Post Match report for the Man Utd game - Sunday, 10th November 2019
PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester United v Brighton - 10/11/19, P12.
ALBION QUICKLY BROUGHT BACK TO EARTH WHEN VENTURING FAR FROM SUSSEX COMFORT ZONES
VENUE: Old Trafford, Manchester - sixth away match of twelve fixtures to date.
RESULT: 3-1 . (h-t 2-0) . SHAPE 4-4-2 .
REF: proverbial finger to his earpiece but deafness was not cause for concern.
PRE-KICKOFF: it was Remembrance Sunday and fans united with thoughts of times previously when others made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for our freedoms. Today would be a tribal sporting event, although no quarter was expected or given in pursuit of victory.
GATE: 73,556 . WEATHER: seasonal chilly afternoon oop north.
GRAHAM POTTER promoted Duffy to start while Webster continued treatment ongoing into the following third international break. Trossard was also included in the line up in lieu of Gross. Balogun thus joined substitutes.
TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ryan
. . 22 Montoya, 5 Dunk, 4 Duffy, 33 Burn
. 11 Trossard, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 46 Alzate
. . . . . . . . . 7 Maupay, 44 Connolly
BENCH: 27 Button, 14 Balogun, 21 Schelotto, 18 Mooy, 20 March (46), 13 Gross (59), 17 Murray (46).
GOALS: 17 - 1-0. a scrappy opening phase by visitors was punished when hosts counterattacked with pace and cut through hapless Seagulls like a sharp beak through picnic crusts. Stephens deflected it home.
19 - 2-0. following a f-k Dunk attempted a headed clearance but Ryan hesitates and as the shot comes in he also fails to block. Propper got last touch.
64 - 2-1. DUNK heads in from a Goss set piece as these vets combine to keep BHA in the game.
66 - 3-1. A cheap giveaway in midfield and BHA are exposed once again as a lightweight outfit relying on luck for results.
INCIDENTS: for obvious reasons VAR once again came to the fore and caused extra time lapses at pivotal moments. It appears as another layer of jobsworth style rules & regs rather than a simple aid at present.
YELLOWS: Stephens for an early late challenge. Dunk lunging in, now suspended for incurring 5Y. Montoya always looked suspect. Burn collected a card for hustle & bustle. Propper got punished for a nap hand of yellows.
SUBS: 46 - a double swap, Murray or Connolly and March for Montoya.
60 - Gross got on and Trossard went off.
Any tactical surprise evaporated like smoke & mirrors when locals worked out it was merely sleight of hand.
ANALYSIS: it was all over bar stadium shouting inside the first twenty minutes or so. Build up to kickoff was full of vocal optimism for travellers, which proved unfounded from very early at another big stage. Albion on the road is a much different kettle of fish for Seagulls forays in flights away from their comfortable Amex nest.
Potter admitted in his pre-match brief that he was terrified prior to turning out at Old Trafford in days of yore and some of that anxiety seemed to permeate among this squad after kickoff. Come the interval he musta been glad to go in for collective therapy, tea & sympathy.
Potter duly shook up the dice and rolled out an altered back line after turnaround. Murray was introduced as hold up man while March became the runner when Alzate went into rearguard.
The second period endorsed lack of purposeful attacking threat created by travellers during open play. The original front two were not incisive, although service was slow, like waiting in the tea queue. It amounted to just more of flatter to deceive, which hosts did not have trouble in breaking down and countering.
Too many players were not at the races and our huffing & puffing predominated under impression that it represented a pukka Prem display.
In the final analysis Albion getting a result at Watford on opening day of summer smiles now interprets as a flaccid flash in the Prem pan when viewed during early winter chill of a long hard campaign to come.
MoM - Duffy, plugged away in a futile so-called offensive team.
NUMBERS: shape 433-442, poss 43%-57%, on target 11-2, of target 10-4, corners 5-2,
fouls 10-14, yellows 2-5, subs 3-3.
FS
