EPL: Everton 2-0 Brighton

Cenk Tosun scores first Goodison Park goal

Cenk Tosun scored his first Everton goal at Goodison Park as they beat Brighton 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Brighton were happy to sit back until the hour-mark, when Yannick Bolasie's cross was turned into his own net by Gaetan Bong, under pressure from Theo Walcott.

It was 2-0 shortly after through Tosun (76), who fired in off the crossbar from 12 yards after Leighton Baines had squared the ball across goal.

 

Wayne Rooney saw a late penalty superbly saved by Matt Ryan, but the result sees Everton move up to ninth, while Brighton are down to 11th - seven points off the drop zone.

For all of Everton's dominance in the first half, in which they had 65 per cent possession and eight corners, they couldn't break down a dogged Brighton side.

 

Seamus Coleman came closest, dragging an effort wide from an angle eight yards out, before Glenn Murray forced Jordan Pickford into a decent save from range.

 

Everton finally took the lead after the break as Bong inadvertently turned home Bolasie's dangerous cross under pressure from Walcott.

It was 2-0 with 14 minutes remaining as Tosun lashed home inside the box, but the ball looked to take a slight deflection off Lewis Dunk before hitting the underside of the crossbar and crossing the line.

Anthony Knockaert deservedly saw red for Brighton soon after, going in two-footed on Leighton Baines at the touchline, before Rooney saw a penalty tipped wide by Ryan after Dominic Calvert-Lewin had been brought down by Shane Duffy.

Brighton nearly halved the deficit at the death, but Pickford did well to tip away Pascal Gross' effort from the edge of the box.