Brighton and Everton met on the first day of the season for the second season in a row, and again it was Brighton who ran out the victors. Twelve months is a long time in football, and Brighton’s victory was far more convincing this time around.

Putting four past the Toffees, Brighton played in a fluid formation. Without possession, they defended with a back four as Maria Thorisdóttir playing rightback and Guro Bergsvand partnered in centreback with Jorelyn Carabalí. It was Poppy Pattinson who completed the defensive quartet at left back.

However, when in possession, the side built up with a back three as Thorisdóttir and Carabalí drifted inside and allowed Pattinson to overlap, joining a five in midfield. Everton included three new signings in their starting eleven, with Toni Payne, Veatriki Sarri and Inma Gabarro all featuring.

The Lineups

BRI: Baggaley; Thorisdóttir, Pattinson, Bergsvand, Losada (c), Bremer, Seike, Kirby, Carabalí, Olislagers, Bruna

EVE: Brosnan; Galli, Finnigan, Vanhaevermaet, Stenevik, S.Homlgaard, Wheeler, Sarri, Gabarro, T.Payne, Snoeijs

The Action

Not long after the first whistle blew, Brighton were on the front foot. Vicky Losada found Kiko Seike – playing her first competitive club game in England – whose keen running earned her side a corner. The resulting corner into the box found the head of Guro Bergsvand who nodded wide when perhaps she should have tested Courtney Brosnan in the Everton goal.

Everton had an early shout for a penalty when former Seagull Sari found herself in a goal mouth scramble her seemingly firing against the arm of Seiko but the referee waved away their appeals. There was palpable excitement when Kirby touched the ball from the home faithful at Broadfields stadium. Not long after Everton’s penalty appeal, Fran Kirby and Seike combined down Everton’s right side. Kirby slipped Seike in behind, but her ball across narrowly missed the outstretched leg of Pauline Bremmer. 

Everton had looked to press high early on while Brighton were eager to play through the lines. Brighton dominated the possession in the first half and Everton were reduced largely to counter attacks. One came courtesy of new signing Inma Gabarro, who had a few early touches that showcased her class. She received a ball to her feet with her back to goal in her own half, and she swivelled away from two onrushing Brighton players, before launching a ball over the top to Snoeijs, whose shot was blocked. Seike looked explosive, threatening the Everton backline at every opportunity.

The Toffees struggled to control possession throughout. After a poor clearance from Elise Stenevik, Marisa Olislagers found Seike, who forced an excellent save from Brosnan. The keeper who made more saves than any other in the league last year got started early here in her campaign to retain that statistical gong. But, this was a warning sign that Everton did not heed.

The Japanese live wire Seike then picked the pocket of Stenevik and with Brosnan off her line, chipped the keeper from outside the box with a phenomenal finish. In response, Everton laboured. Aurora Galli got on the ball and was keen to inject some pace into the response with direct running in possession at the Brighton defence but Brian Sørenson’s Blues continued to toil, attempting to play through the Brighton press. Brighton gradually crept up the pitch and were camped in the Everton half for much of the first 45 minutes.

The second half began encouragingly for Everton. Inma Gabarro found the ball on the edge of the box and Everton’s new Spanish no. 10’s shot needed a strong hand from Baggaley to parry it over the bar. A maze-like run from Toni Payne almost saw a shot on goal from just a few yards out, but the new signing was dispossessed.

The bright start to the second half for the Toffees faded badly when Brighton caught them on the counter, as Losada played an inch-perfect through ball to Pattinson pushing high up the pitch from wing back. With the Everton defence stretched and struggling to recover, Pattinson clipped a sumptuous ball to the back post, where Seike was waiting to pounce, her diving header finding the back of the net. Everton tried to wrestle back some control, introducing Honka Hayashi with just over thirty minutes to play but she struggled, just as Gabarro had, to exert any real control in the midfield.

Brighton probed after making it two. A free kick from the left was warded off by Brosnan before further disaster for Everton. From the resulting corner, a miscued shot from Thorisdóttir hit the arm of Sara Holmgaard, and the referee pointed to the spot. Fran Kirby stepped up and cooly slotted the ball past Brosnan to make it three.

The party atmosphere for the home side continued with the introduction of new signing Nikita Parris, who was introduced with just under 20 minutes to play. The day continued to deliver for the Seagulls when Seike rounded on the Everton goal after a loose pass from the Everton midfield found just the wrong person.

Attacking the right of the box in acres of space, Seike had the hat-trick on her mind when she fired a brilliant curling shot into the top corner of the Everton net. Just when head coach Sørensen must have felt things could not get any worse, midfielder Galli went down injured and received treatment for several minutes before limping off the field of play. The seriousness of the injury is yet to be confirmed.

Brighton pushed for a fifth, but Everton were able to regain some composure to keep the arrears at four. Brighton’s new era under Dario Vidošić started in impressive fashion, as the club ended an unwanted record of five defeats in a row at Broadfields stadium, recording a comfortable win in the process. For Sørensen, there is far more to ponder.

While the Toffees demonstrated sufficient spark to suggest pressing the panic button, now would be premature. Such a convincing defeat to a side they finished four points above last season is cause for concern. Both sides face Manchester clubs next in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with Everton hosting Manchester United while Brighton travel to Manchester City next weekend.

The Halfway Line Player of the Match: Kiko Seike.

An electric performance from the Brighton winger gave Stenevik and Holmgaard all kinds of problems down the right hand side, and drummed up a magnificent hat-trick. Her link up play with Kirby was joyous to watch – a complete performance.