They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but David Moyes proved that these old dogs can still teach young pups a lesson or two.
Everton boss Moyes celebrated his 700th Premier League game as manager with a 1-0 win at Brighton, leaving the competition's youngest coach, Fabian Hurzeler, scratching his head and wondering what had just happened.
Brighton had all the possession, all the passes and all the shots, but neither the goals nor the points. Iliman Ndiaye's first-half penalty sealed an Everton victory straight out of chapter one of the Moyes management manual.
Everton reveled in Brighton's pressure waves crashing onto their shores, throwing heads and every possible body part in their way, cross after cross and shot after shot.
They never lost their form, they never lost their composure, they never lost their desire.
Moyes this week described in his usual understated manner becoming only the third manager after Arsene Wenger and reaching 700 Premier League games as an 'honest achievement'. He doubts he'll collect the extra 100 or more he needs to catch those above him, but keep adding results like this together and don't count it out.
It was also fitting that he brought up such a milestone to Hurzeler, a man thirty years his junior and the embodiment of the new era of exciting young managers.
For many of us, it feels like just five minutes ago that a 39-year-old, fresh-faced Moyes was the youngest Premier League manager when he first walked into Everton in 2002.
How different Moyes looks now, gray hair has long since replaced chestnut brown hair, and how different this club also looks. This was a side who had won just one of their last 21 away games in the league before today.
The Scot is said to have feared he could turn 22 when he was forced into an early substitution after striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had ended a run of 16 games without a goal last time out with his finish in the win over Tottenham, appeared to bump his leg after an aerial challenge with Lewis Dunk.
Apart from losing his striker, the match went exactly as Moyes would have wanted. Brighton, as expected, had plenty of possession and moved it in their usual sharp manner, but did nothing of note as the well-placed, well-drilled Toffees didn't give an inch.
Tariq Lamptey flashed a ball across an empty goal area, Joao Pedro finished a fine passing move by firing a shot into a crowd of bodies and Carlos Baleba dragged a speculative long-range effort wide.
Moyes might as well have pressed his fingertips together as Mr Burns may have whispered to himself in The Simpsons and 'Eeeeexcellent' with a sinister grin on his face as he waited for his Everton side to pounce when the opportunity arose.
That's exactly what they did.
What appeared to be an innocent coming together in the Brighton penalty area between Joel Veltman and Beto repeatedly revealed a swinging arm at the ball from the Seagulls defender. The VAR sent referee Tim Robinson to the screen, he awarded the penalty and Ndiaye rolled it into the corner.
Replays of the handball decision were shown on the big screens and the boos that erupted from the home fans could be heard across Portsmouth. Those boos continued after Robinson blew his halftime whistle and got even louder at the end.
Brighton started the second half with purpose. Pedro entered the box, won a corner and set the crowd on fire. Kaoru Mitoma bent a right-footed shot past the far post. Pedro's volley into the crowded penalty area was again unable to get through.
The hosts kept pushing, but Moyes' men kept clearing the ball and tried to slow the game down as much as possible. Jordan Pickford picked up the most predictable yellow card of the season for wasting time in the second half.
The imperious Jarrod Branthwaite headed Baleba's first-time rocket over his own crossbar, blocked a fierce late shot from Welbeck and then slid in to win the ball off Mitoma's toe as he looked to drive into the penalty area.
Moyes remained standing on the sidelines with his arms folded, showing no sign of worry or stress. When his team appeared to break late, he pointed straight to the corner flag.
Only when the final whistle blew and emotions ran high between the players and backroom staff did he allow himself a roar and a fist bump before walking onto the pitch to hug his players for delivering the ultimate Moyes masterclass.
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