Everton-Club

And it is not just the usual suspects doing the goalscoring damage. Alexis Mac Allister scored two and Dan Burn converted a set-piece to secure the 3-2 win at Everton. That first ever success at Goodison followed victory and a draw from trips to Anfield within the last year. It was the first time the Seagulls had won without a goal from Neal Maupay, Leandro Trossard or Danny Welbeck since success at Liverpool the previous season. Steven Alzate hit the winner that night. Back at Anfield this season, Enock Mwepu scored so far his only Premier League goal. He added two assists at Goodison on Sunday to move on to three for the campaign. In fact, all but one win since Liverpool last term has featured a goal by either Maupay or Trossard. You need to add in Welbeck, or Pascal Gross, at home to Leeds last term to make the sequence stretch all the way from Anfield ten months ago to the other side of Stanley Park. No Albion player scored twice in a Premier League game throughout 2021. Mac Allister did it in the first fixture of the New Year. (Only two opponents scored twice against the Seagulls in 2021, Nicolas Pepe and Phil Foden, before Anthony Gordon emulated them on Sunday). But Graham Potter was keen to also mention the set-piece strike when he spoke via Zoom after the game. It has been rather bewildering how few goals Albion score from set plays. They do not have much height up front in general play. But there are some potentially dominant characters who can rumble forward for corners and free-kicks. Not least Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy, who nets for the Republic of Ireland. There is also the potential for decent delivery from players such as Gross and Mac Allister. Three of Albion’s six wins to date have featured a headed goal from a set-piece – versus Watford, Leicester and now Everton. But rarely do their ploys work as well as that which saw Mac Allister deliver, Mwepu help the ball on and Burn score from close range. Burn told BBC Radio Sussex: “We haven’t got many from set-pieces this season. “I don’t score many headers so it was nice to get one. “It gives us confidence. Now every set-piece we get, hopefully we will think we are going to score.” BRIGHTON URGED TO REST AFTER TOUGH WEEK Albion now have four set-piece goals, more than only three teams - including Everton on three. The Seagulls have conceded six from set plays while only two sides have let in more than Everton, who were breached for the eighth time on Sunday. Toffees manager Rafa Benitez said: “We were practising specifically these kind of corners and how to defend them. “We made mistakes. We know how and what we have to do but it’s not the time to point figures. We have to accept the mistake as a group.” Burn was not complaining. The tough week was a personal triumph for him. Yes, there were challenging moments against Romelu Lukaku. Couldn’t the Chelsea striker have upset Thomas Tuchel a couple of days earlier? But Burn got better as that duel went on and enjoyed his tussle with returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison. Burn’s opening 45 minutes of 2021, at home to Wolves, were among his toughest for the club. His opening 90 of 2022 might have been his best. He said of his tussles with the big men: “You don’t really play against strikers like that in the Premier League. “It was more when I was coming through League One, League Two and stuff so it was a bit of a throwback. “I have enjoyed it. It has been a good battle this week.”