They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but David Moyes proved that these old hounds can still teach young pups a lesson or two.
Everton boss Moyes celebrated his 700th Premier League game as a manager with a 1-0 win at Brighton, leaving the league’s youngest coach Fabian Hurzeler scratching his head and wondering what had just happened.
Brighton had all the possession, all of the passes and all of the shots but neither the goals nor the points as Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half penalty secured a victory for Everton that came straight out of chapter one of the Moyes managerial instruction manual.
Everton relished the waves of Brighton pressure that crashed on their shores, throwing heads and any body part possible in the way of cross after cross and shot after shot.
They never lost their shape, they never lost their composure, they never lost their desire.
Moyes, in his usual understated manner, this week described becoming only the third manager after Arsene Wenger and reaching 700 Premier League games as a ‘fair achievement’. He doubts he will rack up the extra 100 or more he needs to catch those above him but keep putting results like this together and don’t count it out.
Iliman Ndiaye scored the only goal as Everton earned a 1-0 victory away at Brighton
Ndiaye scored from the penalty spot to put the Toffees ahead in the 42nd minute
David Moyes has now guided his Everton side to successive Premier League victories
It was fitting, too, that he brought up such a milestone against Hurzeler, a man 30 years his junior, and the embodiment of the new age of exciting, young managers.
For many of us, it only feels like five minutes ago that it was a 39-year-old fresh-faced Moyes who was the youngest Premier League manager when he walked into Everton for the first time in 2002.
How different Moyes looks now, grey hair having long replaced the auburn, and how different this club looks too. This was a side, before today, that had won just one of their last 21 away games in the league.
The Scot would have been concerned that might become 22 when he was forced into an early change after striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had ended a run of 16 games without a goal with his finish in the win over Tottenham last time out, appeared to jar his leg after an aerial challenge with Lewis Dunk.
Other than losing his striker, the game went just as Moyes would have wanted. Brighton had lots of the ball as expected, and moved it in their usual sharp manner, but did nothing of note as the well-set, well-drilled Toffees gave not an inch.
Tariq Lamptey fizzed a ball across an empty goal face, Joao Pedro ended a neat passing move by thumping a shot into a crowd of bodies and Carlos Baleba dragged a speculative long-range effort wide.
Moyes may as well have pressed his fingertips together like Mr Burns in The Simpsons and whispered ‘Eeeeexcellent’ to himself with a sinister grin on his face as he waited for his Everton side to pounce when the chance came.
That’s just what they did.
Fabian Hurzeler was left frustrated as his Brighton side suffered a defeat against Everton
Everton had to make a change after 13 minutes as Dominic Calvert-Lewin went off injured
Brighton forward Danny Welbeck goes for goal under pressure from Jarrad Branthwaite
What looked to be an innocuous coming together in the Brighton box between Joel Veltman and Beto revealed on replay a swinging arm at the ball from the Seagulls defender. VAR sent referee Tim Robinson to the screen, he awarded the penalty and Ndiaye rolled it into the corner.
Replays of the handball decision showed on the big screens and the boos that erupted from the home fans could have been heard in Portsmouth. Those boos continued after Robinson blew his half-time whistle and even louder at the end.
Brighton started the second half with purpose. Pedro nipped into the box, won a corner and fired up the crowd. Kaoru Mitoma bent a right-footed shot beyond the far post. Pedro’s volley inside the crowded box again couldn’t find a way through.
The hosts kept pushing but Moyes’s men kept getting it clear and kept trying to slow the game down as much as possible. Jordan Pickford picked up the most predictable yellow card of the season for some second-half time-wasting.
The imperious Jarrod Branthwaite headed Baleba’s first-time rocket over his own bar, blocked a fierce late shot from Welbeck, then slide in to win the ball off Mitoma’s toe as he looked to drive into the box.
Moyes remained on the touchline with his arms folded, showing not a hint of worry or stress. When his side looked to break late on, he pointed straight towards the corner flag.
It was only when the final whistle blew, and tempers boiled over between the players and backroom staff, did he allow himself a roar and a fist pump before he strode on to the pitch to hug his players for putting on the ultimate Moyes masterclass.
