Everton Out-classed Brighton

It was a shock result for everyone involved, very few expected Everton to win against Brighton not even in the American Express Stadium.

Everton recorded their first away league against in 14 attempts and could not have come at a more opportune time, with just three matches now remaining to secure their top-flight safety.

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s strike after 34 seconds laid down what ultimately felt like an emphatic opening statement as both he and Dwight McNeil went on to score braces on either side of the half.

Dyche said: “People will be out there thinking right, OK, there’s life in that team but we’ve never lost sight of that.

“It just reminds the players that their work ethic, their commitment to the cause, their commitment to the group is really important because I know there’s quality.

“I’ve always believed there’s quality. I’ve said it many times, but talking about it doesn’t win you a game. It’s the collective mentality to go and deliver everything you’ve got.

“We were very frustrated not to come away with all three points (against Leicester) but we got a reward for carrying on that mentality in their performances tonight.”

The victory meant Sean Dyche’s side is safe for the time being, with league leaders Manchester City up next followed by encounters with Wolves and Bournemouth.

“They’re very high feeling the feel-good factor,” he added. “But it’s only another step. I said that after Arsenal, and sometimes people forget that. There are three more big steps we’ve got to take.”

Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi, meanwhile, suggested his side’s performance revealed they were not yet ready to go toe-to-toe with the best in the business, though he was unspecific about whether he was looking at England’s top four or more broadly to the other side of the Channel.

He said: “Of course, we can lose the game. We can lose against Everton, but I’m disappointed for the first half because it was tough.

“We showed we are not ready yet to compete and to achieve the big target. But I am speaking about mentality, not other things, not other parts of football.

“It’s not easy because playing in the last period, three games in a week is difficult if you are not used to playing so many games.

“But if we want to improve, if we want to fix our target higher, we have to improve very fast.”