Key events
David Moyes has had a quick chat with Sky Sports during the warmups. The Everton boss was say slightly awkwardly between Pien Meulensteen and Phil Jagielka but managed to say some nice things about leading out Everton today:
“It’s a day in history for everyone here. We’ve got a fantastic, new-looking stadium, now we need a team to match it. I’m hugely privileged (to be in charge) – it was regularly talked about in my first spell here, but things kept falling down. For me to come back as the manager here, it’s a great thrill for me. I’m the fortunate one who gets to lead the team out today.”
Team news!
Everton XI: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Iroegbunam, Garner, Gueye, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry.
Subs: Onyango, Armstrong, Aznou, Alcaraz, Coleman, Chermiti, Beto, McNeil, Travers.
Jack Grealish starts his first game, coming in for Carlos Alcaraz (not that one) and Thierno Barry comes in for Beto.
Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, O’Riley, Mitoma, Welbeck.
Subs: Steele,Gruda, Hinshelwood, Milner, Boscagli, Kadioglu, Gomez, Veltman, Coppola.
Brighton’s one change is enforced, Georginio Rutter has a slight knock and drops out of the squad, that allows Danny Welbeck to start up top.
Preamble
It is more than a year since Brighton departed Goodison Park for the last time. It was an emotional day for the hosts, as what should have been a start to a glorious to the final season at their famous old home turned sour. By full-time, Everton fans were streaming out of the ground as Brighton eased to a 3-0 win.
So it is that the Seagulls are also Everton’s first visitors of the season for the 2025-26 campaign, but much has changed in the last 12 months. Everton have a different manager in the dugout and a different owner in the stands. Ashley Young is no longer the starting right-back. Jack Grealish has arrived to try and earn a spot on the plane to North America for next summer’s World Cup. Am I missing something?
Ah yes, we’re at Hill Dickinson Stadium now. A spaceship has landed at Bramley-Moore Dock in the shape of a 52,000-seater modern venue and there is, as is customary, a swell of positivity rolling in off the Mersey. David Moyes has already avenged that opening day rollicking from last season, by guiding Everton to an ugly 1-0 win at the Amex in January. His West Ham teams never did that well against Brighton but he has spoken about making Everton fans fall in love with their new surroundings. His side will need to be better than they were against Leeds on Monday night, at least.
Fabian Hürzeler should have had his first win of the season already. Brighton’s performance against Fulham wasn’t that inspiring but to concede from a set-piece with almost the game’s last kick was cruel. The Seagulls are not known as heartbreakers. If anything they regularly provide a cure for long winless runs or spells of poor form – Dr Brighton, if you will.
On any other occasion, this would be a game the Seagulls would be targeting for victory if they want to fulfil their owner’s lofty goal of European qualification. This Everton side represent a pretty good opportunity for an away win, but the new stadium is a complicating factor and also a point of interest. Let’s just hope it’s not 0-0.
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