Post Match report for the Crystal Palace game - Saturday, 3rd February 2024
PREMIER LEAGUE 23/24: Brighton V Palace - 3/2/24 P23
* * * * * NORMAL SERVICE RESUMES * * * * *
RESULT: 4-1 ~ Dunk, Hinshelwood, Buonanotte, Pedro . (h-t 3-0)
VENUE: the Amex, Falmer - twelfth home match of 23 fixtures to date . Sat 3:00pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: our annual Sussex meeting with regional neighbours from greater Croydon was a regular weekend contest and k-o time this season around.
Brighton fans were hopeful of victory following a below par run of one win from the last seven PL fixtures.
WEATHER: cloudy . GATE: 31,345 . ATMOSPHERE: early and late reasons to cheer.
ROBERTO de ZERBI spoke highly of Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, having previously exchanged anecdotes in Italian and English.
RdZ had players coming back from injury, so formulated a match-day squad based on full fitness availability.
INJURED: 6 Milner 7 March 10 Enciso 34 Veltman
SQUAD: 22 Mitoma 24 Adingra 38 McGill (gk) . LOANED: 8 Dahoud 43 Samuels
STARTING SHAPE: 4-4-2
TEAM . . . . . . . . . 1 Verbruggen
. 41 Hinshelwood 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 3 Julio
. 40 Buonanotte 11 Gilmour 13 Gross 2 Lamptey
. . . . . 28 Ferguson . . . 9 Pedro
SUBS: 18 Welbeck (69), 20 Baleba (80), 30 Estupinan (80), 14 Lallana (88), 31 Fati (88)
BENCH: 23 Steele (gk) 4 Webster 15 Moder 47 Baker-Boaitey
GOALS:
1-0 - 3 . DUNK nuts the opener at a corner routine with Gross.
2-0 - 33 . HINSHELWOOD heads home following a high centre by Lamptey.
3-0 - 34 . BUONANOTTE fires in an assist by Gross.
3-1 - 71 . visitors net with a strike from a basic up-field ball and cross.
4-1 - 84 . PEDRO plays a one-two with Welbeck before unleashing an on target strike.
YELLOWS: Welbeck . De Zerbi (encroachment)
CHANGES: 69 Welbeck for Ferguson . 80 Baleba & Estupinan for Buonanotte & Lamptey
88 Lallana & Fati for Pedro & Julio
FIRST HALF: hosts taking a very early lead meant visitors were chasing the game.
Attacking wing play put locals in control just after the half hour mark.
SECOND HALF: taking foot off the pedal allowed travellers to peg one back three-quarters of the way thru.
Effective late substitutions restored Seagulls offensive action with positive effect.
IN THE END: a fairly comfortable victory against a side diminished by injuries and struggling to compete.
NUMBERS: poss 69%-31%, on target 6-5, off target 7-2, corners 3-2,
fouls 8-14, yellows 1-3, subs 5-5, shape 3421-433 . . . . . gd4 pt35 po7
FS
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