Everton slipped to a fifth defeat in seven games at home to Brighton.
Alexis Mac Allister had opened the scoring inside three minutes after Neal Maupay’s header broke for him in the box to prod past Jordan Pickford.
The visitors doubled their advantage later in the first half when Dan Burn headed home unchallenged from Enock Mwepu’s flick-on to the far post.
Rafael Benitez’s side were offered a lifeline as Mwepu fouled Anthony Gordon, only for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to blaze the ensuing penalty over the crossbar.
But the Blues reduced the deficit after the interval with Gordon scoring his first senior goal from long-range, aided by an Adam Lallana deflection.
Mac Allister struck again with a powerful first-time effort which restored Brighton’s two goal cushion as the game entered the closing stages.
Gordon attempted to redress the balance by doubling his tally through meeting a cutback by fellow academy graduate Jonjoe Kenny on 76 minutes.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Yet another Groundhog Day at Goodison
A recurring theme is developing around Everton’s performances this season.
Each game always starts the same, usually with them falling behind to a poorly conceded goal that invariably involves being caught out at set pieces.
At some stage, usually in the second half, the Blues discover their pulse and set about attempting to stage a fightback with the clock firmly against them.
Rafael Benitez will then make belated, and sometimes unhelpful, substitutions in attempts to back control of a match that is already beyond his side’s reach.
Given the sheer predictability of it all, the Spaniard might consider taking the slightly more novel approach in playing on the front foot at the very outset.
Yet Everton continued to sleepwalk into a fifth defeat from their last seven Premier League games and have now taken six points from a potential 36.
The Goodison Park crowd wants football that has them perched on the edge of their seats, but not as a result of another Groundhog Day trundling on.
Gordon’s a live wire
Goodison could have turned toxic at the final whistle, and deservedly so; such consistently abject displays and results are hallmarks for a relegation battle.
Instead, Everton supporters showed their appreciation to one of the few players who had given his all in the royal blue shirt for the entire 90 minutes.
Anthony Gordon has become something of an outlier ever since Benitez’s persistence with Alex Iwobi in the wide right position failed to pay dividends.
No matter how bad things are going, the homegrown midfielder often appears as a live wire even when his teammates have already dropped their heads.
It was Gordon who again led his side’s attempt at a stirring comeback after the interval, almost single-handed, and provided that much-needed spark.
His first two senior goals for Everton varied in quality, but the 20-year-old again demonstrated more fighting spirit than his dressing room cohorts.
Benitez punished for getting personal
As Benitez’s erstwhile managerial nemesis Jose Mourinho discovered to his cost, once a you begin to make things personal it seldom ends favourably.
But clearly he failed to heed that warning when selecting a starting line-up to face Brighton that was as confusing as it ultimately proved incompatible.
His five-man defence worked in theory but not with its personnel as Jonjoe Kenny appeared incredibly overwhelmed operating in the right-back role.
Seamus Coleman, meanwhile, was limited on the opposing flank despite a more suitable option lingering on the substitutes’ bench in Lucas Digne.
Judging by the reception he received when warming up, fan opinion is still very much on the France international’s side despite a stand-off with Benitez.
By refusing to deploy Digne at any stage in this defeat, all the ex-Liverpool boss did was inflame matters by making it personal – and he paid the price.