Everton tempers flare as slow starter Locadia shines again
Jurgen Locadia, struggling so long for a centre-stage role at Brighton, continued his festive breakthrough with another moment to savour – but, for Everton, it was all too much as their frustration overflowed at the end.
The Merseysiders were fuming when striker Richarlison was left rolling in apparent agony as Brighton proceeded to launch an attack early in the second half. At the final whistle, Lucas Digne confronted home substitute Glenn Murray before being pulled away by team-mate Jordan Pickford and the Everton coaching staff. He left the pitch gesticulating angrily towards the celebrating Brighton players.
Marco Silva, the Everton manager, who spoke to referee Andrew Madley afterwards, said of Digne: “He was upset at how we didn’t win the match, he was upset with the referee in certain moments. But that is part of the game.
“What I told the ref stays between him and me… He didn’t stop the game for Richarlison but he did for others. He has to do the same for both teams.”
It was all smiles for Locadia, however. Having rescued a point with a slide-rule finish against Arsenal on Boxing Day, his first Premier League goal in 10 months, now he delivered all three with a smart strike just before the hour mark.
The Dutch striker had been linked with a transfer, after failing to make an impression since his £14million move from PSV Eindhoven just under 12 months ago. Now he appears an important part of a Brighton side who enter 2019 firmly on the up.
“It feels like a moment. A big win for us,” said Brighton manager Chris Hughton, who defended his players over the Richarlison incident. “I’ve got a good, honest group. If any of them had thought it was a bad injury, the ball would have gone out.”
Brighton had started positively, pinning Everton, who had hit Burnley for five on Boxing Day, in their own half.
The Merseysiders burst into life approaching the half-hour, Seamus Coleman swinging in a cross that induced panic in the home penalty area when goalkeeper David Button, deputising for Mat Ryan, who is away on Asian Cup duty with Australia, dropped the ball at Bernard’s feet. The Tottenham youth product soon showed his pedigree, however, pushing away Richarlison’s shot then grabbing hold of a deflected drive from Idrissa Gueye.
Temperatures rose soon after the interval, when Richarlison, having ridden a couple of challenges, fell to the ground clutching his leg. Brighton continued to build an attack and while Hughton and his Everton counterpart exchanged views on the edges of their technical areas, Bernard sought a confrontation with Solly March, and received a yellow card for his troubles. Brighton, however, were back in the ascendancy and provided the afternoon’s decisive moment in the 59th minute. Pascal Gross’s corner hit Andre Gomes and as the ball rolled back towards Pickford, Locadia pounced to sweep it beyond the Everton goalkeeper. Everton could have been level just two minutes later but Button got a hand to Richarlison’s squirming, low shot to push the ball on to a post. Kurt Zouma thudded a header against the home crossbar four minutes from the end but, with Lewis Dunk superb in their rearguard, this was Brighton’s day.