A round-up of how the national media reported on Everton's 3-0 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in their opening fixture of their final season at Goodison Park Everton’s historic final season at Goodison Park started in nightmare fashion with a 3-0 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. The national media focused on the stark contrast between the fortunes of the debutant in the visitors’ dugout Fabian Hurzeler – the first Premier League manager to be younger than the competition itself – and experienced Blues boss Sean Dyche whose side suffered some familiar woes. Paul Joyce, The Times Everton ’s last season at Goodison Park began miserably with the famous old arena barely a third full at the final whistle on what was a dispiriting day.
Ashley Young was sent off midway through the second half for a professional foul on Kaoru Mitoma and the manager, Sean Dyche, a veteran at this level compared with the man a few yards away, will know the margin of defeat could have been far wider. The new signing Yankuba Minteh, who cost £35million, was handful on the right wing and also produced one of the first strops of the new season when he was substituted at the end of the opening half under concussion protocols, having been left in a heap after a challenge on Mykolenko. He wanted to continue to remind Newcastle United — who reluctantly approved his transfer to meet Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) — of his quality.
Of course, Everton have had issues with PSR rules — a case is outstanding despite two points deductions last term — and boos rang around the arena as the Premier League anthem was played before kick-off. Other themes were also reminiscent of last term. Everton’s finishing was not on point, with Dwight McNeil’s blushes spared when he hit a post from close range after Abdoulaye Doucouré had, not for the first time, run offside.
The emotional ninth-minute tribute to the former striker Kevin Campbell, who died in June, was a reminder of the days when Everton had a saviour in attack. Andy Hunter, Guardian The beginning of the end for Goodison Park heralded the start of a potentially beautiful friendship for Fabian Hürzeler and Brighton. The youngest permanent manager in Premier League history delivered a debut to savour as the visitors spoiled Everton’s final opening day at their home of 132 years with an emphatic victory.
A determined start from Everton was a distant memory by the time Simon Adingra converted Brighton’s third goal. The margin of victory should have been much bigger. Brighton were full of energy and ideas against opponents that ran out of both and whose performance unravelled in the second half.
Seasoned attendees will have been familiar with the scenes of disintegration. Goodison was not the only venerable, mature thing worthy of recognition. At the age of 39 years and 39 days Ashley Young became the oldest outfield player in Everton’s history.
And the oldest outfield Everton player to be sent off as the afternoon deteriorated rapidly. Joe Bernstein, Daily Mail At only 31-years-old, Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler is the first Premier League manager to be born after the competition begun in 1992. Not that he found it too difficult to figure it out yesterday.
Against one of the league’s most experienced current managers, Everton’s Sean Dyche, Hurzeler’s Seagulls ran riot. There was a standing ovation from the travelling support for James Milner who is appearing in his 23rd Premier League season – a record – but only boos from the home end at the final whistle. Everton looked beaten before 39-year-old Ashley Young was sent off midway through the second half for a tug on Mitoma.
Dyche had hoped limiting Everton’s pre-season trips to Ireland while rivals went around the globe would keep them fresh. It worked for the opening 10 minutes, after that they were second-best in terms of keep-ball and attacking potency. Richard Jolly, Independent A wonderful start for the wunderkind.
A first Premier League win for the first manager who is younger than the division itself was so comprehensive that Brighton fans could chorus about being top of the table. By the time Fabian Hurzeler was born, Goodison Park had already staged Premier League football for several months. The precocious 31-year-old kicked off his valedictory season by steering Albion to a debut victory that served as an advertisement for their boldness in hiring him.
For Brighton, it was a blend of new and old. Yankuba Minteh, provider of their first goal, is a 20-year-old debutant; Danny Welbeck, scorer of the second, is in the unusual position of being two years older than his manager. Albion reaped an early dividend for plucking Hurzeler from St Pauli to replace Roberto de Zerbi.
After winning promotion in his native Germany, elevation to the Premier League seemed to suit him. If the fixture calendar suggested he could be greeted with a culture shock, an inimitably Dyche welcome to the division, Sean Dyche was instead defeated and his side depleted. Everton ended last season with five straight wins at Goodison Park but both they and Dyche have made too many slow starts to campaigns in recent years.
This now has the makings of another. James Shield, Daily Telegraph “New ground, in the Championship,” taunted Brighton and Hove Albion’s supporters towards the end of this emphatic away victory at Goodison Park. It is too early to judge if Everton’s 132-year stay at the stadium will end in relegation.
But not, on the evidence of his team’s performance, the wisdom of the visitors’ decision to appoint Fabian Hurzeler as head coach following Roberto De Zerbi’s departure last season. Aged 31 and the youngest manager in Premier League history, the German displayed tactical maturity and strategic nous by identifying the vulnerabilities of Sean Dyche’s side and then devising a game-plan to exploit them. A new season did not herald a change in mood on the home terraces, where the Premier League anthem was booed ahead of kick-off.
A banner draped across the Gwladys Street End proclaimed “There are places I’ll remember”. Like this famous old ground, which has hosted more top-flight games than any other in the country, the points deductions imposed upon their club last term will live long in the memories of Evertonians. Had an offside flag not spared his blushes, the same would have been said for Dwight McNeil’s inexplicable early miss – the winger first hit the woodwork when it appeared easier to score, then hooked the rebound wide.
It would have been a deserved lead for Everton who controlled the opening exchanges and saw Jack Harrison go close. But when their early superiority failed to engineer a breakthrough, Everton became careless. Joe Thomas, Liverpool Echo In the final half an hour, the Seagulls threatened to run riot.
Adingra completed the job but there was still time for Yasin Ayari to make the net bulge once more - though that goal was ruled offside. In truth, Everton fell apart. Last season was one built on defensive and emotional resilience.
There was none of that after Brighton’s second and, for all that this may be a one-off, that should worry Sean Dyche The Blues boss must also reflect on his decisions following this result and performance. The signings that have been made present an opportunity to evolve that was not taken against Brighton. Dyche’s success amid the chaos at Everton has been based on pragmatism.
But with issues at the back and options going forward, there may now be a greater risk in playing safe than in exploiting the new attacking players available to him. If the Blues cannot defend their way to results then quickly giving prominence to the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom might at least provide an opportunity to outscore opponents – and provide excitement in the process. Bums off seats should be the ambition not, as was the case by the closing stages against Brighton, seats that were empty altogether.
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