Post Match report for the Bournemouth game - Saturday, 4th February 2023
PREMIER LEAGUE 22/23: Brighton V Bournemouth - 4/2/23
* * * * * SINGLE GOAL REGISTERED IN FRAUGHT ENCOUNTER * * * * *
RESULT: 1-0 ~ Mitoma . (h-t 0-0)
VENUE: the Amex, Falmer - tenth home match of 20 fixtures to date . Sat 3:00pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: Brighton fans were back in the community stadium almost a week after FA Cup knockout entertainment proved such a highly charged emotional experience.
WEATHER: cloudy . GATE: 31,600 . ATMOSPHERE: flat & frustrated until very late on.
REF: somewhat left-field but consistent at both ends.
ROBERTO de ZERBI had a reduced main squad from which to select a starting eleven and fill the bench.
New signing Buonanotte sat among substitutes with two U21s.
RdZ decided to roll the dice and play percentages by starting strong on flanks and hope to stay ahead of the game down the middle with a twin attack.
INJURED: 6 Colwill 14 Lallana 28 Ferguson . REHAB: 15 Moder . SQUAD: 0.
BAN: 10 Mac Allister . LEFT: 11 Trossard
STARTING SHAPE: flexible version of 4-4-2
TEAM . . . . . . . . . 1 Sanchez
. 2 Lamptey 34 Veltman 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan
. 7 March 13 Gross 27 Gilmour 22 Mitoma
. . . . 21 Undav . . . . 18 Welbeck
SUBS: 25 Caicedo (57), 19 Sarmiento (57), 20 Enciso (75), 40 Buonanotte (75), 4 Webster (89)
BENCH: 23 Steele (gk) 29 van Hecke 42 Offiah 49 Moran
GOALS:
1-0 - 87 . MITOMA broke stalemate when heading home a centre by Sarmiento from out left.
YELLOWS: Veltman . Dunk . Caicedo
CHANGES: 57 Caicedo & Sarmiento for Gilmour & Welbeck .
75 Enciso & Buonanotte for Undav & Lamptey . 89 Webster for March
FIRST HALF: visitors sat in behind the ball, coped adequately with locals onslaught and broke out when at all possible.
Goal scoring opportunities appeared for hosts but there was no cigar lit come the interval.
SECOND HALF: repeat first line above with knobs on.
Travellers toiled to take any scrap of advantage up field.
Most high crosses into Cherries box were meat & drink to defenders and much of Seagulls skilful football was executed from remote distance by fetch & carry players during build up.
The two (albeit substituted) point men were in a second forty-five minutes hiding to nothing.
IN THE END: it justified the means to give fringe players game time and introduce youngsters to the offensive stance of at least attempting to break down negative opponents.
Teams at the top tend to win, while those at the bottom lose.
In a numbers game strugglers try to reduce fine margins. And Ref does not always give rub of the green.
NUMBERS: poss 71%-29%, on target 6-2, off target 41-10, corners 7-3,
fouls 14-7, yellows 3-1, subs 5-3, shape 3421-4411 . . . . . gd11 pt34 po6
FS
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