VAR rules out classy Dunk finish but Brighton snatch point at Everton
Having been left on the bench for the last three matches, goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was brought into the Brighton side to make his fifth PL appearance.
The Dutchman was thrown straight into the action, showcasing his quick reactions to deny Abdoulaye Doucouré’s effort at the near post.
Moments later, Verbruggen made another fine save to keep Mykolenko at bay, but the shot-stopper could do nothing to stop the Ukrainian from drilling home the rebound with the help of a deflection as the Toffees hit the front.
After conceding in a 14th consecutive away league game, the Seagulls thought they had produced a swift response when Lewis Dunk thumped the ball in off the crossbar from Pascal Groß’s deep free-kick.
The Brighton centre-back celebrated what he believed was his second goal of the campaign, but the sublime strike was ultimately ruled out for an offside infringement following a VAR review.
Dunk attempted to produce another spectacular effort after the interval, with his dipping free-kick forcing Jordan Pickford to tip over. As the contest entered the final 30 minutes, the hosts started to drop deeper, allowing the visitors to dictate the pace of proceedings.
Brighton’s pressure saw an opportunity carved out for Groß, who could only blaze his effort over the crossbar.
After spending the majority of the second period on the back foot, Everton went close to doubling their advantage when Dwight McNeil drilled a low strike wide of Verbruggen’s goal.
With the Seagulls seemingly running out of ideas, they required a moment of fortune to pull themselves level in the 84th minute. Kaoru Mitoma’s cross from the left flank took a wicked deflection off Young, causing the ball to loop over Pickford and into the net.
With neither side able to find a late winner, sixth-placed Brighton are now winless in five PL matches, while the Toffees remain in 15th position.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton)
