Everton fans have every right to be annoyed.
David Moyes will be relieved to have seen his side snatch an equaliser with just seconds to go and deny Brighton a 1-0 win, but overall, Everton supporters will feel it was a wasted chance to secure all three points.
Brighton were nothing special, but a negative Everton XI lacking a natural full-back on either side contributed to a turgid game of football.
Nathan Patterson – who Moyes dropped for this game after starts against Aston Villa and Leeds – did get a chance to play after coming on right at the end in the 89th minute, and one statistic from his display has to be taken into consideration.
Wow, just wow! Sum that up for us, Toffees! 🤯
Who'd have thought Beto would save the day? 🤣
Nathan Patterson shows David Moyes what a natural right-back can do for Everton
In just eight minutes of action, the Scotland international delivered three crosses from the right flank, according to Sofascore.
Alarmingly, that was more than O’Brien managed to contribute throughout the entire game, with the Republic of Ireland international only mustering up two crosses.
Having a natural right-back in that position made an obvious difference for Everton. Brighton were tested by crosses, and the presence of Patterson meant others could focus on packing the middle of the pitch.
When O’Brien was on the right, there were a distinct lack of overlaps. Idrissa Gueye often had to make the overlapping run himself, while at one stage, Harrison Armstrong could be seen waving his arm at the Irishman, gesturing for him to move forward.
Of course, the fact Brighton were clinging on to a 1-0 lead when Patterson was introduced must be taken into consideration, but the difference between a natural right-back out wide and a central defender was there for all to see, and Moyes has to take heed of it.
David Moyes has already sent a public warning to Nathan Patterson
It very much feels like it is now or never for Patterson to nail down his position at Everton.
Moyes revealed in his press conference on Friday that Everton have been searching for a new right-back for the past 12 months, suggesting nobody at the club is convinced Patterson can do the business in the long term.
The 62-year-old said: “He’s done okay. We’ve been actively looking for a right-back for over a year, but I think when Patto has come in he hasn’t let us down.”
Who was your most underwhelming Everton player vs Brighton? 😡
Some really poor displays out there! 🫣
It was a fairly brutal thing to admit about the 24-year-old in the public eye, but the Glaswegian must use it as fuel to cement himself as a regular at Everton.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
