Everton 2-0 Brighton: Everton stand strong in first Premier League match in new stadium | OneFootball

Everton secured their first victory in their new Hill Dickinson Stadium against a clumsy Brighton & Hove Albion.

Goals from Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner were both assisted by Jack Grealish in his first home appearance for Everton since moving from Manchester City on loan.

Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Jan Paul van Hecke both missed crucial opportunities to lead in the first half, and Danny Welbeck wasted a penalty in the second half of the match after it was saved by Everton’s Jordan Pickford.

As it happened

Brighton started strong in the first half, with two big chances to take the lead. Mitoma hit the crossbar in the 17th minute, missing a chance to spoil The Toffees’ party early on. Just minutes after, Yankuba Minteh powered through Everton’s defence before setting up Welbeck, who launched the ball over the goal. Van Hecke also missed a chance for The Seagulls by hitting the woodwork, leaving fans frustrated early on.

Everton had a shaky start to the match and the pressure of playing their first home Premier League match in the new Hill Dickinson stadium was evident. However, Ndiaye’s goal took the weight off their shoulders and allowed for the side to dominate Brighton towards the end of the first half. It was he who scored the men’s team’s final goal at Goodison Park last season, so it was only right he’d score the first at their new home when he tapped home Grealish’s pass on 23 minutes.

Coming into the second half, Brighton looked clumsy, as Grealish swept past their defence to assist a second goal in the 52nd minute, with Garner this time the scorer. The Everton side looked stronger after the break but appeared aggressive, with Garner receiving a yellow card just 10 minutes after scoring.

Another new signing for Everton, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, worked perfectly alongside Grealish, weaving against Brighton’s strong defence to create several chances for The Toffees to score. Both players impressed, giving fans confidence after their opening day defeat to Leeds United.

Brighton did get a chance to reduce the deficit, with Dewsbury-Hall’s handball giving Welbeck a the opportunity to score from the spot. However, he was was faced against a menacing Jordan Pickford who made the save and kept the clean sheet intact.

Grealish was taken off in the 94th minute after dazzling with two assists: an impressive home debut after only securing one Premier League assist for Manchester City last season. He looks at home alongside his Everton teammates, and he showcased his talent with immense confidence in his first game at his side’s new stadium.

Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton displayed confidence but the repeated missed chances in this match showed a lack of cohesion amongst the players early on in the season. Brighton’s performance was initially strong, particularly in the first half, but perhaps the atmosphere in Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium proved too powerful as The Seagulls bowed under the pressure.

The lineups

EVE: Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Garner; Iroegbunam, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry

BHA: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, O’Riley, Mitoma; Welbeck