Fabian Hürzeler enjoys dream start as Brighton spell doom for 10-man Everton

The start of the end for Goodison Park marked the beginning of a promising relationship for Fabian Hürzeler and Brighton. The youngest ever permanent manager in Premier League history provided a memorable debut as his team spoiled Everton's last opening day at their stadium after 132 years with a convincing win.

Everton's strong beginning was quickly forgotten when Simon Adingra scored Brighton's third goal. Brighton could have won by a larger margin. They were full of energy and creativity, while their opponents seemed to run out of steam and struggled in the second half. Fans who have seen Everton struggle before will not be surprised by this collapse. However, for 31-year-old Hürzeler, this was a very positive first impression.

The new head coach of Brighton expressed that there were tough moments during the game, but they all faced them together and fought for what was right. The team demonstrated determination and strength of character. This victory is a positive beginning, but it's crucial to remain modest despite the success.

Goodison wasn't the only old and respected thing worth mentioning. Ashley Young, at 39 years and 39 days old, became the oldest outfield player in Everton's history. Unfortunately, he also became the oldest outfield player for Everton to receive a red card as the game quickly went downhill.

James Milner, who is 38 years old and is seven years older than Hürzeler, made history by being the first player to play in 23 straight seasons of the Premier League. He started alongside Mats Wieffer in Brighton's central midfield. He received his usual yellow card in the 31st minute for a foul on Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Everton began the game in the same determined way they had finished last season, with five wins in a row at home and no goals conceded. Jack Harrison had a shot saved by Jason Steele early on, but he managed to score from a corner soon after. However, it was clear that Harrison was offside when he scored from Michael Keane's header.

Fans of Everton stood up in the ninth minute to honor Kevin Campbell, their beloved former No 9 who passed away in June. The club will have a special tribute for Campbell at their upcoming home game against Bournemouth, where his family will also be present. His passing is a significant loss.

There weren't many opportunities for Brighton to score in the first half, but whenever they did, Everton struggled to keep up with the speed and clever plays of Brighton's front attackers. João Pedro almost scored a goal, hitting the post with Jordan Pickford unable to stop it. Eventually, Brighton took the lead unexpectedly, showcasing the talent of Yankuba Minteh, their new player from Newcastle, and highlighting the strong attacking skills of their team.

He quickly moved past the Everton defender Mykolenko to deliver a flawless pass to the far post, where Kaoru Mitoma scored. The new player had to leave the game early due to concussion protocols after a collision with Mykolenko, and he showed his frustration with the safety measure as he walked to the tunnel. Hürzeler emphasized that the player's well-being is always the top priority over any match or victory.

Brighton's first goal showed their quick speed and attack that Everton was missing. The home team got a penalty shortly after the game restarted when it looked like Dominic Calvert-Lewin was tripped by Lewis Dunk due to confusion in the away team's defense. But the referee, Simon Hooper, changed his decision after checking the pitchside monitor with the help of video assistant referee. It turned out that Calvert-Lewin's foot had actually landed on the central defender's foot.

Sean Dyche expressed that the opposing player was reckless and intentionally stepped on top of Dom's foot. He emphasized that there should be a strict standard for reviewing referee calls this season, as these decisions can have a significant impact on the game.

Danny Welbeck took advantage of a mistake by Idrissa Gueye to score Brighton's second goal. After receiving a pass from Wieffer, Welbeck found himself with space to run towards Everton's defense. Without any opposition, he calmly and skillfully placed the ball past Pickford to score.

Brighton had many opportunities to make Everton suffer more before and after their opponents had one less player on the field. Hooper had to send off Young for stopping a clear chance to score a goal. The experienced player carelessly used his chest to control a long pass which led to Mitoma getting the ball and then made it worse by fouling the Japanese player as the last defender.

Minteh was substituted for Adingra, who was able to convert one of Brighton's many scoring opportunities. He then assisted his teammate Yasin Ayari, but unfortunately, the goal was disallowed by VAR for being offside. This was the only moment of solace for Everton.