Albion 1, Everton 0

It is a measure of how far Albion have come under Chris Hughton that the team carrying all before them at the top of the Premier League will not regard victory at the Amex as a formality.

Liverpool are up next at home for Hughton's evolving side after tough assignments at West Ham and Bournemouth in the FA Cup.

The blue half of Merseyside have joined the list of casualties at the Amex. Manchester United (twice), Arsenal, now Everton in their 4,500th match in the top flight, the most of any club.

Even some of the cream teams of English football are finding it hard against Hughton's side on their field of dreams.

How you fare against the elite - and Everton by common consent are the next club outside of the big six - is a fair yardstick of progression.

Arsenal could have suffered the same twice-beaten fate as United on Boxing Day. Chelsea won by one goal, not four like last season.

Beating Liverpool is probably asking too much. Running them closer than last season's 5-1 drubbing is not.

Hughton (below) said: "I'd like to think we can give anyone a game, but I'm very conscious that when Liverpool come here, for us to us to get a result against them we will have to play very well and they will have to play not at their best.

The Argus: "If "If Liverpool turn up and they're somewhere near their best it's almost impossible to beat them, that's the nature of where we are.

"I think we're closer. Games against the top teams - even Liverpool away (1-0) and Manchester (City, 2-0) - we're closer, but it's still incredibly difficult to beat those teams."

It is pretty difficult too to beat a team with Everton's spending power and array of attacking options. Marco Silva threw everything he could at Hughton's side once they fell behind, bringing on Gylfi Sigurdsson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and former Albion target Oumar Niasse.

The Seagulls held firm with relative comfort, apart from Kurt Zouma hitting the bar with a header.

The visitors were also denied by the woodwork when David Button (below) made a fine save, diverting Richarlison's shot in a crowded box against the far post shortly after Jurgen Locadia's winner, his second goal in as many games, swept in from close range when Pascal Gross's corner rebounded to him off Andre Gomes.

The Argus: Albion kept their first clean sheet in ten matches with Button deputising for Mathew Ryan, their consistently dependable No.1 on duty next month for Australia in the Asian Cup. It really is a funny old game.

Ryan is not the only one in the United Arab Emirates. Record signing Alireza Jahanbakhsh is there too, with Iran, following hamstring trouble.

Jahanbakhsh's absence has coincided with a spell on the sidelines for Jose Izquierdo with a repeat of the knee injury he suffered with Colombia at the World Cup.

Hughton has adapted in recent matches with a subtle tactical shift from the 4-4-1-1 that has been his go-to formation.

He said; "Yes, probably the difference between now and last season is, we played 4-3-3 a few times; generally that would have been against the top six teams, when you know it's going to be difficult in midfield, because they've got such good control of the game.

"In some ways how it's materialised is that we have two wingers we've bought in - Izquierdo, who's out, and Jahanbakhsh, who's out - so it gives us a different dimension.

"Locadia gives us a goalscoring front three as well - another member that you know can score goals.

"The thing I'm delighted with is, and with (Yves) Bissouma, the type of player he is, I think I've got more tactical options than perhaps I had in the past."

The Argus: Locadia's former PSV Eindhoven team-mate Davy Propper (above) is revelling. He went close to breaking his goal duck against Arsenal and followed it up with an eye-catching contribution to an outstanding team display.

Hughton said: "You've got a midfield three where Davy can play in all three positions, Dale (Stephens) in probably a couple, certainly Bissouma - we've got good scope with them. And in those wide ones.

"Generally the 4-3-3 gives you more options of control but sometimes it also gives you maybe a little less in front of goal, and it means you have to have a No.9 who maybe plays the game a little bit differently."

The ball did not always stick with Florin Andone, making his full home debut in place of Glenn Murray and deprived of a second headed goal by Jordan Pickford, but the Romanian uses his body well to win free-kicks and his workrate is infectious.

The strength of the squad this season compared to last is emphasised by those missing, not just Ryan, Jahanbakhsh and Izquierdo but also veteran skipper Bruno and Anthony Knockaert, neither of whom made the 18.

The official explanation was tactical, which was understandable in Bruno's case but not Knockaert's with two wingers out and under-23s prospect Viktor Gyokeres called up to the bench.

Knockaert was on target in the 1-1 home draw against Everton last season. Albion were feeling their way into the Premier League then. Now they have developed into a team that, at the Amex, even Liverpool will be a little wary of.