Jordan Pickford saved a penalty and Jack Grealish marked his first start with two assists as Everton won their first Premier League match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0.
The hosts rode their luck at times, but goals from Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner got David Moyes’ team up and running at their new home.
Ndiaye, who scored Everton's final goal at Goodison Park last season, opened Everton’s account at Hill Dickinson Stadium (below) when he buried Grealish's drilled cross midway through the first half.
Brighton, who hit the woodwork twice before the break, found themselves 2-0 down when Garner arrowed home in the 52nd minute.
Pickford then kept out a 77th-minute spot-kick from Danny Welbeck as Everton secured their first Premier League points of 2025/26.
How the match unfolded
Amid a raucous atmosphere on a historic day, Everton did little to settle the early nerves, as James Tarkowski misjudged the bounce of a Bart Verbruggen goal-kick, allowing Kaoru Mitoma to pounce, but the Japan international’s dipping volley struck the crossbar.
Yet Everton struck in the 23rd minute to a cacophony of noise as Ndiaye turned home Grealish’s brilliant centre.
Tim Iroegbunam drilled narrowly wide soon after, but Everton got lucky again before half-time.
First, Jan Paul van Hecke’s deflected strike hit the left-hand post, before embarrassment for Tarkowski was averted by Pickford when the centre-back’s blind pass was cut out by Matt O'Riley.
Everton gave themselves further breathing space seven minutes into the second half, though.
Idrissa Gueye swept it out to Grealish, who teed up Garner for a venomous first-time strike that beat Verbruggen at his near post.
Brighton appeared to have a route back into the contest when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall blocked Yankuba Minteh's effort to earn the visiting side a penalty, but Pickford dived the right way to thwart Welbeck and ensure there would be no grandstand finish.
New home, new faces, and a new start for Everton
After the difficulties of recent seasons, Everton will be hoping the first campaign at their spectacular waterfront home marks the beginning of a bright new era – albeit a 1-0 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday was hardly the start Moyes would have craved.
But cheered on by almost 53,000 fans, the Toffees responded to that disappointment and, in the process, won a league match in August for the first time since 2021.
Everton have been busy in the transfer window, and Grealish is a player that has been brought in to provide the kind of spark required to light up Hill Dickinson Stadium – he fulfilled his end of the bargain here.
Grealish’s two assists mean he has already matched his tally of goal involvements from his previous 31 league matches for Manchester City.
He was a constant threat, and could easily have had a third assist when he laid up Dwight McNeil late on, only for the latter to fail with his connection.
There was a standing ovation for Grealish at full-time (below) and with his quality in the final third, Everton showed they can be clinical – a trait that has often been missing in recent years.
At the other end, meanwhile, stalwart Pickford came up with a couple of huge moments to keep Brighton at bay.
Everton will look to keep up the momentum when they head to Wolverhampton Wanderers next week.
Wasteful Brighton come unstuck
After being stunned by a last-gasp Fulham equaliser at home on the opening day of the season, Fabian Hurzeler’s side would have been eager to make amends as they ventured away for the first time this campaign.
Pre-kick-off, Hurzeler stressed the importance of quietening the Everton crowd, and in all fairness Brighton did just that for much of the first half.
They had two great chances prior to Ndiaye's opener – Mitoma was desperately unlucky that his attempt hit the woodwork, while Welbeck blazed over from close range, too.
A combination of the post and then a terrific stop from Pickford to thwart O'Riley frustrated Brighton after Everton had gone ahead, but Hurzeler will possibly be frustrated that the Seagulls failed to keep up the pressure after the break, with Everton largely keeping them at arm’s length until the penalty incident.
Brighton were unable to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven consecutive matches; on Wednesday, they will aim to get their first win of the season when they face Oxford United in the EFL Cup, before hosting Manchester City in the top flight next Sunday.
Club reports
Everton report | Brighton report
What the managers said
David Moyes: “It was everything we wished for. “We wanted a positive result today. We had a great atmosphere, a terrific new stadium.
“What I'm trying to do is hopefully give everybody a team which we can enjoy watching and be proud of.”
Fabian Hurzeler: "Overall we were the better team, but football is about scoring goals and keeping clean sheets. In the final action, the small details, we weren’t at our highest level.
“We created so many big chances. We started well, Everton scored out of nowhere and then we hit the post and had a big chance before half-time. If we score the dynamic of the game is completely different but the result doesn’t lie. Scoring and defending our own goal – we have to do that better.”
Next fixtures
Key facts
Everton have won their opening home match of a Premier League season for the first time since 2021 when they beat Southampton 3-1 – each of their last three opening home victories on either matchday one or two have now come via 2+ goal margins.
Iliman Ndiaye became Everton's first ever Premier League scorer at Hill Dickinson Stadium, having also been the Toffees' final scorer at Goodison Park in May.
With defeat vs Everton today, Brighton have failed to win either of their opening two matches of a Premier League season for the first time since 2017/18 – their debut season in the competition (D1 L1).