Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth: Albion right back in the race for Europe
In every football season where a team achieves something special – say European qualification despite having lost 7-0 on February 1st – there are games and results which feel important. Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth feels important.
It was not hard to see why the Cherries have been labelled as dark horses for Champions League qualification. They play quick, fearless football which overwhelms most opponents. How many other teams have come to the Amex and left five payers forward? Not even Manchester City.
That made this a big test of the Albion defensively. An area Brighton have maybe not excelled in this season. Like when shipping seven goals away at Nottingham Forest just three weeks and a few days ago.
Yet it was a test Brighton passed. They contained the Cherries. And they were clinical at the other end. It meant for the first time since Sky Sports invented football in 1992, Brighton have won three top flight games in a row. Some turnaround from the heaviest defeat in 67 years.
The first half was rip roaring entertainment. Bournemouth and their willingness to attack helped Brighton. Teams like Everton, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Wolves and Ipswich Town who have come and parked the bus all left with something to show for their efforts.
Andoni Iraola could easily have set up the Cherries to do the same. He didn’t. His principles and style of play trumped tactics which could win Bournemouth the game.
Like a less combustible, Spanish version of Roberto De Zerbi. Maybe that is why I find myself strangely drawn to Bournemouth and their manager.
Despite years of not being able to stand them because of this idea their rise to the top flight was some sort of fairy tale. When in fact it was funded by cold, hard roubles, making mega losses and breaking financial fair play limits.
Both sides had chances through the opening 30 minutes and both had an outstanding player creating them. For the Cherries, it was Antoine Semenyo. Not really a surprise, seeing as Newcastle United have made Semenyo their number one summer transfer target.
The best Albion player was a relative unknown compared to Semenyo. Diego Gomez was making his first Brighton start. He looked like he had been playing at Premier League level his entire life.
Not only did every pass Gomez play seem to find a blue and white shirt, but some were threaded through the eye of the needle.
I never thought I would find a Gomez I liked more than Selena, but Diego is up there. And he hasn’t been in an ill advised relationship with Justin Bieber. As far as we know.
It was one of these perfect passes from Gomez which led to the opening goal in Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth. Gomez weighted a through ball for Joao Pedro to latch onto just ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Pedro nudged past Kepa and then went to ground in enough of a theatrical style that if Lacey Turner was watching, she might be worried about having some competition for the best dramatic performance National Television Award which is surely coming her way for EastEnders live on Thursday night.
Referee Michael Oliver though fell for it. Just like the nation fell into deep despair over Martin Fowler passing away.
Pedro did have a nudge in the back, which is apparently why the spot kick was awarded. Despite Kepa doing his best to put Pedro off by delaying the taking, the Brazilian converted to maintain his near-perfect penalty record. Just one miss from 13 and even then he scored the rebound.
The entertainment continued after Brighton took the lead. Semenyo forced Bart Verbruggen into a superb full stretch save from a strike which initially looked like a cross but bent viciously enough to turn into a shot.
Kaoru Mitoma put an outrageous acrobatic effort against the post. Jan Paul van Hecke had a funny five minutes, including nearly killing Justin Kluivert with a two footed scissor tackle.
It probably would have been a yellow had Bournemouth not played through three more phases and Mr Oliver seemingly forgotten what had happened.
Van Hecke then leathered a back pass as hard as possible at Verbruggen. The Dutch number one was having his best game for some time and somehow dealt with it, whacking the ball out for a throw.
Brighton’s work rate in the first half was insane. Summed up by Georginio Rutter chasing back 70 yards from being the furthest Albion player forward to making a tackle on the edge of his own box. Chalk and cheese compared to how lethargic Brighton looked in the 7-0 debacle at Nottingham Forest.
There was no let up in the entertainment value into the second half, including a sensational Bournemouth equaliser. It came out of nothing, Justin Kluivert pivoting from 25 yards out and then finding the top corner. The Amex will surely not see a better goal this season.
Verbruggen spread himself brilliantly to deny substitute Alex Scott from close range. The Cherries were coming on strong and so Fabian Hurzeler rolled the dice with some changes of his own.
And it was one of those who struck the winner. Danny Welbeck had only been on the pitch four minutes when Rutter picked him out. Dat Guy got the angle of a drive perfect so it kissed the inside of the post and went in.
The five month wait for Welbeck to tie Pascal Gross as Brighton’s record Premier League scorer on 30 goals was worth it. Eight more to go until Dat Guy overtakes Michael Robinson as the Albion player with the most top flight goals for the club.
Given Bournemouth’s attacking prowess, a one goal lead was never going to be safe until the fat lady sang.
And Minteh did his best to make it nervy with what just might rank as the best ever moment at the Amex Stadium. Or as one of our Twitter followers put it, “I logged on instantly to see what you thought of it!”
Said moment was of course Minteh, in his own 10 yard box, having just messed up a clearance, trying to rectify the situation with an overhead kick which went 100 yads into the air and out for a Bournemouth corner.
One of the guys behind me in the West Upper said “What was going through his mind?” I recalled a situation where I had done an almost identical thing in Sussex Sunday League Division 3. Having taken an MDMA bomb three hours before kick off. Presumably, that is not why Minteh did what he did.
But it does give double reason to remember Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth. A big night for the Albion’s hopes of returning to Europe. An even bigger night for fans of completely ridiculous moments of football.
Ridiculousness is of course something which Brighton do rather well. Like going from losing 7-0 to three wins in a row.
Europe again, ole ole?
