Pressure mounts on Toffees’ Benitez
EVERTON manager Rafael Benitez blamed more errors for their 3-2 defeat at home to Brighton but insisted it was not the time “to point fingers” as the Premier League side prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Hull City.
Brighton were 2-0 up inside 21 minutes through goals from Alexis Macallister and Dan Burn and, while Everton academy graduate Anthony Gordon scored his first goals for the club, Macallister’s second sandwiched between them was enough for the visitors.
To compound matters, Dominic Calvertlewin missed a penalty at 2-0 in his first appearance since August.
Everton have won just once in the last 12 matches and are not helping themselves as they have conceded the first goal 14 times in 20 matches this season, with pressure being heaped on Benitez from an unhappy fanbase who booed his side off at full-time.
“We have shown character in a lot of games and played well in a lot of games but we are not capable of avoiding mistakes which are costing games,” the Spaniard said.
“We had a slow start, conceded an early goal and after another mistake we conceded from a corner.
“It is not easy when you have these mistakes and then after we miss a penalty and it is even more difficult.”
Brighton’s second goal saw the unmarked Burn head home after a near-post flick-on and that left Benitez fuming.
“What I can tell you is we were practising specifically these corners and how to defend and we made too many mistakes,” he added.
“We made a mistake and we know how, and we know what we have to do, but it is just not the time to point fingers. We have to accept responsibility as a group.”
The Spaniard also defended his decision to pick right-back Seamus Coleman on the left of a five-man defence and leave Lucas Digne, who looks set to leave after a disagreement with Benitez and the arrival of Ukraine international Vitaliy Mykolenko, on the bench.
“The most important thing for me is to have players who want to be there and fight for the club and team-mates, after that you have to choose the best ones possible,” he said.