Everton manager Rafael Benitez blamed more mistakes for their 3-2 loss to Brighton but refused to “point fingers”.Alexis Mac Allister and Dan Burn scored in the first 21 minutes, and while Everton academy graduate Anthony Gordon scored his first goal for the club, Mac Allister's second was enough for the visitors.
In his first appearance since August, Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a penalty at 2-0.
Everton have won just once in their last 12 games and have conceded the opening goal 14 times in 20 games this season.
He added: “We've shown character and played well in many games, but we can't avoid mistakes that cost us games.”
“We started slowly, gave up an early goal and then conceded from a corner.
“It is difficult when you make these mistakes and then miss a penalty.”
Burn scored Brighton's second goal after a near-post flick-on, which enraged Benitez.
The team had been practising these corners and defending, but made too many errors, he said.
The time is not right to point fingers. We made a mistake and we know how to fix it. We as a group must take responsibility.
The Spaniard also defended his decision to start Seamus Coleman in a five-man defence and leave Lucas Digne on the bench due to a rift with Benitez and the arrival of Vitaliy Mykolenko from Ukraine.
“The most important thing for me is to have players who want to be there and fight for the club and team-mates,” he said.
Brighton's first win at Goodison Park capped a successful week for the club, with seven points from three games.
“Wonderful three. The three points against Brentford and the point against Chelsea were a great start to the new year.
“It's not a good place for us as a club to come.
Our first half performance was good, but a goal we didn't want changes the atmosphere and we dealt with it well.
“Delighted for him,” he said of Mac Allister. Three games in a week shows how quickly football changes.
“A few weeks ago, he would have been disappointed not to play.
“Two great goals and a fantastic performance.”
