Jarrad Branthwaite believes Everton can reflect on the "positives" from Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brighton, but accepted it was disappointing not to hold on for all three points. 

The Toffees defender struck the Blues into the lead on 73 minutes at the Amex Stadium when he produced a stunning strike from the edge of the box. 

Everton, who had recovered from an early Seagulls’ onslaught to grow into the game, were minutes away from earning all three points on the south coast, ending Brighton’s 10-game unbeaten run at home. However, Lewis Dunk’s 95th-minute header helped rescue a point for the 10-man hosts. 

Reacting after the game, Branthwaite was disappointed but acknowledged the value of the result, stating: “Every point is massive with the position we’re in and the circumstances we’re in. Every point counts. I think I said this in a recent interview, but every point from now until the end of the season is going to be massive.

“You have to look at the positives, even though it’s a frustrating afternoon.

“It’s a really bitter pill to swallow. We were 1-0 up and they go down to 10 men. We sit back and invite pressure, and they score at the end, which is really frustrating.

“They’re obviously a good team, so even with 10 men, they can keep the ball, but we need to be more aggressive. We pressed all game and then we went down to 10 men, and we stopped pressing. That’s the frustrating part. I don’t know what happened there. It’s a disappointing result.

“Any goal is frustrating to concede, but we can’t do anything about that now. We have to watch it back and see how we can do better next time.”

After a difficult opening 45 minutes, Everton produced an improved second-half display, registering all six of their shots after the interval.

The most important of which arrived for Branthwaite’s goal, when the Toffees defender fired home to record his second goal in his past four Premier League games.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had sent the ball into the Brighton box from a deep free-kick, and the home side knocked it away, but only as far as Branthwaite, who took a touch, before swiping a left-footed strike into the top-right corner.

Speaking about the goal, he recalled: “It’s one of those ones where you don’t really think. You just take the touch and hit.

“It’s gone in the goal and it’s an incredible feeling. But obviously, it’s been cut short at the end there when they scored, and we only took a point away from the game.”