Brighton vs Everton Player Ratings: Beto’s late goal saves the day | OneFootball

Beto scored with virtually the last kick of the game to help Everton secure a 1-1 draw with Brighton at Amex Stadium.

Everton had to start with four centre halves in a back four, with Jarrad Branthwaite replacing Vitalii Mykolenko at left-back. The Ukrainian international seems to have picked up a knock in the buildup to the contest.

After a tepid first half, as has been the case in recent games, the Toffees mounted a stronger charge in the second half. However, they conceded against the run of play when the returning Pascal Gross put his side into the lead after a couple of efforts went to waste for the visitors.

However, Beto came up big in the final minute and converted from close range to secure an unlikely draw. A point here will allow the Blues to climb to eighth in the league standings temporarily before tomorrow’s fixtures.

Here are the player ratings from Everton’s 1-1 draw with Brighton:

Jordan Pickford: 6

Jordan Pickford had to react quickly to Danny Welbeck’s improvised shot early on in the contest but there was nothing he could do about Pascal Gross’ close-range finish for the opening goal.

Jake O’Brien: 6

O’Brien was moved to right-back to accommodate the returning Michael Keane in the centre of the defence. He had his hands full trying to deal with Kaoru Mitoma’s trickery and could’ve done a tighter job of covering Gross for the Brighton goal.

However, the Scottish international certainly played his part in securing the point with his low drive coming off the goalkeeper before being turned in by Beto.

James Tarkowski: 6

Tarkowski was unfortunate with his header at the backpost getting cleared in a goalmouth scramble. He led the backline well but failed to cut out Ayari’s pass that fell to Gross.

Michael Keane: 5

Returning to the lineup after serving a three-game suspension, Keane could’ve done a better job of avoiding Ayari’s pass into the box. He didn’t go in to challenge for the ball with full conviction which led to Brighton’s opener against the run of play. He also had a shot saved by Verbruggen in the closing minutes of the contest.

Jarrad Branthwaite (replaced by Patterson at 89’): 6

Shortly after returning from a long-term injury, Branthwaite played nearly the entire 90 minutes and out of position following a knock to Vitalii Mykolenko. He used his height and physicality well but it’s quite clear that the left-back role is not the best utilisation of his talents.

James Garner: 6

Garner delivered the ball into the box that led to Beto’s equaliser in the dying minutes. He also delivered a fantastic backpost delivery from the corner which was met by Tarkowski before being cleared. Had a solid but unspectacular game in the middle of the park.

Idrissa Gueye (replaced by Iroegbunam at 80’): 5

Not one of his best games in an Everton shirt. The midfield hasn’t really clicked since Gueye returned from AFCON, with Garner’s partnership with Iroegbunam looking more solid. It’s probably also a lot to do with fatigue and at 36, Gueye is no spring chicken and could use some time to reset.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (replaced by Alcaraz at 80’): 5

Dewsbury-Hall had two great chances to fire his side into the lead in the second half. The first chance was from a smart shrug of the shoulders to beat his man before taking a long and hopeful shot from a tight angle. The second one, however, should’ve been turned in as Dewsbury-Hall found the goalkeeper after being set up for a tap-in by Barry.

Harrison Armstrong (replaced by Dibling at 80’): 5.5

The teenager had a difficult task, playing out of position on the right flank. While he did show some creative touches and lovely combination plays, he was also fouled a lot and couldn’t build sustained momentum.

Thierno Barry (replaced by Beto at 89’): 5.5

Having scored four goals in the last five league games, Barry couldn’t really pounce on any proper opening. His best moment today was setting Dewsbury-Hall up for a tap in but the playmaker failed to find the corner of the net.

Iliman Ndiaye: 5

A rare off-colour game for the Senegalese magician who was unable to fashion out proper openings from the left. He also showed signs of fatigue.

Substitutions

Charly Alcaraz: 7

Played his part in the equaliser with a brilliant pass from the deep to find Garner on the right.

Tim Iroegbunam: 5

Gave away the ball in dangerous areas on a couple of occasions

Tyler Dibling: 5

Couldn’t influence the game too much.

Beto: 8

It’s been a tumultuous week for Beto with constant links away from Merseyside but he came on late in the game to secure an important point for his side. Reacted quickly to Verburggen’s save off O’Brien to send the away stands into a frenzy.

Nathan Patterson: 7

Looked good in the closing minutes with a vital push towards the end.