Nothing was holding David Moyes back. Arms in the air, fists clenched, the Everton boss charged on to the pitch, unleashed and unrestrained, hardly knowing where to run, where to look, or where to celebrate.
You can have been in this game for as long as Moyes has, nearly three decades now for this 62-year-old, and experienced all those highs and lows, yet moments like this still have the power to turn this gnarly Scot back into a giddy child all over again.
Substitute Beto’s equaliser in the seventh minute of stoppage time, just moments after coming on, provided the most thrilling and ludicrous ending to a strange contest. The only thing that took the shine off it for Moyes was that he got booked for his celebrations.
‘I’m still shaking my head,’ muttered an incredulous Moyes after the game.
Moyes had watched his side hold on for dear life in the first half and rue their own missed chances in the second as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall fired a shot from close range at Bart Verbruggen, only for returning hero Pascal Gross scored what had looked destined to be the winner until the last kick of the game.
Everton striker Beto scored a late equaliser for his side away to Brighton on Saturday afternoon
Returning hero Pascal Gross had given Brighton the lead with just less than 20 minutes to play
HAS HE FOUND GREALISH REPLACEMENT?
With the news that Jack Grealish’s season – and World Cup hopes – are all but over after he needed surgery on a fractured foot it was always going to be interesting to see how Moyes tried to fill that void.
Iliman Ndiaye was always likely to switch to the left but then who would start on the right. The experience of Dwight McNeil, perhaps, but who had a poor game at Leeds. Everton have Tyler Dibling, too, but Moyes has never really trusted him.
Instead, Moyes plumbed for teenage central midfielder Harrison Armstrong, who has only recently been recalled from a loan at Preston and there’s even talk he could return if the club get bodies in before the deadline and Moyes feels he will develop best there.
Moyes is hopeful Everton will sign a player before the window closes with the club linked with a loan move for Chelsea winger Tyrique George.
Armstong, who has just turned 19, has started the last few games but down the middle yet at the Amex Stadium he showed why Moyes keeps putting his faith in the youngster. Moyes told him to tuck in because Brighton like to go narrow on that side. He was superb.
‘The biggest compliment I could give Harrison is his ability to take on information and understand roles,’ said Moyes. ‘He’s shown that his future will be in the Premier League.’
Young Harrison Armstrong was trusted on the right by David Moyes and put in a superb shift
Moyes was elated by his side’s late equaliser and was booked for his jubilant celebrations
BIG AT THE BACK FOR MOYES
‘Four centre-backs, David? Four? That’s insane’. That well-used meme based on the quote from British sitcom Peep Show was given its latest outing after the Everton team sheet landed to show Moyes had opted to name a defensive quartet made up entirely of centre-halves.
Injury to Vitalii Mykolenko meant that four centre-backs, all standing taller than 6ft, looked to provide extra security to a defence that had kept five clean sheets in its last six league games on the road.
For much of the early stages, though they looked all at sea. The narrowness of Everton’s back four meant Brighton could exploit them again, and again, down the flanks.
Ferdi Kadioglou and Kauro Mitoma found space and chances flowed from either side. Kadioglou crossed for Gross and Rutter to put attempts wide while Mitoma first curled in a cross for Danny Welbeck to force a save from Jordan Pickford before spurning a fine chance of his own after Welbeck returned the favour.
And yet after riding that early wave, they put their wall up. Brighton’s first seven shots came in the opening 20 minutes. It took them until the 71st to have another.
They had an impact in the other box too. James Tarkowski saw a header cleared off the line by one of his own players from a corner after earlier flicking on a Jake O’Brien long throw. Big at both ends of the pitch.
Brighton dominated the early exchanges of the tie and their players looked dejected at full-time
Fabian Hurzeler has won just one Premier League game in the last 11 matches for the Seagulls
HURZELER UNDER PRESSURE?
On such small margins can huge results swing. Not only did Everton equalise at the death but not long beforehand, Brighton thought they had a second when Mitoma fired home after a Gross free-kick to the back post that was ruled out for offside.
That makes it just one league win in 11 for Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who has been feeling the heat from a small section of Seagulls fans in recent weeks. When a club normalises overachievement, it does not take long before ruts are seen as canyons.
‘In one moment we weren’t alive and it cost us the game,’ said Hurzeler. ‘The fans can share a frustration, absolutely, about my person. It’s part of the game. I promise I will give everything for the club.’
Moyes, however, was far more bullish about the pressure the 32-year-old up-and-comer is under and appeared to make a little dig about his former club West Ham in the process.
‘I’m nearly sat here with my mouth ajar, saying, “Are you having a laugh?”, said Moyes.
‘He’s doing a brilliant, brilliant job for Brighton. You should consider yourselves incredibly lucky to have such a manager. I’ve been in a couple of places recently where sometimes, you know, the grass isn’t always greener.
‘This is an incredibly well-run club. Sometimes you just got to remember where your place is. You might have a manager who, in the end will probably go on to be the manager of the German national team in years to come.’
