Five-star Everton stun Brighton to rise above Leicester

Everton have clawed their way out of the Premier League's relegation zone with a stunning 5-1 win at Europe-chasing Brighton & Hove Albion. 

The Merseyside club had less than a quarter of ball possession but shocked their hosts, taking a 3-0 half-time lead before withstanding a second-half onslaught. 

Their first win in eight matches took Everton above Leicester who lost 5-3 at Fulham. 

The start in Sussex was astonishing and the rest of the match barely less remarkable. Winning possession inside the opening minute Everton broke and Abdoulaye Doucoure converted Calvert-Lewin's cross.

Shortly before the half-hour the Mali international struck again, brilliantly volleying in Dwight McNeil's cross after another counter-attack. A third came six minutes later as McNeil's cross flew in off badly-positioned Albion keeper Jason Steele.

But for a Lewis Dunk block Everton would have gone into the break 4-0 up. It soon became clear they could regret that miss. Brighton coach Roberto de Zerbi made four changes at half-time and his team were transformed. 

The second half was a siege in which Everton were grateful for goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The England No.1 made two superb saves from Evan Ferguson in the space of seven minutes, turning a header against the post and a shot against the bar, which was struck from the resultant corner by an Alexis Mac Allister header.

Though Pickford superbly beat away another Mac Allister header a goal seemed inevitable. It was, but it came from another Everton breakaway. This time McNeil and Alex Iwobi combined for the former to score. 

With 14 minutes time left Everton now seemed secure, but almost immediately Brighton finally scored, albeit through a fluke deflection off a prone and unknowing Mac Allister. Yet Everton had the final word, McNeill lashing in from a tight angle in the 97th-minute.

Everton had been buoyed by the earlier defeat for Leicester City at Craven Cottage. Fulham, safe in mid-table, on a run of three successive losses, and still without suspended star striker Alexsandar Mitrovic, looked ripe for the picking.

However, 51 minutes into the match Leicester were 4-0 down, conceding to Willian,  Carlos Vinicius and Tom Cairney twice. 

The visitors got a consolation through Harvey Barnes, but after Fulham keeper Bernd Leno saved Jamie Vardy's penalty Willian restored their four-goal cushion. A successful penalty from James Maddison, and a second Barnes goal, pulled Leicester back to 5-3, but it was too late.