Led by James Rodriguez and Calvert-Lewin, new-look Everton dominating Premier League thanks to new mentality
The longest it's taken the Toffees to score after conceding a goal this season has been 21 minutes
By
Jack Maloney
•
2 min read
Late in first-half stoppage time on Saturday, just minutes after another calamitous Jordan Pickford error had gifted Brighton an equalizing goal, James Rodriguez stood over a free kick just outside the visitor's penalty box. The Colombian wrapped his magical left foot around the ball, and dropped a perfect cross into the six-yard box for his countryman Yerry Mina to head home and put Everton back in front at 2-1.
Rodriguez scored two of his own in the second half, as Everton cruised to a 4-2 victory over Brighton, making it four wins out of four for Carlo Ancelotti's side. It's the first time Everton have won their opening four games since the 1969-70 season, and for the time being, they sit atop the Premier League table.
Saturday's win was a perfect encapsulation of the new-look Everton. Not only do they have the talent in the side now to score all sorts of goals -- their 12 goals are tied with Leicester City for most in the league -- but perhaps more importantly, they have a much stronger mentality to go along with it.
"There's been a mentality shift and a momentum shift around the place and that has been a big catalyst [for our form], as well bringing in the new players and the quality they've got," Dominic Calvert-Lewin said after the win. "In the second half we didn't play that well, to be honest. But we scored goals in the second half and the best teams win when they are not always on top. We dug in and limited their chances."
Calvert-Lewin's comments echo those made by defender Michael Keane earlier in the week, who gave credit to Ancelotti for the turnaround. "Everyone is loving him being here. He is changing the mentality in the squad and I think we will keep improving. We go into every game believing we are going to win -- and long may it continue."
Under previous manager Marco Silva, Everton didn't win a single match after going behind. But since Ancelotti's arrival midway through last season, Everton have done so multiple times, including earlier this season against West Brom. Their newfound ability to respond to setbacks was on full display against Brighton, as Mina's goal came just six minutes after Everton had conceded in embarrassing fashion at the other end.
The Everton of old would have, at best, shelled up and tried to cling to a draw, or, at worst, completely collapsed and gone on to lose the match. That doesn't happen anymore. Across all competitions this season, Everton have conceded eight goals in seven matches. The longest it's taken them to respond with a goal of their own is just 21 minutes.
| Opponent goal | Everton goal | Time elapsed |
|---|---|---|
West Brom: Diangana, 10' | Calvert Lewin, 31' | 21 minutes |
West Brom: Pereira, 47' | Keane, 54' | 7 minutes |
Fleetwood Town: Duffy, 48' | Iwobi, 49' | 1 minute |
Fleetwood Town: Camps, 58' | Bernard, 73' | 15 minutes |
Crystal Palace: Kouyate, 26' | Richarlison, 40' | 14 minutes |
West Ham: Snodgrass, 46' | Richarlison, 56' | 10 minutes |
Brighton: Maupay, 41' | Mina, 45 +2' | 6 minutes |
Brighton: Bissouma, 90 +2' | -- | Game ended |
Now, obviously the talent helps a great deal in this regard. Rodriguez was brilliant again against Brighton, and has almost single-handedly turned Everton into a goal-scoring machine, while Allan -- injured and did not play on Saturday -- and Abdoulaye Doucoure have solidified the midfield.
But as Calvert-Lewin and Keane have said, and the team's response to adversity has shown, it's not just the level of talent that's different around Goodison Park this season.
