A new home, a winning start
Everton needed a day like this. On Sunday, August 24, 2025, the first competitive whistle at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium — also known as Everton Stadium — brought a sharp, modern echo that felt different from Goodison Park’s creaking charm. The result matched the mood: a 2-0 win over Brighton, a clean slate, and a clean sheet to start life on the Liverpool waterfront.
The occasion stretched far beyond the scoreline. This was the handover of eras, 133 years of Goodison history passing to a new address at Bramley-Moore Dock. Banners waved, scarves twirled, and the familiar notes of Z-Cars rolled into a new bowl. For the supporters who have stood through title parades and relegation scrapes, this was both a celebration and a promise that the club intends to move forward.
If you were scanning your guide before kickoff, the billing read simple enough: Everton vs Brighton, 2:00 PM BST (9:00 AM ET, 6:00 AM PT). The grand opening delivered noise, color, and, crucially for Everton, a performance with purpose. The home side got on the front foot early, fed by the energy of a sellout crowd and a stage that felt built for pressure moments.
The stadium itself pulls the eye. Set on the River Mersey at Bramley-Moore Dock, it seats north of 52,000 and leans in with steep stands that lock in sound. The single-tier home end is designed to swell in big spells, with rail seating in sections and sightlines tuned for intensity. The Hill Dickinson naming rights put a corporate touch on the new build, but matchday felt decidedly Everton: blue everywhere, a chorus that rose and fell with every tackle.
This game arrived with a bit of bite after opening weekend. David Moyes’ side came in stung by a 1-0 loss at Leeds, sealed by a controversial penalty that followed them home all week. The rematch of moods was clear: cut out the errors, turn the tempo up, and let new signings show why they were brought in. Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Thierno Barry — headline arrivals — had their first run-out in the Leeds defeat. Here, in front of a full house, they looked more settled, more synced to what Moyes is trying to build.
Brighton, to their credit, were not meant to be supporting cast. They had come into L4 unbeaten in their last four visits against Everton (three wins, one draw), and they arrived on Merseyside knowing how to spoil a party. Their previous outing, a stoppage-time equalizer conceded to Fulham, left a sting. The plan felt familiar: push fullbacks high, thread brave passes into midfield, and pounce in transition when Everton opened up.
Everton didn’t let them. The hosts pressed higher, backed by a crowd that treated every duel like a final. The midfield squeezed space, the back line stayed sharp, and the wingers found room to run at their markers. Most of the dangerous moments came from quick switches and set pieces, the kind of patterns that feed a team still figuring out its chemistry. By halftime, Brighton were hanging in but under pressure.
The second half tilted further the home way. The passing was cleaner, the runs better-timed, and the final third choices more deliberate. Everton created the clearer chances and finally found the moments to put the game away — one with a composed finish after a neat move through the inside channel, another late to settle nerves and set the place off. No late lapse, no controversy. A professional close-out in a new building designed for big days.
Beyond the goals, it mattered how Everton managed the moments. When Brighton tried to raise the tempo, the hosts snapped back with possession spells and smart fouls. When the stadium ebbed, the team pushed a second wind with a flurry of corners and free kicks that had the away side scrambling. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. It was organized, aggressive, and confident — three traits Everton lacked too often last season.
The off-pitch day ran on two tracks: nostalgia and newness. Goodison Park’s legacy framed everything — the stands that shook, the tight touchlines that swallowed time, the big afternoons when title contenders were turned back at the door. The club made sure to nod to all of it with pre-match tributes, memories shared across generations, and the sense that the past wasn’t being packed away so much as carried across Stanley Dock to a new home.
On the broadcast front, fans had clear paths to watch. In the UK, Sky Sports held the live coverage. In the United States, the game aired on USA Network, also available through participating streaming providers. Everton’s official channels ran matchday programming around the fixture for supporters following along online. For international audiences, coverage depended on local rights holders, as usual for the Premier League.
If you wanted a simple measure of what this win means, start with Brighton’s record here. The Seagulls had been a problem visit for Everton in recent seasons, and that streak is over. Then add context: week one’s frustration gave way to a week two response, with the new signings fitting more naturally and the team’s structure holding up against a side that can pass through you when given time. The combination of a new stadium lift and a clear plan made the difference.
The stadium move will shape the club beyond matchdays. The North Docks site is part of a wider regeneration push on the Liverpool waterfront, with the build bringing jobs and new matchday routines — different transit flows, new local businesses, and a game-day feel that spills into the docks. Emotions over leaving Goodison will linger, as they should, but it’s obvious the new place was designed to create a different kind of intimidation and to grow with the club’s ambitions.
There were also signs of the Moyes blueprint. The lines were tight between midfield and defense. The press had bite without becoming reckless. Transitions were immediate, with the ball moved quickly into wide areas where runners could isolate their fullbacks. And the set pieces — always a Moyes hallmark — looked rehearsed, with good delivery and bodies attacking the right spaces.
Brighton will feel they could have asked more questions. Their best spells came when they dragged Everton’s midfield out of shape and found pockets between the lines, but those moments were too few. They will remember a couple of half-chances that might have changed the mood if taken. For a team that prides itself on calm possession and precise movement, this was a rare afternoon when the opponent’s energy dictated the rhythm.
Key takeaways and what comes next
Everton’s first day at Hill Dickinson Stadium delivered on what the fans hoped for: three points, a commanding atmosphere, and the sense that this team has another level to climb to once the pieces click. The unbeaten run Brighton enjoyed in this fixture is done. The mood around the club — bruised after Leeds — has flipped to something more hopeful, helped along by a new address that already feels like a stage.
From here, the goals get clearer. Build a fortress at the new ground. Bed in Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, and Barry so their strengths are amplified rather than isolated. Keep the defensive discipline that showed up in this one. And turn the noise of a sold-out waterfront into points, again and again. If they do, the first chapter at this stadium will read a lot like the opening sentence: loud, direct, and winning.
