Although Everton’s 5-1 thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion was a master class in counter-attacking football, how hard did the Blues have to fight to earn only their second away win of the season?
Everton players dominate their positions in Brighton
The win was not only a morale booster but also moved Sean Dyche’s team further from the danger zone in the standings. Examining Comparisonator’s Parameters League reveals several interesting statistics that shed light on how the result was obtained, including that Everton only had 22% of the ball.
While Blues custodian Jordan Pickford was not seriously challenged until after the break, his teammates in front of him certainly picked up the slack. With 57.63 interceptions per 90 minutes on average, Everton leads the Premier League.
However, their 85 interceptions in their 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium put them 27 ahead of second-place Wolverhampton Wanderers (58). With 17 interceptions, Yerry Mina, playing in his first game since being recalled and placed under Dyche, led all Premier League central defenders during the weekend.
He was followed by Maximilian Wober of Leeds United, who had 14. Nathan Patterson, like Serge Aurier, started for the first game after the manager switch and led all right backs with 10 interceptions.