It was another listless attacking display from Everton at Brighton, but after Jarrad Branthwaite managed to put the Blues in front with a powerful finish in the 73rd minute, it looked like it might turn into a successful away trip for Sean Dyche’s side.
A harsh red card for Brighton’s Billy Gilmour with ten minutes left to go only strengthened Everton’s position, but a soul-crushing equaliser from Lewis Dunk in the 5th minute of injury-time broke the travelling Toffees’ hearts and saw the two teams have to settle for a point each.
Although a draw away to Brighton is not a disastrous result on paper by any means, the result extended Everton’s winless run to nine in the league. The last two draws against Brighton and Crystal Palace have felt like missed opportunities for Dyche’s men and the former Burnley manager will be coming under increasing pressure to find a solution to Everton’s inability to secure victory.
Jordan Pickford - 6
Jordan Pickford showed glimpses of his erratic behaviour, which Everton fans had hoped was a thing of the past, including a ridiculous decision to come charging out of his area to close down Danny Welbeck for a challenge that he had no chance of winning.
But the England number one settled down in the second half and made one decent save, getting down well to tip goal-bound Brighton effort round the post.
Ben Godfrey - 7
Another strong display from Ben Godfrey justified Dyche’s decision to keep him in the team ahead of the other right-back options in the squad.
Godfrey was tested throughout the game by the dangerous Adingra, but managed to do just about enough to keep the tricky winger from creating any clear-cut chances.
James Tarkowski - 6
A couple of long ball switches from the central defender launched promising attacks for the Toffees, but a silly yellow card picked up in the first half meant that Tarkowski had to walk on eggshells for much of the game.
Jarrad Branthwaite - 8
A solid display at the back and a stunning strike to give Everton the lead made for another impressive performance for the young defender.
Vitaliy Mykolenko - 6
Dealt with Brighton’s attack without much fuss and supported McNeil well down the left flank, but nothing particularly noteworthy from the Ukranian this afternoon.
Jack Harrison - 5
An energetic display, but ultimately Harrison needs to start offering more in a creative aspect. The on-loan Leeds man’s aimless running around and lack of end product is a growing frustration in this team.
Idrissa Gueye - 6
A typically busy performance from Gueye managed to keep Brighton at bay in the first half. But his afternoon was unfortunately cut short following an injury early on in the second half.
James Garner - 6
Another game that seemingly passed Garner by without him putting his stamp on the game. He once again got around the pitch well and helped break up play but in a side that is severely lacking in creativity, Garner is one of the players that could make something happen for the Blues if he can be a bit braver with his play.
Dwight McNeil - 6
Offered a threat with a number of dangerous deliveries from corners, but was found wanting again when he got involved in open play.
We have rarely seen McNeil pick up the ball and drive at the opposition’s defence, as he did regularly towards the back end of last season. Hopefully that can change in the coming weeks.
Abdoulaye Doucoure - 6
You can never question Doucoure’s work rate but was fairly anonymous during much of the game. Had a decent effort on goal with a volley that was cleared off the line by Tariq Lamptey, but offered little else.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 6
It was the same old story for Calvert-Lewin, who worked hard but was often isolated up front. He was taken off for Beto in the 68th minute after picking up what is hopefully only a minor knock as his goalless drought goes on.
Amadou Onana (49’ sub) - 6
Got involved in the game after entering as a substitute, looking to progress the team forward with his passes and being on the end of the tackle which saw Gilmour get sent off.
The Belgian offers a physical presence in the Everton midfield and is one of the better progressive passers in the squad, needs to be starting games in the future.
Beto (68’ sub) - 5
The Portuguese striker put himself about and caused problems for Brighton’s backline but ultimately fluffed his lines with a wild effort when presented with a chance to find the net.
Ashley Young (89’ sub) - N/A