Post Match report for the Man City game - Sunday, 12th May 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE; Brighton v Man City

ALBION DO THEIR BIT BY DEFAULT AS GOOD CITIZENS


VENUE; the Amex, Falmer - nineteenth home match of 38 fixtures.
RESULT; 1-4 ~ Murray . SHAPE; 4-1-4-1 . REF; made it an easy afternoon for himself and column-inch journos.

PREAMBLE; Brighton fans turned up knowing we would still figure at this level in a few weeks time and able to play likes of City once more. We also knew home truths about how the current campaign had come close to disaster since promising progression by New Year.
Another false dawn was to be avoided at all costs. The club could not afford to go backwards as there was too much at stake.

CHRIS HUGHTON had Propper & Izquierdo continuing injured and Bruno on verge of retirement. Stephens & March were left out but Molumby ascended from U23s.
Otherwise he selected from a squad who usually found the right words in the media but were serially found wanting on numerous previous occasions.
Substitutes appeared to make numbers up.

TEAM; . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ryan
. 2 Bruno, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo
. 11 Knockaert, 13 Gross, 7 Kayal, 8 Bissouma, 16 Jahanbakhsh
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Murray

BENCH; 27 Button, 3 Bong, 33 Burn, 22 Montoya (84), 49 Molumby, 10 Andone (67), 9 Locadia (67).


GOALS; 1-0 - 27. From a fortuitous corner, Gross put the ball onto the head of MURRAY at the near post.
1-1 - 28. Hosts immediately retreated to their area but it gave no safety in numbers as visitors cut rearguard open.
1-2 - 38. A corner routine got punished as defenders watched the free man rush in and jump highest with purpose.
1-3 - 63. Defenders were left on their backsides when sitting way too deep while the midfielder found space.
1-4 - 72. Top players score from dead-ball situations and any wall might be for effect and not affect the strike at all.

INCIDENTS; the match was played in a spirit of sportsmanship.

YELLOWS; none. This contest never became a battle because players accepted the status quo of men versus boys.

SUBS; 67 - Jahanbakhsh & Murray were replaced by Locadia & Andone. It might well have been Laurel & Hardy.
84 - Montoya took over from BRUNO. The older Spaniard deservedly received a standing ovation.


ANALYSIS; hosts usual enthusiastic start petered out quickly and from then on was a slog to stay in the game. Blue & white are not blessed with pace, nor able to increase it and therefore lack counter-attacking requirements.
Set pieces, capitalising on opposition mistakes and the odd worldy have been modus operandi to get a goal this term. But having scored once, the game was well & truly up prior to the interval.
The second period was going through more motions while visitors exposed the yawning gulf between top of the table and somewhere shy of the drop zone.
Records show home form registered eight domestic defeats, four of those coming in the final five Amex fixtures. The fortress crumbled each month since turn of the year until attempts to rebuild amounted to mere last ditch defence.
Support from the stands was soon hushed at the equaliser and reverted to that of a theatre audience when play unfolded as scripted. Crowds are very aware of the amount of fight & effort from a team... today confirmed ongoing capitulations.
MoM - Bruno, man for all seasons to highest level.


1ST FAN; +I trust Dan Ashworth will act on what he has seen here this year and overhaul the club from all playing & recruitment aspects. Fans will expect U23s to start coming through into seniors and not keep going out on loan+

2ND FAN; +bit of a non event after half-time and our lot were on the beach from well before the hour mark. After that it was all waiting for dual celebrations+

3RD FAN; +I shall not mention locals football but it was nice to see the champions retain the title here at our Amex world stage and also say goodbye to El Capitan Bruno for an exemplary career as a Seagull+

FS