Everton

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

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Everton snatched a late draw against Brighton as Beto came off the bench to score a 97th-minute equaliser on his 27th birthday.

Their push for a European place was dealt a blow this week as news emerged that injured Jack Grealish is expected to miss the rest of the season.

But David Moyes was boosted by the return of both Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite to the starting line-up in the draw at Brighton.

Dewsbury-Hall contributed four goals and three assists before picking up a hamstring injury in December, while centre-back Branthwaite made his first start of the season.

Thierno Barry headed into the game with four goals in his past five appearances, but the striker hardly got a look-in during an underwhelming first half for the visitors.

However, Everton's response in the second half was impressive.

They had seven shots after the break, four of them on target, and Brighton's opener came firmly against the run of play.

But Moyes' side did not let their shoulders drop and found the leveller from almost the final passage of play.

Bart Verbruggen could only parry Jake O'Brien's shot into the path of Beto and the striker, who has been limited to bit-part roles in recent months, emerged as the hero.

There was a video assistant referee (VAR) check on whether Tarkowski was interfering with play from an offside position, but it was ruled in Everton's favour.

The Toffees will go home the happier side, preserving their excellent record on the road with four wins, two draws and one defeat from past seven games.

And more importantly, they sit only two points behind their Merseyside rivals Liverpool and four behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

Everton manager David Moyes, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Absolutely we were [good value for a point]. Not many teams come here and win. We were one of the last a year ago.

"It looked like it was going to get away from us. I didn't think we deserved to be 1-0 down. I didn't think we'd conceded too many opportunities but they got a goal and it looked like we weren't going to get back into the game.

"But we deserved it, we kept at it and we got it in the end."

On going 1-0 down: "We probably made two or three mistakes, it seemed to elude two or three players and we have to tidy it up much quicker than we did - and they scored.

"We bounced back from it and pick up a point here, which is never easy."

On improved second half performance: "I thought we played better in the second half. For the first 20-25 minutes Brighton were the better team. They were much sharper, quicker to the ball than we were.

"I thought we improved as the half went on but I was glad to get in at half time with the result as it was."

On Beto's goal: "He's a great lad to work with, he tries to make himself better every day. He's probably been needing the confidence from the goal and I think the crowd's celebration is because they know as well.

"I'm glad he got the goal. He started to score all the goals for me last year at about this time so let's hope he's about to go into his season again."

On his celebration: "I'd have gone a bit further if I had been allowed. We can't enjoy it anymore as managers without getting booked for leaving our technical area. They're putting a dampener on that as well."

Hear more from Moyes on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Everton didn't attempt a single shot on goal in the first half, the third time they've not had a shot in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game this season, more than any other team.

• James Garner made his 100th Premier League appearance in this match (98 for Everton, 2 for Manchester United) and finished the game with the most duels won of any player (10); only three midfielders have won more duels than him overall in the league this season (134).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Have your say on Everton's performance

Come back on Sunday for a selection of your replies

Fabian Hurzeler makes two changes to his Brighton side after a 2-1 defeat at Fulham last time out.

Georginio Rutter and Maxim De Cuyper return to the starting line-up as Olivier Boscagli and Diego Gomez, who picked up a knock in training, drop out.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Rutter, Baleba, Welbeck, Mitoma, Kadioglu, Ayari, De Cuyper, Gross.

Subs: Steele, Julio, Gruda, Minteh, Milner, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Veltman, Howell.

Everton manager David Moyes makes three changes from the 1-1 draw against Leeds.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite return to the starting line-up after injuries while Michael Keane is back from a three-match suspension.

Everton XI: Pickford, Keane, Tarkowski, Ndiaye, Barry, O'Brien, Dewsbury-Hall, Gueye, Branthwaite, Garner, Armstrong.

Subs: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Beto, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Rohl, Iroegbunam.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Leeds v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Bournemouth

• Chelsea v West Ham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Newcastle (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v West Ham", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Jack Grealish's absence is a big blow for Everton but at least Iliman Ndiaye is back to provide some creativity - and the best news of all for Everton is that Thierno Barry has found his shooting boots.

The Toffees' away record this season is pretty good - they have only been beaten once on the road since 18 October and have picked up more points away (17) than they have at home (16), despite playing one game fewer.

They usually do pretty well at Amex Stadium too, and I think they will get at least a point here for what would be the sixth season running.

Despite their patchy recent form, Brighton have only lost once at home so far - to Aston Villa in December - but they do draw quite a few games.

That's what I am going for here, but my record when I have predicted both of these teams this season means we will probably see one of them win it!

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

Fresh from landing a blow on the best home team in European football in their previous away outing, Everton will look to continue their excellent record on the road at Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Toffees earned a superb 1–0 victory at Aston Villa – who had won 11 games in a row at Villa Park – a fortnight ago. They followed that up with a frustrating 1–1 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday against Leeds United, although there were some reasons to be positive from that encounter.

Brighton are finding things to be a slog at the moment. Last week, they were beaten 2–1 by Fulham as their form continues to stall.

Brighton slow out of the blocks

Since the start of December, only the two sides at the bottom of the Premier League – Burnley and Wolves – have earned fewer points than the eight by Brighton. It's just one win in 10 league games for Albion during that time.

Although they are only three points behind Everton in the table, Brighton supporters will not be relishing the visit of the Merseysiders. At home, the Seagulls have not won any of their past five meetings with the Toffees, with their last victory in the fixture coming in 2019.

The supporters will want to see the team get on the front foot between now and the end of the season. So often Brighton have found themselves in a hole, conceding 55% of their Premier League goals this season in the first half of games (17 of 31) - the highest share in the division.

As a result, Brighton have been behind at half-time on 12 occasions, more than any other team this season.

And could a little more commitment in their battles help? Brighton have lost more challenges than any team in the league this season, with Bournemouth a distant second.

Everton up for a battle, with Barry transformed

In Everton, they face a team that have a clear game plan in their away fixtures. In contrast to Brighton, much of their success has come from their competitiveness.

The Toffees have been involved in (2,570) and won (1,337) the most duels in the Premier League this season. Their 52% duel success rate is only narrowly bettered by Liverpool's 52.1%.

Even with those figures in mind, Everton's defensive performances on the road are impressive. They have kept five clean sheets in their past six Premier League away games, including the past three.

Crucially, manager David Moyes can boast an edge in attack now too. Having struggled to even hit the target early in his Everton career – eventually scoring in his 14th Premier League game – Thierno Barry is now one of the in-form forwards in the top flight.

His goal in the draw with Leeds was his fourth in five games, and fifth overall. Impressively, the former France Under-21 international has netted those five goals from a total of 10 shots, which is the best conversion rate of any player to have taken more than five shots in that time.

Everton have relied on him, with goals drying up in other areas. He has scored five of the team's past nine goals.

Everton boss David Moyes has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Moyes confirmed Jack Grealish is likely to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury: "We believe Jack Grealish is probably going to need surgery. That's still not absolutely confirmed, but it probably rules him out for the rest of the season."

• Asked if it would be too early to consider on-loan Grealish's future with Everton beyond the end of his loan spell, he added: "Far too early."

• Providing a fitness update on the rest of his squad, Moyes said: "Good, [we've got] Michael Keane back, we've got Jarrad Branthwaite, who played 45 minutes, Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] back. We're still waiting a little bit on Charly Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam but they're all certainly getting much closer."

• On potential incomings before Monday's deadline: "I'd like to say we're out there looking and I think I've said in every press conference – we're certainly looking and it's not that we're shying away from it. I would say it's probably less likely than likely."

• Targeting a right-back?: "We've been actively looking for a right-back for over a year but I think when Patto [Nathan Patterson] has come in he hasn't let us down."

• On potential departures: "People might, yes, but at the moment, we're not planning to – but they may well do."

• Asked about Harrison Armstrong, who could rejoin Preston on loan for the remainder of the campaign, Moyes said: "I certainly won't make a decision until after Brighton. I'm in regular contact with Peter Ridsdale and Paul Heckingbottom at Preston – I'm on the phone to them every couple of days about it. We'll wait and see how things go but he's not looked out of place in the Premier League. That's the biggest compliment I could give Harrison, that's for sure."

• On James Garner's recent performances: "I think Jimmy has stepped up more this year, wants to take more responsibility and is playing with confidence. I am really pleased with Jimmy."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Listen to full live commentary of Brighton v Everton on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and BBC Sounds from 15:00 GMT on Saturday

Ask us questions about Everton and we'll put them to our experts

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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James Garner should have been sent off in Everton's 1-0 win at Aston Villa on 18 January, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has said.

Garner, who was already on a caution, chased Morgan Rogers from midfield and pushed the Villa player in the back as he reached the edge of the penalty area.

Referee Tony Harrington did not award a free-kick but the KMI Panel unanimously voted that a foul should have been given and Garner shown a second yellow card.

It said Garner's actions were "a clear two-handed push into the back" which warranted "a second caution for a clear tactical foul".

The incident came in the 57th minute and Everton scored the only goal of the game two minutes later through Thierno Barry.

It is the second time in a matter of weeks that Villa have lost a game where their opponents should have been reduced to 10 men.

The KMI Panel also said that Arsenal's Mikel Merino should have received two bookings in Villa's 4-1 loss at the Emirates on 30 December.

The decision to rule out Jake O'Brien's goal against Villa for an offside offence by Harrison Armstrong was supported, 4:1.

Armstrong had jumped to try to head the ball but failed to make contact, with the assistant raising his flag to disallow it.

The KMI Panel said that "Armstrong is close to the ball and clearly impacts an opponent".

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Everton are unbeaten in four games and slowly building momentum as they head into the final part of the Premier League season.

Although David Moyes' side have picked up three consecutive draws in the league, only three points separate them from Merseyside neighbours Liverpool, who sit in sixth position.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall says Everton have their sights on the European places.

"This is a mad league this year. We want to be in the European spots and we have got a lot of important games," said the midfielder.

Moyes' men are now on the road for two consecutive Premier League weekends as they travel to Brighton and then Fulham.

But, Dewsbury-Hall remains positive, as past victories over the two sides have put the team in good stead.

"We are playing a lot of teams that we have played and beaten," he added.

"It is down to us now, and it is on us. If we want to achieve something we have to show it."

Listen to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's full interview with BBC Radio Merseyside

Mike Richards
Fan writer

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Another opportunity granted and another opportunity missed. The inconsistency of Everton's season continued again on Monday night at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The first-half performance especially was glaringly lacklustre and overwhelmingly dull, with only the returning Iliman Ndiaye offering up any kind of performance.

It took a formation change and introduction of real quality to proceedings for Everton to get a foothold in the game from the first minute of the second half.

Seeing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall back in the royal blue shirt was a welcomed sight. Although clearly a bit rusty, his attitude and elevated ability lifted both the crowd and those around him.

It was another returning player that really stood out though – and how we've missed him.

Not seen since the pre-season friendly against Roma, Jarrad Branthwaite trotted onto the pitch for the second half and it was like he'd never been away.

Not only did his calming presence steady the newly formed back three, his superior footballing ability was evident for all to see.

Keen to get Everton playing on the front foot, he picked out numerous midfield and defence splitting passes to force Leeds to retreat - allowing us to grab a deserved equaliser through the in-form Thierno Barry.

You often forget what you have until a player of his importance returns from a long injury absence.

He possesses all the attributes a modern day centre-half needs. He's probably as close to a peak John Stones as you can get, with plenty of years ahead of him.

With the World Cup only a matter of months away, Thomas Tuchel would do well to pay Branthwaite some attention.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

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After failing to score with any of his first 15 shots in the Premier League this season, Thierno Barry has since scored with five of his last 10 efforts in the competition.

The French forward has found his form in the Premier League, but ex-Everton striker Jermaine Beckford expects to see more from the 23-year-old.

"He is getting into some decent form, but if you watch his movement in all the games he is playing, he should easily be on double [figures]," Beckford told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Since the start of December 2025, only Ollie Watkins (7), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7) and Erling Haaland (6) have scored more Premier League goals than Barry's five.

"He didn't look a threat in front of goal," added Beckford. "I know he scored his goal, but he doesn't do that movement enough.

"He still has time and if he is willing to listen to the boss and the players around him, then he will be something special, but I want more!"

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Everton and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Chris: Once again, we only seem to be able to play for one half at home. It's as if the team have no belief in the new stadium. Bigger crowd, better acoustics seem to scare them. It would make a refreshing change to see the team play a whole game the way they played the second half. It's so frustrating for the supporters that they play better away from our new stadium. They need to start believing in themselves. Goodison has gone.

Jeff: A win against lower-placed Leeds would have put us on 35 points, three points below fourth placed Manchester United - a spot that qualifies us for next season's Champions League. But a win was never going to happen, as we played at home. A home that does not feel like home. We would be better off playing all our matches away. Better stadium names, better atmosphere, better results.

Martin: The first half was terrible - particularly Dwight McNeil - but the changes at half-time worked. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall filled a gap and with sharper play from Idrissa Gueye we could have got all three points.

Kevin: First half wasn't good enough, and we can't keep dropping back in home games to let the away side get a foothold. Second half was better. The three centre-backs made it easier to control the ball, but it also took away an extra player in Leeds' third of the pitch. We could have won if we'd been more aggressive. Two points dropped at home, so not good enough!

Leeds fans

Chris: After a promising first half, the second half was a hard watch. We had no response to the Everton changes and were on the back foot most of the last 45. Daniel Farke's changes were so late it barely gave us a chance to fight for the win. A game we should have definitely taken three points from.

Jonathan: I feel like Farke left it far too late to make the substitutions. It was clear from the start of the second half that something needed to change, so I'm not sure why it was left so late on. We should have won that game but nothing was done early enough to calm the tempo down and break their dominance in the second half.

Jeremy: Great first half because it was played at tempo - but then couldn't match the levels and faded when Everton responded. I like the boss but he HAS to realise that subs can be brought on before the last 10. We continue to fail to make substitutions in sufficient time for any impact.

Brendan: We're on a great run. We look like a Premier League side. But after a great first half, Farke completely failed to react in the second half when Everton took control. We should have won that but were lucky to get a point in the end.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Thierno Barry continues to look a raw work in progress but he is now answering questions about his potency in front of goal as he continues his hot scoring streak.

The 23-year-old signed from Villarreal in a £27m summer deal is a mixed bag and remains far from the finished article – but there are signs that Everton manager David Moyes has materials to develop.

Barry's attitude can never be questioned, earning him the support of Everton's fans with his tireless approach, even when he looked out of his depth earlier this season.

He is now getting his rewards with a fourth goal in five Premier League games - this one earning a draw against Leeds United at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

And how Everton needed Barry's input after a dismal first 45 minutes that brought a hostile half-time reaction from their own fans.

Barry is unpredictable to say the least, wasting one promising opening in the second half by suddenly producing a flamboyant back-heel with no team-mates in attendance.

The other side of the coin is that he was the only Everton player who worked Leeds keeper Karl Darlow, producing one fine save from a shot with the outside of his right foot before scoring.

Barry followed up his winner at Aston Villa with a real poacher's finish with 14 minutes left, reacting quicker that Leeds defender Sebastiaan Bornauw to get on the end of Idrissa Gueye's near post cross to flash a finish high past Darlow.

The goals mean Barry has now established himself as Everton's first-choice striker ahead of Beto after the pair were exchanged regularly earlier in the season.

He has certainly won the approval of Moyes, who made it clear earlier this season that he had to score goals or he would find someone else to do so.

Moyes said: "If you're a centre-forward, you need to score goals, and he hadn't at the start. He's getting better. He's training well and getting used to scoring goals. We need to create more chances and we're still trying to get our attacking players back."