Pedro celebration v Palace voted WAB Flair Moment of the Season 2023-24
One…two…three…four… cut throat. Joao Pedro delivered an iconic celebration as Brighton thrashed Crystal Palace 4-1 which not only has a place in the history books but has also been voted WAB Flair Moment of the Season 2023-24.
It was the perfect summary of an afternoon on which the Eagles had been killed by the Albion. You had to go back to 1957 to find the last time Brighton put four goals past their arch rivals. I wonder if the travelling Palace support left the Goldstone Ground before half time on that occasion too?
Not only was the Joao Pedro celebration against Palace ice cold, but the goal which led to it too. A good enough finish to be nominated for Premier League February Goal of the Month.
Danny Welbeck played an outrageous flick into the path of Pedro breaking through the visitor’s defence. Pedro took a couple of touches before guiding a superb finish inside the post with the outside of his post.
The Amex roared its approval at a fourth goal being added with five minutes remaining and Pedro sauntered off towards the North Stand to count down the mauling and slit his throat.
Goal.com described the celebration as controversial. Those few Palace fans still at the Amex who had not walked out on their team seemed less bothered by it.
Or maybe they were just more concerned with getting ready to argue and fight against their own players come the final whistle?
Second place in Flair Moment of the Season 2023-24 went to another celebration, this time from Roberto De Zerbi after the chaotic 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest in November.
The Albion had not tasted victory in a Premier League game for over two months. That run looked like it was going to come to a comfortable end when they led 3-1 midway through the second half against a struggling Tricky Trees outfit.
But then VAR awarded Forest a controversial penalty. An unimpressed Lewis Dunk called referee Anthony Taylor a bald prick, earning a straight red card.
Morgan Gibbs-White then converted the spot kick, setting up a tense final 20 minutes. Brighton had to navigate it with 10 men and a makeshift defence of Pascal Gross, Jan Paul van Hecke, Joel Veltman and Jack Hinshelwood.
Forest threw the kitchen sink at the Albion, roared on by a raucous City Ground. Yet the Albion withstood the pressure to claim three points.
As soon as the full time whistle blew, De Zerbi sprinted from the dugout faster than Usain Bolt. He made it to the away end in seconds, going absolutely berserk with the celebrating travelling support. What a man.
The never-ending injury crisis eventually dampened some of De Zerbi’s enthusiasm by the end of the campaign, of course. One of the players ruled out from February onwards was Hinshelwood, who required surgery on a stress fracture of the foot.
Hinshelwood put his time out to good use by becoming an away day fanatic and travelling to games with his mates on the train.
The teenager was spotted in the away end at Brentford, Bournemouth and Newcastle United once he had sufficiently recovered from his operation.
Hinshelwood even made the journey back from St James’ Park wearing one of the free Lewis Dunk t-shirts given to every fan as a thank you for supporting the Albion on the road.
We can neither confirm nor deny if he had the traditional train-home-dinner of 12 cans of Strongbow Dark Fruits.
Hinshelwood’s metamorphosis from scoring against Palace to singing songs on the terraces two months later takes third place in Flair Moment of the Season.
Has anyone added Hinshelwood on Futbuology yet?
WeAreBrighton.com Flair Moment of the Season 2023-24 – The Results
- Joao Pedro celebration v Palace (H) – 40.83%
- Roberto De Zerbi loses his mind at Forest – 18.71%
- Jack Hinshelwood becomes away day fanatic – 16.82%
- Roberto De Zerbi in the crowd v Marseille (H) – 16.06%/li>
- Lewis Dunk backheel v Sheffield United (A) – 6.23%/li>
- Valentin Barco dressed as chessboard – 1.32%
Previous Winners: Roberto De Zerbi (2023), Pascal Gross (2022) Lewis Dunk (2021), Dan Burn (2020), Glenn Murray (2019), Anthony Knockaert (2018), Blowing the title (2017), Colin Calderwood (2016), Chris O’Grady (2015), Andrea Orlandi (2014), Liam Bridcutt (2013), Vicente (2012), Cristian Baz (2011), Inigo Calderon (2010).
