Preston 0-2 Brighton: Albion ease through with first ever Deepdale win
An uncontrollable virus which grounds the entire world to a halt must have thought it was odds on to be the weirdest thing to happen in 2020. Not anymore. Move over Covid-19, Brighton & Hove Albion have beaten Preston North End 0-2 to record their first ever victory at Deepdale.
It was 1908 when the Seagulls first travelled to the first town in England to open a KFC. In 16 previous visits spread over a time frame of 112 years, the Albion had never returned from Preston with a win.
Even getting a goal at Deepdale was an occurrence rarer than good customer service from Ryanair. Aside from when Jolly Simon Rodger and a teenage Steve Sidwell netted in a 2-2 draw at Preston in 2002, you had to go back to 1976 to find the last time Brighton managed to score in that particular corner of Lancashire.
Combine this woeful record at Deepdale with a phobia of going beyond the third round of the League Cup – Brighton had only managed it once in 41 years before winning 0-2 at Preston – and history was screaming out that this evening would end with a home win.
Thankfully, the Albion are not paying much attention to history at the minute. Graham Potter sent out his fringe players once again and once again they delivered, a comfortable 0-2 win showing that Brighton & Hove Albion’s backups are good enough to roll over a half-strength Preston side who should be pushing for promotion from the Championship.
The depth that Potter has in his squad is phenomenal. 11 changes were made from the team who won 3-0 at Newcastle United on Sunday and yet Brighton still named an Argentinian, Iranian, Swedish and two Dutch internationals in their starting line up.
These players seem to be thriving in the Carabao Cup too. In the past, Brighton have played reserve sides in the competition and the individuals involved have very clearly not given a toss.
That is not the case with the Albion Class of 2021. Every player seems to be viewing it as an opportunity to impress Potter, as opposed to an inconvenience to be asked to go to Preston on a Wednesday night when there is Birds of a Feather on Watch at 6.20pm.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Alexis Mac Allister are banging in the goals which will surely have them in first team contention before long. In the absence of the Burnley-bound Dale Stephens, Pascal Gross inherited the armband and reminded Potter of his quality by being a class above anything else on the pitch.
Davy Propper is giving performances that indicate he knows his days as an automatic first choice are over. For Viktor Gyokeres, it is the chance to prove he can be the answer to Brighton’s striker shortage.
Haydon Roberts and Max Sanders are young and hungry. Both came into the starting line up, with Roberts in particular looking ridiculously comfortable for an 18-year-old playing against Championship opponents.
Even Jason Steele seems determined to assure Potter that should something unspeakable happen to Maty Ryan, he would be willing to sacrifice his 18 holes to step into the breach for a couple of games in the Premier League.
The fact that we are even talking about such a possibility is indicative of the impact this Carabao Cup run is having. Steele has gone from figure of fun in Sunderland Till I Die to a man pulling off world class saves, like his stunning first half stop from Jayden Stockley.
Put it down to the magic of the cup and the magic of Ben Roberts, improving by several levels yet another goalkeeper to come under his wing – just as he did with David Stockdale, David Button and to a lesser extent, Maty Ryan.
The most enjoyable aspect about all of this though is just how fun the competition is turning out to be. We used to rock up to League Cup games out of blind loyalty almost; nobody really wanted to be paying £15 to watch Brighton stiffs try and get themselves eliminated by Reading. You just felt like you had to be there as if it were a great aunt’s birthday.
Now we find ourselves paying £10 to watch games from an empty stadium through a stream on a website sponsored by a Chinese energy drink – and enjoying it. Sods law that this fun cup run happens in the one season when none of us can attend.
More importantly, the players seem to be enjoying it too. Enjoyment often breeds success in a very underrated way and given the manner in which Brighton have played in the Carabao Cup so far, we would not be averse to chucking a few quid with OlyBet on the Albion to beat Manchester United in round four.
The first half at Deepdale was a bit of a non event. Brighton were well in control, but chances were few and far between. Preston were left cursing Steele for that outrageous save and Patrick Bauer headed the resulting corner against the bar.
Brighton had two opportunities either side of Steele’s heroics and the rattling of the woodwork. Mac Allister opted to square to Jahanbakhsh who saw his shot saved by PNE goalkeeper Connor Ripley when the Argentinian should have taken the shot on himself. Gross then played in Mac Allister on the stroke of half time but his effort was repelled by Ripley.
The Albion took the lead just before the hour mark with another cracker from Jahanbakhsh. The quality of the strike from the Persian Prince will take most of the plaudits, even though this was an excellent counter attacking goal.
Steele claimed a cross to launch the break and needless to say, it was the silky skills of Gross that helped turn defence into attack. The German playmaker released Bernardo down the left and his cross eventually found its way to Jahanbakhsh at the back to beat Ripley with a rasping volley. Prince Ali does not do simple goals.
With Brighton’s meagre record at Deepdale, you sensed that a second goal was needed, even though the Albion had been in complete control. Mac Allister was the man to provide it as he made it Preston 0-2 Brighton with 15 minutes remaining.
Again Gross was the instigator, this time producing one of his elegant Gross Turns to leave a Preston defender so stranded that he may as well have been on one of the moons of Jupiter. That gave Gross all the time in the world to pick out Mac Allister, who swept the ball home. Game over and history made.
Brighton do not have long to wait for their next chance to rewrite the record books either. Beat United in next week’s fourth round and the Albion will be into the quarter finals for only the second time.
A place at Wembley is then within two victories; a first ever piece of major silverware and European qualification three wins away. You might think it unlikely or that we are getting far too carried away, but if Brighton can win at Preston then anything is possible.
