Brighton 2-2 Leicester: Albion booed off for doing it again
They have done it again. Brighton 2-2 Leicester saw the Foxes become the latest team to end a terrible run of form at the Amex against the Albion.
The Foxes had lost nine games in a row. They had not scored for seven consecutive matches. Defeat could have confirmed their relegation from the Premier League with six games still to be played.
Yet the second-worst team in the English top flight this season took a point. Scored not once but twice. And if we are being honest, had Brighton on the ropes towards the end.
The final whistle of Brighton 2-2 Leicester was greeted with a chorus of boos. Paul Barber OBE has probably already written his next set of programme notes, admonishing the dissenters and explaining why nobody should be booing the Albion. Ever.
This though was ghastly. In terms of result. Performance. And the point in the season it has come at. After losing to nine-man Crystal Palace, Brighton needed a reaction. We got nothing.
Fabian Hurzeler seemed to think the best way to get one was by giving players involved in recent international duty time off at the start of the week.
Joao Pedro was chief amongst those sharing updates on his holiday via Instagram. Looked pretty nice, to be fair.
But I would give more than a penny to know what Hurzeler really thought about the squad responding to their holiday time after a humiliating defeat to arch rivals by putting in a display like that against the Foxes.
In amongst the whole Leicester scoring a goal and getting a point thing, it seems to have gone kind of under the radar that the Albion failed to score in open play against a side who have conceded 72 times already this season.
Had Brighton not been awarded two penalties successfully converted by Joao Pedro, it could have been even more embarrassing.
The first came on the half hour mark. Simon Adingra saw a shot blocked by the hand of Conor Coady. Pedro continued his phenomenal record from the spot by beating Mads Hermansen.
Adingra hit the bar before Leicester made the Albion pay for not turning their domination into more than one goal.
The defending and goalkeeping was atrocious as the Foxes countered with Lewis Dunk particularly culpable. Stephy Mavididi shot straight through Bart Verbruggen, who ended up lying on his back like a helpless woodlouse that has been turned upside down.
The 855 minute wait for Leicester to score a Premier League goal was over. Of course it was. They were playing Brighton.
We need to talk about Dunk here. Having gone eight games unbeaten with Adam Webster alongside Jan Paul van Hecke, the Albion have failed to win any of their four matches with the captain back in the starting XI.
His status as a Brighton legend cannot be disputed. But the cold, hard facts are that Dunk has not been good enough this season. Summer recruitment has to focus on finding a new centre back partner for Jan Paul van Hecke.
Matt O’Riley hit the bar towards the end of the first half before the Albion were awarded their second penalty on 55 minutes.
The lively O’Riley was pulled back by Luke Thomas. Pedro smashed into the top corner this time. Brighton really should have gone onto win the game from that point. There could be no excuses for conceding twice against a team as poor as this Leicester…
Making matters worse was the fact that when Leicester did indeed score their second, it was another entirely preventable goal.
The marking from a Bilal El Khannouss free kick was pretty much non-existent, allowing Caleb Okoli to head past Verbruggen.
Brighton responded to being pegged back for a second time by completely falling apart. Hurzeler was unable to do anything about the situation and it was only the woodwork denying El Khannouss in the closing stages which ensured it finished Brighton 2-2 Leicester rather than 3-2 to the Foxes.
Southampton, Ipswich Town and now Leicester have all left the Amex with something to show for their efforts. Three sides who will finish the campaign so far adrift of safety as to suggest they are the worst collective bottom three since Sky Sports invented football in 1992.
It is now four games without a win in all competitions. A season which just three weeks ago held the prospect of finishing with an FA Cup final appearance and Champions League qualification is now in danger of seeing European football slip away entirely.
Some might say the Albion are still only seven points off fifth. But it is only five points down to Palace in 12th, who have a game in hand.
The way things have gone over the past fortnight, nobody could blame Seagulls supporters for having eyes down the table rather than up.
It would not be great to follow a £200 million spending spree in the same 11th place (or lower) which Roberto De Zerbi delivered last season. Especially when many accuse De Zerbi of downing tools for the final two months.
I will leave the final words to Hurzeler himself, who told the BBC: “The season is not over yet. We have to show a reaction because this cannot continue.”
Brentford away is up next. Sending the players on holiday has failed to shake them out of the slump. Maybe a cold, hard, significant cash bonus from Tony Bloom for beating arch rival Matthew Benham and his Bees will do the trick?
God knows the Albion need some inspiration from somewhere.
