The Premier League season is heating up and this afternoon I, Isabelle Newnham, will take you through all the action with minute-by-minute updates LIVE on INMR. Can Brighton maintain their push for European qualification, or will Everton reignite their survival hopes with a crucial victory? Find out on INMR, coverage begins at 2pm.
Today’s venue:
Embed from Getty ImagesThe starting line-ups are out, take a look:
Things to note from the starting line-ups:
- Amadou Onana isn’t starting for Everton, he’s been really dangerous for Everton from set pieces this season with all three of his goals being headers from corners.
- Julio Enciso is back in the matchday squad, he’s been out injured since August.
- Kaoru Mitoma isn’t in the squad after Roberto De Zerbi said yesterday he had an issue with his back.
- Bart Verbruggen makes his second start in a row after getting his first league clean sheet last time out against Sheffield United.
BRIGHTON VS EVERTON – AS IT HAPPENED
1’: Evan Ferguson takes the kick-off and we are underway in Brighton.
2’: A ball is played over the top to Simon Adingra, he twists and turns trying to find an opening, earning a corner early on for the home side. Pascal Gross will take.
3’: Corner wasted by Gross but it comes straight back out to him, he loses possession cheaply. Everton could counter here, but no they are stopped immediately in their tracks.
4’: Adingra on the ball again, he cuts inside and lays the ball off to Danny Welbeck. The fans around the ground urge him to shoot but he attempts to cut it across to his left foot and loses the ball. Adingra is going to be a tricky player to deal with for Ben Godfrey today.
6’: Brighton are keeping hold of the ball well, with Everton not getting a sniff in the opening minutes. Evan Ferguson wins a free kick in Brighton’s half after being bundled to the floor.
7’: Brighton escape pressure nicely in their defensive third. The home side can now mount an attack of their own. Welbeck pokes the ball towards goal but it’s deflected wide, another corner for Brighton.
Embed from Getty Images8’: Adingra is already causing problems for Everton, he looks so dangerous already, it seems like only a matter of time before he gets the better of Godfrey. For now it’s just a corner, the Albion’s fourth so far.
9’: Fantastic skill from Jack Harrison, he beats Igor with a drag-back and flick before running around the Brazilian. He loses possession immediately after though with a poor pass, earning him a loud jeer from the Brighton supporters.
12’: Great chance for Brighton. It’s Welbeck with the chance, he is played through on goal with the Everton defenders right on his heels. Welbeck attempts to take the ball around the keeper but the touch is too heavy and goes out for a goal kick.
Embed from Getty Images14’: Danny Welbeck has four goals and four assists against Everton during his career and he’s had a good start so far. Will we see him add to his tally against the Toffee’s today?
16’: Brighton win a free kick in a good area but go short much to the disappointment of the home fans, it falls to Adingra on the left wing but the AFCON winner’s cross is blocked.
19’: Best chance of the game so far and it’s Welbeck involved again. He plays a quick one-two with Facundo Buonanotte before having a shot on goal. Two Everton defenders pressure him enough to put him off and deny Brighton the opener. The corner from Gross is met by Lewis Dunk who gets plenty of power on the header but aims it straight at Jordan Pickford.
Embed from Getty Images22’: Bart Verbruggen misplaces his pass to Dunk and Everton have a throw-in. The away fans seem amused but the Albion fans respond with a “We forgot that you were here” chant. Everton lose the ball almost immediately from the throw-in.
23’: Everton get a first sniff of goal but Dunk makes a terrific sliding challenge to stop Abdoulaye Doucoure from progressing any further. James Garner started the move with a curling ball over the Brighton back line finding Doucoure who surges towards goal. Luckily Dunk saves the day.
Embed from Getty Images24’: Close from Adingra. Wow, he is playing with such confidence this afternoon. The tricky winger dances past Idrissa Gana Gueye with ease before knocking the ball past Godfrey and lashing a shot towards the near post. It flashes wide but he wasn’t far off. The Everton defence dont know what to do with him.
26’: This is Ben Godfrey’s fifth start in a row and just his sixth all season. This has been his hardest challenge yet though, Adingra is sending him to the shops for fun at the moment. Everton need to find a way to deal with the Ivorian attacker.
28’: Adingra goes for goal again this time he cuts in and attempts to bend it into the top left corner with his right foot. The strike takes a deflection and goes over the bar. This time the corner was met by Jan Paul van Hecke who similarly to Dunk heads it straight into Pickford’s arms.
Embed from Getty Images31’: Everton have their first half-chance, Vitalii Mykolenko drives down the left wing and tries to pick out DCL. Dunk gets there first though and heads it out for a corner. The delivery isn’t bad from McNeil but Verbruggen comes out and claims it well.
32’: That’s been Mykolenko’s first bit of real involvement in the match, he scored in the reverse fixture at Goodison Park earlier on in the season.
Embed from Getty Images33’: Welbeck has gone down and stayed down after being tripped by James Tarkowski, he is currently receiving medical attention. The Everton captain has been shown a yellow card for the challenge.
35’: Welbeck is back on his feet and it doesn’t seem like he will need to come off.
38’: Julio Enciso has come out of the dugout to warm up and receives a warm welcome back from the Brighton fans. This is his first time in the match-day squad since his injury in mid-August at the start of the season.
41’: Buonanotte fires a cross into the box but there’s too much on it and goes out for a goal kick. Roberto De Zerbi is asking more from his players down on the touch line, the tempo has dropped ever so slightly in the last 10 minutes.
Embed from Getty Images43’: James Garner barges into Gross on the edge of the box and the referee gives the foul. Brighton have a free-kick right on the edge of the box, Gross and Welbeck are stood over the ball. It’s close enough to shoot and it looks like Welbeck will take, he does and his effort goes way over the bar. Wasted opportunity and you wonder if it would have been better if Gross took it and bent it round the wall rather than Welbeck smashing it over.
45’: There will be two minutes of added time. Sean Dyche needs to get his players down the tunnel quickly to find a solution, the Seagulls have been all over them.
45+2’: Everton nearly nick a goal at the end of the first half. The Toffee’s speed forward down the left with Dominic Calvert-Lewis heading the ball down to Doucoure. He links up well with Harrison before sending a low cross into the penalty area. Calvert-Lewin’s effort deflects wide but it doesn’t matter anyway as the linesman has just raised his flag.
Embed from Getty ImagesHT: It’s goalless at the end of the first half much to De Zerbi’s frustration. Brighton have enjoyed plenty more chances and potentially deserve to be ahead but don’t have the goal to show for it just yet. Adingra has been the standout player so far, showing exactly why he was AFCON’s young player of the tournament. Everton haven’t had a standout performer so far, but they have had a couple of half chances including one in the final moments of the half.
45’: The second half has begun and Everton will take kick-off. No changes have been made during the break.
47’: Adingra darts down the left wing and plays it inside the Buonanotte, his touch is slightly behind him and he can’t get a shot off. It was a similar first touch to the one vs Crystal Palace a few weeks ago where he stops it ever so slightly behind him and then hooks the ball towards goal. This time though he loses the ball and Everton clear it away.
49’: First substitution has been made, Gueye has been bought off for Amadou Onana.
50’: Brighton spray the ball out to the left side again, they’ve been enjoying so much success on that side. Adingra drills a cross towards the near post where Evan Ferguson is waiting but it’s blocked and comes back out to Adringa. The referee stops play for a supposed head injury; Brighton aren’t pleased.
53’: Tarkowski fouls Welbeck again but isn’t carded and the Brighton fans are furious as is De Zerbi. The Brighton manager is shown a yellow card for his protests.
Embed from Getty Images56’: Brighton have upped the tempo again, the fans are getting right behind them since that foul on Welbeck.
57’: WHAT A BLOCK!! Everton have nearly gone ahead but Tariq Lamptey managed to stop Doucoure from scoring. Everton counter-attacked with pace down the near side. McNeil whipped in a deep cross towards Doucoure, his volley had plenty on it and looked to be going in. Suddenly Lamptey of all people leaps to block a certain goal with his head.
60’: Triple change for the Albion: Igor comes off for Pervis Estupinan, Lamptey for Joel Veltman, and Welbeck for Ansu Fati.
63’: Dunk sends a heavy back pass to Verbruggen who slices the clearance. Corner to Everton and Brighton must be careful here. They are keeping a close eye on Onana who has been so dangerous for Everton from corners this season.
Embed from Getty Images66’: Buonanotte brings the ball down in a good area and is urged to shoot by the Brighton fans who know how good of a strike he’s got in his locker. Instead he lays it off to Fati who’s shot is blocked.
68’: Everton make another change: Beto comes on for Dominic Calvert-Lewis who is now 20 games without a goal. Today the English forward didn’t even manage to have a shot.
Embed from Getty Images70’: Yellow card for van Hecke for his foul on the near side, tactical foul that he’ll feel had to be done as Everton emerged forwards in numbers.
71’: Garner took the free kick and it’s a dangerous one that’s gone all the way through. Brighton very lucky there that none of the Everton players attacked the ball as that would have been a certain goal.
72’: Massive applause for Julio Enciso as he comes on the first time in six months. Facundo Buonanotte makes way for Brighton’s number ten.
Embed from Getty Images73’: GOALLLLL!! Everton break the deadlock totally against the run of play and it’s Jarrod Brainthwaite for the second time in four games. The away fans have lost their mind and Brighton are completely stunned. Pickford goes long from the free-kick, Veltman heads the ball but it falls straight to Veltman. He takes a superb first touch and lashes it into the top right corner past Verbruggen. Brighton 0-1 Everton.
Embed from Getty Images75’: Evan Ferguson is down injured from the goal and has come off for Adam Lallana. Ferguson only had 13 touches today and one shot, a quiet day for the Irishman.
79’: Adingra has moved over to the right wing and has a chance immediately but goalscorer Branthwaite makes a great tackle to stop him in his tracks and even earns his side a goal kick. He thumps his chest in celebration almost as much as his goal.
81’: RED CARD FOR BRIGHTON. Billy Gilmour is sent off and Brighton are down to ten men. It seems really unlucky looking at the replay, he’s brought the ball down but his touch it slightly off. He goes to regain the lose ball and accidentally catches Onana. He’s definitely caught Onana and it is a red card for dangerous play but it’s harsh on Gilmour who looks devastated. The Scotsman is applauded off the pitch by the home fans who feel he’s been really hard done by. It goes from bad to worse for the Albion.
Embed from Getty Images83’: Onana is limping after that challenge from Gilmour but isn’t hurt enough to come off.
85’: Pickford using the dark arts to his advantage now, he’s been holding onto the ball for much longer than six seconds. Everton are running down the clock in what would be a huge boost for their survival hopes. They have only registered an xG of 0.16 whilst Brighton have had 19 attempts on goal.
86’: Beto is through on goal after timing his run to perfection and beating Dunk. He blazes the strike over the bar though, poor effort from him.
Embed from Getty Images88’: Ansu Fati aims for the bottom left corner with a low-driven shot on goal. Pickford gets across well though and pushes the ball behind for a corner.
89’: Sub for Everton: Ashley Young comes on for Doucoure. Dyche is going defensive for the final minutes.
89’: HOW HAVEN’T BRIGHTON EQUALISED?! There is a huge goal mouth scramble in Everton’s penalty area but still Brighton can’t find a way through. The ball fell to Enciso who looked to as though he would get his heroic homecoming moment. His effort was blocked as well as Dunk’s and Fati’s following shots before Everton got it away to safety and won a free kick. The Seagulls have been beyond unlucky!
Embed from Getty Images90’: There will be nine minutes of added time, Brighton still have a chance to salvage a point.
90+2’: Pickford is really winding up the home fans now, he’s running down the clock by any means possible. If Everton can hold on it will be their third consecutive victory at the Amex.
90+5’: THEY’VE DONE IT!! GOALLLLL FOR BRIGHTON! Who else but captain fantastic Dunk, it had to be him. The Amex has erupted and unsurprisingly so, they’ve deserved that. Gross’ out-swinging corner is headed away by Branthwaite but Brighton maintain possession. It comes back out to Gross who pulls out a couple of his signature turns to get away from Beto before lofting a cross into the 18-yard box. Dunk rises highest and powers his header across goal and past a scramlbing Pickford. Brighton finally have their goal.
Embed from Getty Images90+8’: Brighton are still going, they want the winner that the stats show they deserve.
FT: It’s all over at the Amex and what a game it was. Everton so nearly nicked all three points against all odds but Dunk saved the day once again with a towering header past Pickford in the 95th minute to cancel out Branthwaite’s super strike. Despite salvaging a point with ten men, it was undoubtedly a frustrating afternoon for the Seagulls, who registered 23 shots compared to Everton’s six. With this result, Brighton remain in 7th position, while Everton find themselves just one point above the relegation zone. That’s all from me – thanks for following along, goodbye!
Written by Isabelle Newnham
INMR FOOTBALL 
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