Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half penalty proved decisive as Everton eased their relegation fears with victory at Brighton in Toffees’ boss David Moyes 700th Premier League match as a manager.
With seven minutes of a largely uneventful first half remaining, Brighton defender Joel Veltman appeared to deliberately shepherd the ball out of play with his hand while under pressure from Beto inside the penalty area.
After being invited by the video assistant referee (VAR) to consult his pitchside monitor, on-field official Tim Robinson pointed to the spot and Ndiaye sent a low effort into the bottom corner to give Everton the lead.
Brighton created little in the first half but emerged for the second period with greater purpose, Kaoru Mitoma curling a shot wide of the far post before Orel Mangala and Jordan Pickford combined to clear Joao Pedro’s close-range effort behind for a corner.
Half-time substitute Georginio Rutter flashed a shot narrowly wide after shrugging off Jarrad Branthwaite on the edge of the box but there was no way through for the Seagulls as their unbeaten start to 2025 came to an end.
Everton’s second away win of the season lifts them seven points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand, while Brighton remain ninth.
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 – 1 Everton
Moyes marks milestone with gritty win
Having masterminded a richly deserved victory over Tottenham last weekend, Moyes will hope his team’s latest triumph is the first step towards improving their dismal recent away record.
Saturday’s win was just their second in 22 league matches away from Goodison Park and Ndiaye’s first-half spot-kick was only their second goal in seven top-flight games on their travels.
Everton’s cause was not helped by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 12th-minute withdrawal after the striker appeared to pull his right hamstring as he leapt for the ball inside the Brighton half.
Ndiaye – who scored a wonderful goal in the win over Spurs – also cut a frustrated figure for large parts of the first half but he kept his composure from the spot to net his fifth Premier League goal of the campaign.
The Toffees had their backs to the wall for most of the second half and they had to play the closing stages with 10 men, Mangala picking up an injury after Moyes had used all his allotted substitution slots.
But on a day when the 61-year-old became just the third manager after Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson to reach 700 Premier League games, the Toffees held on to register back-to-back victories for the first time this season and claim a vital three points in their battle to avoid the drop.
Seagulls fall short in frustrating display
Fabian Hurzeler’s side had started the new year with a spring in their step, drawing against Arsenal and thrashing Norwich in the FA Cup before registering back-to-back victories over Ipswich and Manchester United.
However, since a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on 9 November, they have now failed to win in their last five league matches at Amex Stadium.
They started on the front foot against the Toffees and Tariq Lamptey, making his first start of 2025, was heavily involved, getting in behind the Everton defence on several occasions without being able to pick out a team-mate in the penalty area.
Brighton players were vociferous in their protests at Robinson’s decision to penalise Veltman for handball late in the half, but it was a clumsy intervention from the Dutchman that ultimately cost his side dearly.
A second-half improvement was not enough to spark a Seagulls revival, with Pedro’s blocked effort their only attempt on target in the 90 minutes.
Both sets of players were involved in an altercation at the final whistle but Hurzeler’s team can have no complaints at the outcome.
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