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Fulltime Thoughts - Everton romp to yet another win, but two disquieting clouds on the horizon - mounting injuries and Pickford’s shakiness.

Premier League

The Blues were ruthless today with their chances.

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90+3’ - Another corner, direct into the box now, but well-cleared.. and there’s the final whistle, Everton win 4-2 and continue to break all sorts of records!

90+2’ - Goal for Brighton now, Bissouma with a dipping volley from distance and it’s absolute top bins. Nothing Pickford could do about that one, luckily for him.

90’ - Mina again! Wow, with the goal gaping he slides in on Maupay again and gives away a corner instead. Pickford punches it right back into the mass of players and eventually it’s cleared. He’s celebrating each of these blocks now much like we’ve seen Italian defenders do.

85’ - Mina with his second big block! Diving about in his own box, blocking shot after shot.

78’ - There will be no hat-trick for James today, as he departs for Theo Walcott after scoring a left foot & right foot brace.

74’ - Davies giveaway on the right side allows Webster into the box to shoot, and Mina does well to block it for a corner. Taken short again, and eventually cleared before they can get the ball into the box.

71’ - Brighton have been holding the ball and probing the Blues half... no more! A quick counter with Digne out on the left, he finds Iwobi who plays in Doucoure.. a bit of an awkward cutback and guess who’s at the back post.. JAMES! 4-1 Blues now, and surely this is over?!

68’ - Pickford again makes a mistake! This time Davies saves his blushes. Veltman with a wicked low cross into the six yard box, Pickford dives for it with no Brighton players nearby, and punches it low straight at Maupay! The striker chests it and tries to fire home and a diving Davies blocks it away.

66’ - Pestilential pest Aaron Connolly goes off, after his tired and old diving act didn’t win any fouls today. On comes boyhood Blue Adam Lallana, but you won’t catch any Evertonians clapping for him after his stint at Liverpool.

63’ - Brighton’s away kit is not very different than Everton’s really, just a brighter yellow than the Toffee’s gold.

60’ - March with a good 1-2, low cross almost an own-goal as it hits Keane and goes just wide with Pickford nowhere. They take it short, cross it in and Dunk tries to rise higher than Mina who clears for another corner.
Taken short again, and eventually lost by the visitors. Why they are not crossing into the box from setpieces I have no idea, especially with how shaky Pickford is, I will never know but I’m not complaining either.

57’ - Now Coleman looks to have hurt himself, and is leaving the game. Tom Davies slots to the right back and Fabian Delph on in midfield. Good time to consolidate things, Delph was good midweek.

55’ - Looks like Ancelotti might have had a quiet word with Pickford at the break, he looks a bit more settled now.

52’ - JAMES!! Starts and finishes a move with the ball in the net and it’s now 3-1!
Those mistakes we’ve been talking about, there’s another one as Brighton give the ball away just outside their box, James finds DCL who feeds Iwobi wide on the left. Iwobi’s cutback is a perfect angle behind the last line of defenders, and James does very well to slam home a tricky half-volley.

47’ - Doucoure leads a counter and charging forward, looks like he has all the time in the world and lays it off to James, who cuts in a bit too obviously to shoot with his left foot and it’s blocked. Doucoure really should have shot.

46’ - Lamptey has not reemerged from the Porta-Kabin and is replaced by centre back Veltman. A sigh of relief from Digne there.

HALFTIME THOUGHTS - Carlo had said before the game that the side that defended best would win the game and so far it’s coming true. Everton have scored twice from setpieces, while Brighton’s goal came from a gaffe by Everton’s biggest liability now, Jordan Pickford.

Premier League

45’+2’ - GOAL! Yerry Mina! Coleman does well to win a freekick deep down the right. James to take, inswinger to the front post and Yerry is the first to meet it, down and in at the near post and the Blues are back ahead! 2-1 now.

45’ - Brighton really have their chests puffed out now and are attacking wantonly, with the Blues looking very subdued now. This is the effect Pickford has on his side, bringing the lot down.

41’ - Comedy of errors with Pickford the chief clown again, and it’s 1-1 now.
Deep Lamptey cross is hit into the ground by Trossard, Pickford cannot control it and drops it, and Maupay pounces, kicks it from between Mina’s legs and gets it through Keanes legs on the goalline. Pickford has become an utter liability at this point, good for at least one opponent goal every week now.

39’ - Everton give away a freekick at the edge of the middle third, and again Brighton choose to take the freekick short, and Doucoure clears the danger.

36’ - Everton’s break-outs are just breathtaking - they look incredible when winning the ball in their own half and short, one-touch passes to transition into attack.

32’ - Has anyone else noticed Sigurdsson’s hesitation to shoot from outside the box? Davies teed him up and there was a half-second there to fire it in but again hesitated, passed it back for James who shot from further out and it’s well over.

30’ - Coleman does very well to pass his way out of trouble and the ball eventually gets to Digne who feeds Iwobi out wide, but the Nigerian can’t return the ball to the left back and the chance is lost. Very comfortable passing from the Blues.
Maupay the latest to foul James. Sigurdsson loses the ball and Brighton are off to the races.. but nope, the tireless Doucoure intercepts them twice and ends the counter.

23’ - Ball pinging about in the Everton half and Richarlison tries to hoof it clear but a sliding tackle from Lamptey (fair, I must say) looks to have caught him on his left ankle and he’s down. Same ailment has he had on Wednesday against West Ham United, and looks like he’s done, goes straight down the tunnel. He has always scored against Brighton at Goodison, but that streak ends today. Alex Iwobi is now on.

19’ - Now Lamptey wins a freekick off Digne in a dangerous spot, but Brighton bizarrely choose to pass it back short and cannot get in a cross at all.

16’ - DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN!! GOAL!! Taken short and Siggy crosses it deep, and DCL rose highest at the back post and powered home his header.

Get ready for a history lesson Blues. DCL is the first Everton player to score in four consecutive Premier League games since Romelu Lukaku. Also the first Englishman to do that since Francis Jeffers. And finally, the first Everton player to do that in four consecutive games to start the top flight season since Tommy Lawton.

15’ - Deep diagonal is headed back by Digne for Sigurdsson to shoot, blocked. James then shoots and it’s blocked for a corner on the left.

14’ - Really wet conditions at Goodison, easy to make mistakes on this pitch. Everton’s discipline has looked good and they have not really struggled to get the ball out of their own half with control.
James fouled again, and he’s pretty unhappy as is Carlo Ancelotti on the sideline.

11’ - Looks like Tom Davies in the Allan role while Sigurdsson is in the Gomes spot. Doucoure is, of course, himself. Would like to see him get a shot or two off too.

7’ - Tariq Lamptey, who is a lovely young right back to watch, runs at Lucas Digne and Gylfi Sigurdsson with pace, and it takes both players to foil him.
Alzate is late in on James, and considering he was already booked, he needs to be very careful where he treads for the remainder of the game.

5’ - Coleman running away from Alzate and is pulled back, the Brighton player is in the book now. The rainy conditions mean it’s a very slick pitch and players are struggling to keep their footing well.

3’ - What a start for the Blues here. First Dominic Calvert-Lewin takes advantage of a Bissouma error with Doucoure making the steal but his shot is well-saved by Matty Ryan.
Then Seamus Coleman cuts in from a pass by James Rodriguez, and he fires in from distance but Ryan beats it away for a corner. Everton foul negates that chance.

1’ - We’re off at Goodison!

Two changes for Ancelotti with Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson coming into the side. Fabian Delph it appears is not ready to go again after playing the full ninety on Wednesday. If we’re sticking with the 4-3-3 then Davies, Sigurdsson and Doucoure all in the middle, and all a bit more forward-minded, so who plays defensive midfielder?

Starting XI: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Sigurdsson, Doucoure, Rodriguez, Davies, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Lossl, Nkounkou, Delph, Bernard, Walcott, Iwobi, Gordon

Ref: Simon Hooper VAR: Kevin Friend

Preview

Everton are back in action today at Goodison Park, the last game before next week’s international break and a good time for a breather after a breakneck start to the 2020/21 season.

The Blues are in excellent form going into this game, having won all six of their games to date. However, the injury bug bit hard in the midweek win over West Ham United in the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup, and Carlo Ancelotti will be without Allan, Andre Gomes and Jonjoe Kenny, with Richarlison requiring a late fitness test to see if he can make the squad.

There’s one word to describe Brighton’s start to the season - unfortunate. Graham Potter might well be wondering quite how his side aren’t joint top with the Blues with three wins from three games. The Seagulls have certainly played some scintillating attacking football, but have paid the heavy price of being unable to defend.

As Ancelotti put it quite succinctly yesterday, whoever can defend better is likely who will win today’s clash.

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchday 4

Date and start time: Saturday, October 3rd at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m ET / 3:00 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572

Weather: 55°F/13°C, rain, 100% chance of precipitation, 18 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: NBCSN - United States; BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports HD 2, SuperSport Football ROA, RMC Sport 1

Radio: evertontv

Live stream: Fubo, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo NOW, BT Sport App, Premier Player HD, Canal+ Sport. ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Brighton

Last Meeting

The Blues played last Brighton in January of this year at Goodison Park, with Richarlison getting the lone goal for the win. The last time the Blues went to the Amex Stadium was a controversial affair that the Blues were comfortably leading 2-0 before a VAR intervention for a penalty handed the hosts a lifeline, which they gladly grabbed stealing a 3-2 win late on.

The Toffees have actually never lost at home to the Seagulls, and Ancelotti will be aiming to keep things that way today.