Everton 3-1 Brighton: Relentless

It was a little bit nervy early on, but Everton’s commitment to attacking football eventually battered Brighton into submission at Goodison Park. A Richarlison brace sandwiched a delightful strike from captain Seamus Coleman, and the Blues deservedly took all three points.

Richarlison now has more goals already this season than he did all of last, and Everton won the possession and shot margins comfortably.

• It seems that perhaps cries for Seamus Coleman and Theo Walcott to be dropped were...unsubstantiated, at best. The right side of Everton’s attack was on song today, and though Walcott was a little wasteful in terms of finishing, but the Irish captain picked him up with an outstanding finish of his own.
• I spent most of the afternoon proclaiming that the aforementioned Coleman was Everton’s best player on the day, and he might well have been, but I mean no disrespect to Richarlison. The Brazilian’s brace was truly magnificent, and both scores were finishes from the top shelf. Worth. Every. Penny.
• The only hiccup in today’s performance was a familiar foe - set piece defending. Brighton played a corner short, and the change in angle was all it took to unravel Everton’s zonal marking system. It remains a blight on an otherwise pretty good team.
• Andre Gomes continues to impress despite a long injury layoff, and it’s becoming very difficult to see a way back into regular playing time for Tom Davies or Morgan Schneiderlin, much less James McCarthy. It’s a good problem to have, and Gomes’ hard work to win the ball was crucial to Seamus Coleman’s goal.
• In open play, Everton remain an excellent defensive team. Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma barely set a foot wrong, and they’re certainly helped by Idrissa Gueye continuing to be impenetrable.
• Yerry Mina lives! The giant Colombian received a late debut when he replaced Gylfi Sigurdsson, and was greeted by a warm reception from the Goodison faithful.
• Ademola Lookman was the first man off Everton’s bench today, further underscoring how much trust Marco Silva has in him now.

After a brief speed bump at Old Trafford, Everton are back in the win column with a fourth victory in five matches. They’re climbing the table, and beating the teams they should beat. Up the damn Toffees.

Oh yeah, this snide zinger was especially sweet.