Post Match report for the Burnley game - Saturday, 14th September 2019
PREMIER LEAGUE: Brighton v Burnley - 14/9/19 P5
ALBION LEFT WITH GLASS HALF EMPTY WHEN OPENING UP CLARETS
VENUE; the Amex, Falmer - third home match of five fixtures to date.
RESULT: 1-1 ~ Maupay . (h-t 0-0) . SHAPE: 3-4-3 . REF: missed a couple of sitters, otherwise stood up to examination.
PREAMBLE: the first pause for international matches was completed, so Prem action restarted with domestic entertainment during a hangover from summer temperatures. However pleasant these conditions, Brighton fans knew this display could only be seen in the cold light of day after the event.
GATE: 29,398 . WEATHER: sunny and warm.
GRAHAM POTTER selected from a slightly revised squad, having previously sent Locadia & Andone abroad, while Trossard returned via Belgium with a groin strain. Montoya went sick in the week and Bernardo failed a late fitness test.
Therefore rehabilitated Bissouma sat among substitutes - it all appeared a tad makeshift.
TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ryan
. . . . . . . . 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 15 Webster
. 20 March, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 33 Burn
. . . . . 13 Gross, 7 Maupay, 17 Murray
BENCH: 27 Button, 3 Bong (90), 8 Bissouma, 28 Baluta, 46 Alzate, 18 Mooy (80), 44 Connolly (84)
GOALS: 51 - 1-0. Good forward movement by Webster, linking with March, allowed the winger to find MAUPAY who swivelled acrobatically to convert the lob.
91 - 1-1. A sucker punch delivered right at the death, as sapped defenders were on the back foot but lively attackers found space and individual skills to make a single on target strike count.
INCIDENTS: there were a lot of aerial balls with challenges that instigated cause for concern. 63 - Duffy required treatment in oppositions area. 71 - visitors pushed up and one of their guys stayed down. 81 - Maupay sees red because it was his blood from a gash and he played no further part.
YELLOWS: none. Travellers picked up two cards during a live & let live approach by officials.
SUBS: 80 - Mooy replaced Murray but went to the right. 84 - Connolly got on for Maupay down the middle. 90 - Bong arrived in lieu of March down the left.
Potter played his cards very late in proceedings and they all appeared reactive, rather than proactive, as his squad ran out of steam.
ANALYSIS: for twenty odd minutes from the get-go our northwest visitors made the play and perhaps luck went with Albion to maintain stalemate by coffee time.
After turnaround Webster went right of the back three as they reshuffled left. The effect immediately gave better balance.
The early second half goal, accrued from positional changes of personnel, set up momentum to rack up further opportunities. But the match degenerated into a long ball affair showing the sort of standard from last decade at level two.
All those pretty little triangles out on flanks merely exposed lack of numbers getting into the box with purpose. Shooting from distance was woeful to boot. Surely we cannot keep putting failure to collect points at the Amex down to work in progress. In truth, weak links are still in the final third as per last season, for all its defensive preponderance.
MoM; March - got up and back and... if only he could get goals.
HOME FAN; we threw two points away and the Amex hoodoo versus Burnley goes on. We cannot even buy a home win at present.
AWAY FAN; fair enough I thought. We brought Brighton down to our levels and never quit, as the one goal lead was not enough at any stage.
NEUTRAL VIEW; the home unit took awhile to get into stride but from the hour mark the away outfit used subs wisely to force the game onto a knife edge. Prem veteran Dyche out-thought Potter, who wanted to shut them out but miscalculated. The canny northerner stayed in the game with offensive strategy.
FS