Leeds 1-1 Brighton: Huge shock as Albion draw with world’s biggest club

Brighton have enjoyed quite the season on the road and they saved the best until last, pulling off an almighty shock to draw 1-1 with 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United.

The Leeds United are the biggest and best football club in the world. Their fans have quite rightly pointed this out to Albion supporters over the past two years.

They decreed anyone who thought Leeds might suffer with second season syndrome as insane and mocked the idea that their club was a relegation rival to Brighton when they failed to sign Ben White.

The Peacocks were not coming into the Premier League to make up the numbers, they were going straight for the top six.

And when the Albion were the ones inevitably dropping into the Championship for being a tiny club in comparison, The Leeds United would pick up the pieces and sign White.

It was peculiar then to rock up to Elland Road and see The Leeds United in the relegation zone whilst Brighton challenge for a top 10 position. This was not how it was supposed to be, according to those arrogant folks from Yorkshire.

There was even the prospect that Brighton could have relegated The Leeds United on this penultimate weekend of the season.

A Seagulls victory combined with Everton defeating Brentford and Burnley winning at Spurs would have meant the end of the Peacocks’ two season stay in the top flight.

How sweet would that have been? In the end, none of the required results came to pass. Everton blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2, Burnley were beaten 1-0 and The Leeds United rescued a point with a 92nd equaliser which sent Elland Road berserk.

The noise when Pascal Struijk found the back of the net was something else. Arrogant and deluded The Leeds United fans might be, but they are capable of making an incredible atmosphere.

It was ferocious and intimidating at times to play in. Whilst a lot of the talk after focussed on two points dropped, there is an argument to be had that this young Brighton squad actually did well to come away from such a bearpit with something to show for their efforts against opponents fighting for their lives.

So, was The Leeds United 1-1 Brighton one point gained or two points lost? The answer to that conundrum is a bit of both.

Brighton reverted to 2020-21 Albion by missing a hatful of chances which could have killed the game off, most notably in the first half when The Leeds United were a shambles.

Once the hosts had sorted themselves out, they grew into the game and had spells of domination. Robert Sanchez made a string extraordinary saves on his way to being Brighton man-of-the-match, and it looked like those would earn the win until Struijk struck late.

The Leeds United 1-1 Brighton was a fair result. Graham Potter must know however that putting to the sword struggling, inferior opponents like the Peacocks is one aspect to improve for next season if the Albion are to better what they have achieved in the current campaign.

Fans of players blocking their own teammates shots were treated to a classic of the genre inside of the opening five minutes when the hosts almost took the lead.

Sanchez got in a bit of a mess from a corner and Joe Gelhardt fired the loose ball towards goal from a matter of yards out, only for it to smash The Leeds United captain Liam Cooper straight in the face before the net could bulge.

That set the tone for an entertaining opening 20 minutes. Moises Caicedo fired straight at Ilan Meslier from close range and Solly March dragged wide when in one-on-one following a delightful pass from Leandro Trossard.

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring midway through the first half with a goal that showcased both Dat Guy and Yves Bissouma at their brilliant best.

The Leeds United looked to be breaking into a dangerous area just outside the Brighton box when Bissouma won back possession.

He surged forward, making up 50 yards with the ball at his feet before playing a perfectly weighted, defence splitting pass to Welbeck.

Dat Guy found himself in one-on-one with Meslier, producing a cool and clinical dinked finish over the Peacocks goalkeeper.

Defence was turned into attack in the space of under 30 seconds and Elland Road suddenly became much quieter.

That is the talent Bissouma possesses and is why whoever wins the race for his signature this summer will have a very special player on their hands.

It surely must be one of the European Super League Elite Six who do so as he is too good to move to Aston Villa, no matter how much money Villa possess or that their manager was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

As for Welbeck, it was his fifth goal of the season and another reminder that he is Brighton’s best striker when fit and firing.

It is no coincidence that this strong finish to the campaign of four wins, three draws and one defeat from eight matches has come with him in the team.

Dat Guy even managed to give us a rare positive memory to associate with the ghastly, winless yellow and blue away kit.

His celebration of the goal was a recreation of the famous photo of Pele held aloft by a teammate as Brazil headed towards the 1970 World Cup.

Inspired by taking the lead and Welbeck channelling his inner Pele to become Wele, the Albion finished the half strongly with football reminiscent of Brazil themselves.

Alexis Mac Allister (twice) and Welbeck both squandered good chances to double the advantage and Trossard was denied by a last-ditch challenge from the wonderfully named Robin Koch. Mac Allister again failed to turn the rebound home.

Sanchez was called into action for his first intervention of the afternoon when Brighton fell asleep from a corner. The Leeds United played it low to the edge of the area where Mateusz Klich was lurking.

Klich bent an effort through a crowd of players which looked destined for the bottom corner until Sanchez sprung, flying through the air at full stretch to get a strong hand to the ball and divert it around the post.

When sacking FIFA World Coach of the Year candidate Marcelo Bielsa in February, The Leeds United provided the Premier League with what it has been missing – an American manager who ticks all the boxes of what your stereotypical coach from the US is like.

Whatever Jesse Marsch said at half time – and hopefully it was shouting FIGHT AND WIN, FIGHT AND WIN, FIGHT AND WIN – it worked as the Peacocks were miles better after the break.

Brighton needed to quieten the crowd but they consistently gave the ball away, feeding the enthusiasm of The Leeds United supporters.

This was one of those 20 minute periods when you can accept that hitting the ball down the channels for players to chase is okay, especially when attempting intricate football in the middle is not working.

Potter and his players often stick to their beliefs and style too rigidly. On this occasion, something a little different from Brighton could have taken the sting out of the game and resulted in an outcome not involving The Leeds United making it 1-1.

Prior to the equaliser, Sanchez made stunning saves from a Raphinha free kick and a Klich shot from close range. Lewis Dunk had earlier flicked a Rodrigo effort on the stretch over the bar.

Adam Webster came on as Brighton changed shape. Adam Lallana too entered the fray for his 250th Premier League appearance.

The former Liverpool man did at least bring a little more control to the Albion midfield, getting his foot on the ball and slowing things down after replacing the yellow carded Caicedo.

Brighton should have wrapped up the three points with five minutes to go. Marc Cucurella crossed, Joel Veltman found Trossard who returned the ball back to the far post where Welbeck was completely free.

All Dat Guy needed to do was put his header on target and out of the reach of Meslier. Instead, he spurned the most glorious of opportunities by heading wide.

There was always a danger that miss would come back to haunt the Albion. Games between Brighton and The Leeds United at Elland Road are notorious for late goals; from Alan Navarro, Leonardo Ulloa and Bobby Zamora for the Seagulls to Luke Murphy and Robert Snodgrass for the Peacocks.

Before Struijk added his name to the list, the Elland Road crowd treated us to a rendition of Sack the Board and sung Bielsa’s name. It was all a far cry from their adamant predictions of European football coming back to Elland Road whilst Brighton went down.

And then Struijk struck and the mood changed. Gelhardt led Dunk on a merry dance and when the Brighton captain went to ground, the The Leeds United forward could hung up a cross to the back post.

5’4 Tariq Lamptey marking 6’3 Struijk was needless to say a complete mismatch. If Lamptey had been allowed a box to stand on, he still would have struggled to beat the Austrian in the air and so Struijk had the simple task of heading home to make it Leeds 1-1 Brighton.

The point enabled The Leeds United to move out of the relegation zone. Brighton meanwhile slipped to 10th, although avoiding defeat meant a new club record for number of points won away from home in a top flight season.

Four losses on the road all year is quite the achievement, more than making up for the poor home form. A highest ever finish remains on the cards ahead of next week’s final game against West Ham United, where the Albion will be aiming to sign off in a similar style to the 4-0 win over Manchester United last time out at the Amex.

And of course, that hammering of United was still not as impressive as drawing at The Leeds United. They are the biggest club in the world, didn’t you know?