Beating Liverpool 3-0 the perfect medicine for a sprained ankle
Brighton v Liverpool was one of the most important games in the Albion’s season so far and here I was, not even on the bench after suffering an injury in the build up to the match.
It was not a tough tackle or a training ground knock which ruled me out, but rather an incident at the Ardingly Show Ground.
I was walking our dog Teddy, not even distracted by looking at a phone or anything, when I missed a simple step on a damaged sleeping policeman.
To the ground I fell in excruciating pain. It was pouring with rain and there was nobody around to help, save an older lady.
She did very kindly come across and ask if I needed am ambulance. I replied “Thanks for your concern, but they are all on strike!”
I managed to get myself up and hobbled the three quarters of a mile back to the car with dear little Teddy and then drove the short distance home.
It was then that I realised I had an ankle the size of a junior match football. Next I was driven to the wonderful minjor injuries unit at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, where I was taken into their care.
I have nothing but praise for the team at the unit and I was away on crutches within an hour having been x-rayed and given the perfect advice for what had been diagnosed as a serious sprain.
What a service! Rest was the only option and so I had to resign myself to the sofa, where I spent the rest of the week.
I had been hoping that come Saturday the ankle would be healed enough and I would be able to walk from the Bridge Car Park to the Amex Stadium.
Unfortunately though, I failed a late fitness test and was nowhere near ready to hobble along for the game. I had been expecting it to be one of the most exciting matches of the season based on performances of late and so it proved.
The disappointment of missing the game was softened by our faithful BBC Radio Sussex commentary team of Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall.
Johnny and Warren always manage to create a good atmosphere. You could hear the Albion fans in fine voice behind them throughout the afternoon and no doubt that backing helped push the lads on.
Sky Sports did show a bit of the warmup from the Amex with the focus on new £45 million Liverpool signing Cody Gakpo, a 6’2 striker bought from PSV Eindhoven.
To my surprise, they showed Gakpo missing two shots in succession. That is a good sign I thought and of course Gakpo did not score at all during the game.
Before kick off there was a tribute to Alexis Mac Allister. A big Argentina shirt was passed across the back of the North Stand as Mac Allister came onto the pitch to rapturous applause.
It sounded as though the appreciation was coming from Liverpool fans as well as Brighton. Mac Allister waved back to all four sides of the Amex with his World Cup medal proudly around his neck.
When the teams entered the field to the sound of Sussex by the Sea, I began to get quite excited. Brighton started strongly and the first highlight shown on the Albion website set the tone for the dominating performance that was to follow.
A great series of moves through Mac Allister, Adam Lallana and Mac Allister again worked the ball to Solly March on the right side of the Liverpool area.
March let rip with his left foot, sending the ball to the far post where Trent Alexander-Arnold was very lucky that his touch sent the ball over the bar rather than into his own net.
A slick Pascal Gross corner found the head of Mac Allister who put the ball straight into the arms of Alisson Becker.
Next it was the turn of Kaoru Mitoma to threaten. The Japanese Bullet Train put himself into top gear to accelerate away from Joel Matip. When Matip fouled Mitoma, referee Darren England had no choice but to get his yellow card out.
Liverpool made a rare attack when a long Alisson throw started a break which put Gakpo in. Robert Sanchez came out brilliantly to get to the ball, nearly sliding out of his area in the process.
Brighton then had another close shave when it needed more fine goalkeeping from Sanchez to prevent Mo Salah opening the scoring.
The passing football of the Albion was frequently leaving Liverpool at sixes and sevens and unable to shut down space. Ian Wright pointed it out so well on Match of the Day where Brighton were even praised for their great football by Gary Lineker.
It was one of these passing moves that put March in to be brought down by Alisson. Mr England blew for a penalty but VAR soon took charge and a check found an offside.
One final chance came in the first half when Moises Caicedo played a fantastic ball down the right for March.
The highlights made it appear as if March had a third of the pitch all to himself which he charged into on a diagonal run, squaring the ball to Evan Ferguson whose shot was saved by Alisson.
I took a deep breath at half time and wondered what might happen in the second half. Would the Albion find their breakthrough?
Yes was the answer and after only two minutes of kicking towards the North Stand. Matip played a poor pass intercepted by Mac Allister.
He moved the ball swiftly forward to Lallana before being knocked to the floor. Lallana flicked left to Mitoma, who saw March unmarked on the right.
In comes a great cross from Mitoma and March beats Alisson to the ball to give Brighton a 47th minute lead.
No time at all passed before the Albion added a second. I wondered if Johnny had hit the wrong button on his broadcasting device and was accidentally replaying the commentary of the first goal, because it didn’t seem feasible that March and Brighton could score again so soon.
This one was a belter from March to round off another Albion move which cut through Liverpool like a knife in hot butter.
Sanchez made another brave save from Gakpo before Roberto De Zerbi started making substitutions. The squad are looking confident and strong right now shown by De Zerbi bringning on two players as good as Joel Veltman and Danny Welbeck.
Later changes saw Jeremy Sarmiento, Tariq Lamptey and Adam Webster come on. All were chomping at the bit to play their part and it was Welbeck who made it Brighton 3-0 Liverpool 15 minutes after coming on.
Veltman took a throw on the right to March and he flicked on to Welbeck, who displayed two great touches to lift the ball over a defender and then volley past Alisson.
Jurgen Klopp’s face said it all. The final whistle sounded and Brighton had another precious three points towards the dream of European football.
“What a time to be an Albion fan,” said Johnny afterwards and how right he is. Seeing Brighton flying high above Liverpool and Chelsea is enough to bring a tear to the eyes.
Who would have predicted back in August that this is how the table would look approaching the halfway stage of the season?
Next up is a trip to Leicester City, who lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at the weekend. The Foxes will be smarting from that, making them difficult opponents to face at the King Power Stadium.
There are no easy game in the Premier League but Brighton should fear nobody all the time they are playing football good enough to make the pain of a sprained ankle go away. Up the Albion.
Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony
