Xabi Alonso spoke in the build-up about the significance of matching Everton’s tenacious approach. It was something we managed to do for only 45 minutes at Brentford, and our manager said his team had learned from that disappointing second half at the Gtech Stadium in our last away game.

Defensive fortitude to the fore

Those learnings were clear to see as we went toe to toe with the Toffees physically. In what was a feisty first half, with five yellow cards shown before the 35th minute, we won six tackles to Everton’s four and came out on top in nine of the 10 aerial duels.

By the final whistle, we had won more tackles, made more interceptions and fared better in the aerial and ground duels contested. We also ran further than Everton (114 kilometres to 111km) over the 115 minutes the contest ran to.

Those successes helped us stymie Everton’s attack throughout. We limited our hosts to six shots, their fewest in a league game this season. Their total xG (expected goals) was 0.43, of which just 0.13 stemmed from open-play attempts.

It was the first time since February they failed to score in a home game.

While Everton completed more passes than us in the final third, our defensive fortitude and astute positioning ensured they were largely kept well away from our goal.

We regularly forced them wide, from where we were able to deal with the 20 crosses they sent into our box.

Neto makes his mark

We thoroughly deserved a first league away clean sheet since last December and, as Alonso noted afterwards, it was the collective efforts of his side that earned it.

Nobody epitomised that more than Pedro Neto. Of course, his first-ever Premier League brace stole the headlines and secured us the points, but the Portuguese showed his value defensively, too. He regained possession on five occasions – a figure only bettered by Morgan Rogers – and also won a joint-high three tackles.

Alonso seemed surprised when a journalist described Neto as a wing-back after the match, with our manager preferring to label him as an attacker ‘who can do many things’.

In the first half at Everton, Neto forced Jordan Pickford into a fingertip save with an effort from distance. After the break, he scored twice with precise left-footed shots, having manoeuvred himself into dangerous positions in the penalty box.

Those three attempts amounted to just 0.37 xG, testament to the quality of his finishing. He also created a game-high five chances for his team-mates (his most since April 2025), and recorded a passing accuracy of 100 per cent in the final third – that despite only two Blues playing more passes in that area of the pitch.

It has been a strong start to the season for Neto, with only eight players in the league having scored more goals than his three. He also ranks highly for take-ons, drives into the box and chances created. Allied to his defensive worth, it is obvious why Alonso is so happy to have him on our right flank.

Fast starts keep coming!

Neto’s first of the afternoon arrived just 43 seconds after the interval, continuing our remarkable record of scoring early in halves this season.

We have now netted three times in the opening minute of a half (Joao Pedro vs Fulham and Bournemouth, Neto vs Everton) – already our joint-most in a Premier League season, along with 2011/12. We became the third team in Premier League history, and first since its inaugural season, to score in the opening minute of the second half in consecutive games.

Eight of our 17 league goals this season have arrived in the opening four minutes of a half, and our nine scored in the first 10 minutes is the most any team has mustered in Premier League history after seven matches.

It is certainly a useful habit to have – and if you’re coming to Saturday’s game against Tottenham, make sure you’re in your seat for the start of each half!