Post Match report for the Southampton game - Sunday, 14th March 2021
PREMIER LEAGUE 20/21: Southampton V Brighton - 14/3/21, P28.
* * * * * ALBION GET IT DONE OK * * * * *
RESULT: 1-2 ~ Dunk, Trossard . (h-t 1-1) . SHAPE: 4-4-2
VENUE: St Marys, Southampton - fourteenth away match of twenty-eight fixtures to date . Sunday 12:00.
Game played behind closed doors due to current covid lockdown restrictions.
PRE-MATCH: long suffering Brighton fans had Sunday lunch on their laps in front of the box while receiving national free to air broadcast of this important south-coast clash. Indigestion was to be avoided, also maybe another defeat.
WEATHER: mild, breezy March afternoon . KIT: blue shirts.
GRAHAM POTTER knows he has to up his game and public persona as a nice guy who does not win anything. Today was a further step on that coaches learning curve toward becoming an experienced and successful manager... or otherwise.
TEAM . . . . . . . . . . 26 Sanchez
. . . . 34 Veltman, 3 White, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn
. 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma, 14 Lallana, 11 Trossard
. . . . . . . . . . 9 Maupay, 18 Welbeck
BENCH: 23 Steele, 17 Alzate, 10 Mac Allister, 16 Jahanbakhsh, 19 Izquierdo, 22 Tau.
29 Zeqiri (46), 24 Propper (77), 15 Moder (85).
GOALS: 0-1 - 16 . DUNK rises at a Gross corner to head in from distance.
1-1 - 27 . mistakes at the back allow a free hit volley that blasts over static Sanchez.
1-2 - 56 . TROSSARD fires Seagulls ahead again after good work by Lallana and Welbeck.
INCIDENTS: 2 - hosts off target . 5 - visitors o/s . 8 - Sanchez holds . 13 - Sanchez sweeper . 16 - Maupay on target . 32 - Gross f/k wasted . 38 - Sanchez holds . 42 - Gross chance . 45+ - Trossard on target .
49 - Trossard chip . 53 - Sanchez saves . 59 - VAR check f/k to Saints . 61 - BHA wall deflects . 64 - Zeqiri strike . 70 - Gross f/k wasted . 75 - Maupay put thru . 78 - Zeqiri effort . 88 - sustained home pressure . 90 - VAR check in visitors area.
YELLOWS: none.
SUBS: 46 - Zeqiri for Burn . 77 - Propper for Welbeck . 85 - Moder for Trossard.
TIMELINE: an early goal from travellers set the scene, however hosts were allowed to play and soon restored parity.
So even steven prior to the intermission was mirror reflections of two sides struggling for continuity.
Potter changed left back on turnaround for whole of the second period and reshaped. Personnel reshuffled too with more width across a back three. Later substitutions and rejigs were also equally effective.
Approaching final moments hosts forced forward but were merely playing in front of eight defenders in solid formation.
The away outfit performed well defensively under pressure and although the display was average overall, positive game management counted at the death.
FUNDAMENTALS: poss 59%-41%, on target 4-6, off target 5-2, corners 4-5,
fouls 11-10, yellows 0-0, subs 3-3, shape 433-442 . . . . gd-7 pt29 po16.
CONSEQUENCES: sighs of relief from blue & white support because numbers shown at foot of the table are more acceptable with regard to survival at end of this very tough campaign.
FS
EXTRA BROWSING: via Stats page -
all History & Travel, E talk, Squad and Archive - Players apps/goals and updated Clubs records.
