Brighton suffered a crushing defeat to Everton, which saw them drop out of the Premier League relegation zone in spectacular fashion, writes the LiverpoolWorld.
Roberto De Zerbi was left disappointed with Brighton’s mindset during the game. Sean Dyche’s team raced to a three-goal lead in the first half, with Abdoulaye Doucoure scoring twice and Seagulls goalkeeper Jason Steele contributing an own goal. In the second half, Dwight McNeil scored two more goals for Everton, while Alexis Mac Allister netted a consolation goal for Brighton.
The 5-1 loss puts a significant dent in the Seagulls’ hopes of qualifying for Europe next season. According to De Zerbi, Brighton appeared to lack the necessary drive to compete.
The Brighton boss told the BBC: “It’s very difficult to explain this performance. It was a really strange game. We conceded the first goal after 30 seconds. This wasn’t the true Brighton, it’s a bad day.
“I think the problem is not about tactical disposition, I think we didn’t prepare in terms of motivation, in terms of mentality maybe. Playing a lot of games in a small period is difficult. We are not used to playing so many games in a row. We have to work on this and our mentality.
“I can understand. I’m still proud of my players. The first responsibility is the coach. It’s my responsibility. We have to remember this game and this date, May 8th, because it can be a very important day for us if we improve in mentality. We have to get ready to play the next game if we want to fight for the big target.
“Before this game we were playing fantastic football, and getting fantastic results. We have to be proud of our work. Today we made a big mistake because we showed we were not ready to play this game. Too many mistakes, we lost the first half, we weren’t the true Brighton. This is what we must improve.”