Brighton and Hove Albion vs Everton. Premier League.
Amex StadiumAttendance31,567.
Brighton 0-1 Everton: David Moyes secures second straight win as Iliman Ndiaye penalty fuels momentum
Report and free match highlights as Everton made it back-to-back Premier League wins under David Moyes courtesy of Iliman Ndiaye's penalty shortly before half-time; Brighton were unhappy at the award against Joel Veltman, following VAR review
Saturday 25 January 2025 19:39, UK
Everton's improvement under new manager David Moyes continued apace as Iliman Ndiaye's contentious first-half penalty secured a 1-0 win against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Moyes celebrated victory in his 700th top-flight match as a manager, but it is now five home Premier League games without a win for the Seagulls, who felt a sense of injustice when referee Tim Robinson awarded a penalty following VAR advice after Joel Veltman was adjudged to have handled inside the box.
Ndiaye dispatched the penalty (42) to make it back-to-back wins for Everton under Moyes - and first on the road since October - with their gap to the Premier League relegation zone now standing at seven points.
Following successive away league wins, Brighton are still in search of a home tonic this season and remain ninth in the table on 34 points.
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"No penalty," Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said on the key flashpoint.
"So the VAR can't get into this situation. If the referee decides like this, then you should play on, and then the VAR is not necessary for this. It's not a clear handball.
"He [Joel] felt the touch, and when he felt the touch, then of course the normal reaction is that the hands are coming, and then the hand went on the ball, so it can't be a penalty."
How Everton continued fine record at Brighton
Everton had to play for over a quarter of an hour, including stoppages, with 10 players after using all three of their substitution windows. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the first of those after just 13 minutes as his wretched luck with injury reared its head again, replaced with a hamstring strain.
But such is the spirit flowing through these players now under Moyes, the resilience and the fight always looked like getting them over the line.
Tensions boiled over after the final whistle with the excellent Jake O'Brien and Yankuba Minteh booked in a fracas, but Brighton will ultimately reflect on a poor day at the office where - unlike previous rearguard performances under Sean Dyche - Jordan Pickford was largely untroubled.
The hosts had 33 touches in the opposition box but mustered just one shot on target all afternoon - a speculative drive from Carlos Baleba. It is now three points out of the last 15 available at the Amex.
Hurzeler, the Premier League's youngest manager at 31, came up against the oldest, 61-year-old Moyes, with the German admitting on the eve of the game he might need to dip into the transfer market to bolster his defence.
But having not won on home soil since vanquishing Manchester City back in November, it was his attack that lacked punch in an opening 45 minutes dominated by one major incident.
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Everton, who recorded only their second Premier League away win in their last 22 outings, were awarded their first penalty of the league season as Veltman used his hand to shovel a long ball out for a corner.
The full-back was under pressure from Beto, with home fans clearly feeling that the striker had pushed him into using his arm - but VAR Graham Scott advised referee Robinson to point to the spot.
"I've got to say, I actually think it's a definite penalty," Moyes argued. "I think he used his hand. I can understand maybe they think there was pressure from Beto, but that's his job.
"The defender's job is to find a way of clearing the ball or releasing it. If he'd knocked it out for a corner earlier, maybe he wouldn't have the problem. But it definitely hits his arm. So my feeling was it was a penalty."
Ndiaye blocked out the noise to convert from 12 yards low beyond the dive of Bart Verbruggen before celebrating in front of the home fans by imitating a seagull.
Brighton produced more inside the opening five minutes of the second period than the entire of the first as Georginio Rutter was introduced. It was his shot on the turn which had Pickford sprawling, not long after Kaoru Mitoma had curled an effort wide.
But in truth, Everton only looked worried when an injury to Orel Mangala meant they had to play with 10 players for the closing stages. After taking strides last weekend at Manchester United, this was a backward step for Hurzeler as Everton extended their unbeaten run at this stadium to five games.
Hurzeler: Not a lot worked out for us
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler: "I think we are disappointed, we are frustrated about the result. I think it was a game where we tried a lot, but not a lot of things worked out like we expected them to be, and then you lose a game like this.
"We still had enough time [after the penalty] to turn the game around, and we have to be honest to ourselves that we weren't on our highest level, and that's why we lost the game, and then we have to reflect and re-analyse and keep going on.
"They defended with 11 players around the box, we were not precise and not clean enough to find a solution for that. I think we tried it, but we weren't clean enough, we weren't on our highest level, we weren't sharp enough in counter-pressing to win the ball back as quick as possible, and like this, it's difficult to win a game."
Moyes: Players deserve huge credit
Everton boss David Moyes: "I'm absolutely delighted. It was a bit of a rearguard action for long periods, but one that they've done really, really well. Getting points in our position is the most important thing and the players fought unbelievably hard to get through.
"Having to finish, they probably played 15-20 minutes with 10 men, so I think you have to give them incredible praise for how they performed. It was a rearguard action, but for all that Brighton had possession and had shots, it didn't really create many clear-cut opportunities.
"I'm getting told they had one shot on target, but that's doing Brighton a disservice. Brighton are a really good side and play well and really good football. I think there was probably a bit more credit in how well we defended.
"Balls in the box, round the box, the goalkeeper. We defended the corners in the main really well when we were under pressure. So, again, just big credit to the players for their performance.
"It's the first back-to-back wins I think we've had all season. We're in a position where we need to get points, whereas Brighton are just off three wins in a row and nine unbeaten so it's some result."
Brighton's run ended - Opta stats
- Everton's David Moyes picked up just his second Premier League win against Brighton and Hove Albion, having won just one of his first 10 league games against the Seagulls (D5 L4), all as West Ham United manager.
- Everton have won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time this season and for the first time under David Moyes since a run of three in March 2013 (v Reading, Manchester City and Stoke City).
- Brighton and Hove Albion have lost for the first time in seven Premier League games (W2 D4 before today), bringing to an and what was their longest unbeaten run in a single season since December 2021-February 2022 (a run of 7).
- Everton's Jordan Pickford picked up his sixth Premier League yellow card of the season, the third consecutive season in which he has received at least five; no other goalkeeper has done so in more than one season - it was Pickford's 23rd yellow in total, moving him level with Ederson as the goalkeeper with the second most in Premier League history (Jussi Jaaskelainen, 24).
