Post Match report for the Wolves game - Saturday, 2nd January 2021

PREMIER LEAGUE 20/21: Brighton v Wolverhampton - 2/1/21, P17.


ALBION MARE AS NEW YEAR TURNS INTO FARCE

RESULT: 3-3 ~ Connolly, Maupay, Dunk . (h-t 1-1) . SHAPE: 5-2-3


VENUE: the Amex, Falmer - ninth home match of seventeen fixtures to date . Saturday 5:30pm k-o.
Game played behind closed doors as per tier four covid restrictions across the southeast region.
PRE-MATCH: 2021 arrived and deadline day Albion programmes were delivered like clockwork by Royal Mail to locked-down Brighton fans before kickoff.
Over time we had seen it all before from start of those past two decades, although the Y2k milestone had been a catalyst via ground zero seasons for better annual cycles to come.
WEATHER: cold but dry.

GRAHAM POTTER was quoted as thinking social media dangerous for someone in his position. He did though comment that BHA owner Tony Bloom was unique, with incredibly impressive clarity of thought.
The next move required Potter to escape from check or be faced with unemotional wrath from the king.
The squad was duly rotated from that final contest of 2020, a year exposing the end game as a repeat battle for survival.

TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Sanchez
. 34 Veltman, 4 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 20 March
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 White, 8 Bissouma
. . . 7 Connolly . . . . 9 Maupay . . . . . . 11 Trossard

BENCH: 23 Steele, 30 Bernardo, 49 Molumby, 13 Gross, 10 Mac Allister, 16 Jahanbakhsh.
24 Propper (46), 29 Zeqiri (46), 14 Lallana (69).


GOALS: 1-0 - 13 . Useful play down the right by Trossard gained him an assist for CONNOLLY to snatch the opener.
1-1 - 19 . At a set play Seagulls frailties are used to advantage by visitors who find an unmarked man to score.
1-2 - 34 . More poor defending gives attackers the upper hand and after Sanchez parries, Burn nets an og.
1-3 - 44 . Wolves look to win the contest with a simple spot kick.
2-3 - 46 . MAUPAY nets straight down the middle from the spot.
3-3 - 70 . DUNK heads an equaliser from a set piece delivery.


INCIDENTS: 43 - Burn takes out his man, penalty awarded . 45 - Connolly goes off injured .
46 - Maupay brought down in the box . 69 - Webster hits the bar . 72 - VAR check, Wolves dive.

YELLOWS: 22 - Bissouma . 61 - Burn .

SUBS: 46 - Propper & Zeqiri for Bissouma & Connolly . 71 - Lallana for Burn and reshape.


SYNOPSIS: the crucial first goal went the way of hosts early in the night. But blue shirts failed to hold on to this vital lead for very long, allowing opponents on to them straight away with predictable results.
Next part of the half became an exercise in parity when initial BHA forward pressure faded toward mediocre levels of performance.
Then travellers went ahead and locals were back in familiar territory. And it got much worse prior to the interval with inept and pathetic competing.
From turnaround it already appeared all over bar harsh motd analysis by midnight. But Ref quickly awarded Albion a penalty, so hope at least returned.
BHA were still in deficit and chasing the game but then forced even steven again.


NUMBERS: poss 54%-46%, on target 4-4, off target 9-7, corners 5-8, fouls 13-8, yellows 2-1, subs 3-2.

CONCLUSION: our club is merely just above relegation places due to d-z rivals matches being postponed.
Tony Bloom will scrutinise 19-20 books, current balance sheets and revised financial forecasts.
His decisions on going forward need to have the club at centre of any number of possible outcomes. It is important he now makes the right call and acts appropriately in a results driven business.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
FS


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