Cenk Tosun struck his second goal in two games to help Everton secure a morale-boosting win over Brighton at Goodison Park.
After Albion defender Gaetan Bong turned in Yannick Bolasie’s wicked inswinging cross, the Turkey striker lashed home a sweetly-struck second to secure a win that maintains the Blues imperious home form. Indeed, they have now taken 23 points from a possible 30 on home soil since beating West Ham host prior Sam Allardye taking charge in November.
The hosts could have had a third late on, but Brighton keeper Mat Ryan’s excellent save denied Wayne Rooney from the penalty spot.
But the two goals were enough to see Everton earn victory - and overtake Brighton in the table in the process.
Blues boss Allardyce made four switches from the outing at Burnley a week earlier. Two were enforced, with Ashley Williams ruled out through suspension and Idrissa Gana Gueye missing through illness. Back came Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines, who had recovered from the groin injury which kept him out of action for three-and-a-half months. It meant that for the first time in almost 12 months, Everton fielded a defence containing stalwarts Jagielka, Baines and Seamus Coleman.
An attacking-looking line-up also included the recalled Rooney and Bolasie. After opening his goalscoring account against the Clarets, striker Tosun kept his place in the forward line.
Allardyce, speaking in his pre-match interview, urged his team to look to “control” play right from the off - and the Blues made a promising, fast-paced start with Coleman flashing a shot across goal and narrowly past the far post within the opening few minutes.
Not too long after, captain Jagielka headed into the arms of visiting goalkeeper Ryan from an outswinging Gylfi Sigurdsson corner, as the Seagulls - unbeaten in their last seven Premier League fixtures - were put under plenty of early pressure.
Bolasie, operating out on the left, was also not far wide with a long-range curling attempt which was whipped over the angle of post and crossbar. The same player then went even closer on the first-half’s midway point, prodding into the side-netting from another Sigurdsson cross. Indeed, such was Everton’s dominance, the Blues had clocked up seven corners before the game was half-an-hour old.
Brighton had beaten Arsenal 2-1 in their previous match and although they had offered very little in the first period, they fired a warning sign when, out of nothing, Glenn Murray stung the palms of Jordan Pickford with a fierily-driven shot from outside the box. The Everton goalkeeper vigilantly clutched the ball having made the initial save.
The lively Bolasie again saw an effort go narrowly past the target - this time a header - and Rooney, ambitiously, fired wide from all of 40 yards. But despite the Toffees amassing 67 per cent possession and having nine attempts at goal in the first half, the contest was still locked at nil-nil at the break.
Everton picked up the pace after the restart and in their first attack of the second half, Coleman was of the opinion he’d been fouled inside the box by centre-back Lewis Dunk. It was the Blues’ third unsuccessful claim for a spot-kick, following earlier shouts by Bolasie and Tosun which had also been waved away by referee Roger East.
The Blues’ control on the game finally reaped rewards on the hour mark when Walcott, darting in to meet Bolasie’s searching centre, forced Bong to put through his own net.
Bolasie shimmied his way in off the left flank and his cross was diverted past Ryan via a deflection off the shin of the Seagull’s left-back, just a few yards out. No-one inside Goodison could argue that it wasn’t a deserved breakthrough given Everton’s persistent pressing and probing on Brighton’s goal up until that point.
In the next attack, the lead was very nearly doubled as Tosun slid in to covert a low centre, only for Ryan to dive full stretch on the greasy wet turf and deflect the ball away from the Turkey international’s boot.
Brighton’s forays forward had been sporadic all afternoon and Michael Keane had to bravely throw his body in front of a Jurgen Locadia shot to preserve the Blues’ lead.
With 18 minutes remaining, Walcott’s afternoon ended early as he was forced from the field through injury. He departed to a standing ovation from the home fans who were appreciative of his hard-working contribution all afternoon and the role he played in the opening goal.
With a quarter of an hour remaining, Everton clinched the victory with a thunderbolt of a goal from Tosun - his second in club colours.
The former Besiktas man took one touch to control on the edge of the box and then unleashed with his second. The ball took a slight deflection and found the back of the net with via the underside of the bar. Tosun celebrated his goal in a similar manner to the way he had marked his maiden Everton strike at Turf Moor - racing away to the corner flag and producing a knee-slide.
Brighton played the final 10 minutes with ten men after Anthony Knockaert was sent off for a dangerous two-footed lunge on Leighton Baines. Luckily, the Blues left-back saw the challenge coming and was able to get out of the way before contact was made.
Brighton’s woes were almost compounded still further. When former Blue Shane Duffy was adjudged to have brought down Calvert-Lewin, Rooney’s spot-kick was superbly saved by Seagulls keeper Ryan.
It mattered little though, with those inside Goodison rising to their feet to salute a deserved win. The Blues are at Stoke next.
Everton FC