Credit: The Brighton Base
Everton piled more misery on Brighton as they snatched a 1-1 draw on the Sussex coast on Saturday.
Both side’s had their fair share of chances throughout the contest, but it was the Seagulls who raced into the lead courtesy of a well-taken goal from Pascal Gross in the 73rd minute.
Following Yasin Ayari’s drilled cross, the German steered his strike beyond Jordan Pickford from inside the Toffees’ penalty area after a clever dummy from Charalampos Kostoulas.
But a catalogue of defensive errors saw Brighton’s good work undone in the 97th minute. Bart Verbruggen did well to keep out Jake O’Brien’s initial half-volley, but he parried his save straight into the path of Beto, who coolly tucked home to send the travelling Everton supporters into a frenzy.
The draw extends Brighton’s poor run of form to just one win in 11 Premier League matches, with [supporters showing their disgruntlement](https://thebrightonbase.com/brighton-news-fabian-hurzeler-premier-league-everton/) when the full-time whistle sounded at the Amex Stadium.
The Brighton Base takes a look at how Fabian Hurzeler’s side performed on Saturday afternoon…
**Bart Verbruggen – 7**
Kept the Seagulls in the game with two great stops in the second half, and he could do very little about the equaliser after getting down well to deny O’Brien. His distribution left plenty to be desired on the day though.
**Ferdi Kadioglu – 7**
A routine display from the Turkey international. Matched Iliman Ndiaye expertly throughout and showed some smart defensive awareness. Has been less of an attacking threat in recent weeks.
**Jan Paul van Hecke – 8**
The Dutchman impressed at both ends of the pitch. The defender is starting to thrive with the creative licence he has been offered, roaming into midfield frequently, but he will need to sharpen up on his passing if he is to make his presence felt in those areas. Nevertheless, he commanded his backline.
**Lewis Dunk – 7**
The Seagulls skipper was strong defensively up until the dying embers of the match, when his tame defensive header landed at the feet of O’Brien.
**Maxim De Cuyper – 6 (Veltman, 70’)**
The left-back kept play ticking neatly and delivered some dangerous crosses. A solid display from the Belgian.
**Yasin Ayari – 7**
Struggled to influence the first half but came into his own as the game went on. Had Kostoulas to thank for his assist, but made some important interceptions and challenges throughout.
**Carlos Baleba – 8**
A few loose passes shouldn’t overshadow what was a commanding display from the midfielder. Protected the Brighton backline well with countless tackles and recoveries, attempted to drive his side forward on occasions and drew fouls in good areas.
**Georginio Rutter – 5 (Minteh, 60’)**
The Frenchman found himself out of position once again on Saturday afternoon, this time on the right wing. In a familiar pattern, the 23-year-old never truly looked comfortable in the role either. Squandered possession in the final third on several occasions and struggled physically against the towering Everton backline.
**Pascal Gross – 6 (Milner, 96’)**
Took his goal well, but it was far from his most influential performance. Worked hard defensively but opted for a conservative approach in possession. Picked up a booking for a needlessly rash challenge in a dangerous area.
**Kaoru Mitoma – 6**
A more commanding display from the winger, albeit with little to show for it. Looked to pick the game up by the scruff of the neck late on, but his end product went astray. Should have forced a save from Pickford in the first half from close range.
**Danny Welbeck – 5 (Kostoulas, 70’)**
All of the striker’s meaningful actions came in a first-half flurry. The striker teed up Mitoma before missing a free header from a corner. Welbeck’s impact then quickly fizzled out.
**Substitutes**
**Charalampos Kostoulas – 7**
His dummy for Gross’ goal was the touch of quality which the match was crying out for. Some fancy flicks from the forward didn’t come off, but it was another display which will put him in contention for a start.
**Yankuba Minteh – 6**
Added some creativity down the right after his introduction, but both of his shots were tame. Worked hard defensively when required.
**Joel Veltman – 6**
Provided a sense of calm in possession and answered the few questions that were asked of him defensively.
**James Milner – N/A**