Everton: Fans laud Mason Holgate for ‘cracking’ assist in Brighton & Hove Albion loss

By Kyle Archer

Posted on October 26, 2019

Everton: Fans laud Mason Holgate for ‘cracking’ assist in Brighton & Hove Albion loss - Everton

A selection of Everton fans have been lauding Mason Holgate for his ‘cracking’ assist during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Holgate entered the starting line-up at the Amex Stadium in place of the injured Yerry Mina, who travelled with the Toffees to the south coast (Phil Kirkbride) but did not feature following the knee injury sustained against West Ham United last week (Sky Sports).

Marco Silva had not handed Holgate a starting bow in the Premier League this season before Saturday’s contest against Brighton (TransferMarkt), and the signs of rustiness were clear on occasion (Liverpool Echo) with the 6 ft 1 centre-half.

The Doncaster-born defender was involved in the action immediately, though, as he broke up play in the Blues box to prevent the Seagulls from opening the scoring in the first minute.

He would end the afternoon with a total of three clearances and two successful tackles from two attempts to his name, per WhoScored data, as well as winning one of two aerial duels.

But his defensive contribution was not the key aspect noted by many Everton fans, as they were left praising the 23-year-old on social media for his pass to Dominic Calvert-Lewin which led Everton taking a 2-1 lead in the 74th-minute (Guardian).

Holgate did well to brilliantly thread the ball up the pitch for second-half substitute Calvert-Lewin to pounce on possession minutes after his introduction, and fire home from close range for his third goal of the league season (WhoScored).

Neal Maupay would later score from the penalty spot before Lucas Digne inadvertently gave the Seagulls all three points, when the Blues left-back put the ball past Jordan Pickford in the 93rd-minute.

Here are some of the messages shared on Holgate’s performance…