solely be pinned on the opposition, so the signs of progress are obvious.

With the rest of the bottom eight failing to win it was a brilliant weekend all round, allowing Everton to give themselves a bit of breathing space between themselves and the bottom three.

That may well be reduced when this weekend is out, but with Ipswich at Liverpool, Wolves hosting Arsenal and Leicester at Spurs, the chance is also there to edge even further away from danger and allow everyone to breathe that little bit easier.

It will also be a significant personal milestone for Moyes as he takes charge of his 700th Premier League game, with only Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of him.

The opposition

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Brighton’s thumping 3-0 win against Everton in August highlighted just how far apart the two sides are as the Premier League’s model club continue to show up more illustrious rivals.

Even appointing a 31-year-old as manager and it to work is such a Brighton thing to do. It is little wonder their data and scouting setup is the envy of the Premier League.

The Seagulls did have a minor stumble going into the winter, going eight games without a win (albeit six of those draws). But they have recovered since the turn of the year, beating Norwich in the FA Cup before back-to-back league wins over Ipswich and Manchester United.

Previous meeting

Everton 3-0 Brighton, 17 August 2024

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A pretty miserable opening day defeat for Everton that set the tone for the first few weeks of the season. Kaoru Mitoma gave Brighton the lead in the first half before Everton had a penalty overturned by VAR at the start of the second. Brighton took full advantage thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra, with Ashley Young sent off. So all in all a great day.

Team news

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James Garner is fit to return to the squad after recovering from a back problem, but there is bad news about Dwight McNeil, who might need surgery after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Seamus Coleman is out with a muscle injury and Tim Iroegbunam is not yet ready to feature despite resuming training.

What they said

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Everton boss David Moyes: “It felt really good coming in this week. To win against Tottenham – and you mustn’t forget how good Tottenham are. They’re a really good side, especially their attacking play.

“For us to get a really positive result at Goodison was really helpful and I think it’s given everybody a lift.

“The test at Brighton is as tough as it comes. They’ve been a big test for every club. Their performances, their managers – the new manager has settled in incredibly well. He was left a really good group of players and a group of players who play in a certain way that’s worked very well.”

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler: “I have respect for him [David Moyes], especially now I’ve been managing in the Premier League for seven months. It’s so intense, every day you have to try to improve, every day you have to adapt and it’s really challenging.

“Therefore all the coaches who worked for such a long time in the Premier League and were able to work for different clubs I have a huge respect for. What he’s done in his career is impressive and I can say he’s also a role model.

“The last memories I have of him is when he was a coach of West Ham. I watched some games of his team. They were very compact, very difficult to play against, good in transition and always know what to do to win Premier League games. It was impressive.”

Final word

Brighton are a good side but Everton have an unusually good record at Brighton, winning two and drawing one of their last three meetings – one of those being the incredible 5-1 victory in May 2023 that helped the Toffees avoid the drop. But still, given the form of the two sides anything they can take from the game will be gratefully received.