Brighton 1-1 West Brom: Plenty of questions for Potter after Baggies draw

Wouldn’t you love to know what goes through Graham Potter’s mind sometimes? The Brighton manager makes baffling decisions on a weekly basis with the latest instalment coming as his side were held to a 1-1 draw at the Amex by newly promoted West Brom.

The Seagulls had given an encouraging first half display against their visitors. Neal Maupay had (again) squandered several opportunities and although Brighton only had a comedy own goal to show for their efforts, the Baggies looked there for the taking.

What followed was an appalling second half of football, not helped by Potter’s decision to try and defend the 1-0 lead. Brighton cannot keep a clean sheet for love nor money at the moment, so why would you bank on your side recording a shutout to win the game – especially against a defence so questionable as West Brom’s?

Slaven Bilic’s side lined up with a 36-year-old full back at centre back and two rookie full backs. Branoslav Ivanovic makes Usain Bolt look like a steam roller and yet Potter didn’t think that Aaron Connolly’s pace might have stretched the visiting defence in the second half.

Conor Townsend’s career path reads Grimsby Town, Chesterfield, Carlisle United, Dundee United and Scunthorpe United. He should have been no match for Tariq Lamptey whilst on the other side, an in-form Solly March could have torn former Queens Park Rangers, Northampton Town, Cambridge United and Swindon Town man Darnell Furlong apart.

Instead, Potter’s second half substitutions withdrew the outstanding Adam Lallana, Leandro Trossard and March in favour of Pascal Gross, Alexis Mac Allister and Steve Alzate.

Brighton should have been looking to kill the game off in the second half, running at a tiring defence to add a second. Potter’s changes opened the door for West Brom to grab an 80th minute equaliser with Bilic spot on in his post-game assessment that had the match lasted another five minutes, the likelihood is Brighton would have lost.

It was not like Potter had no options on the bench, either. Connolly’s speed and movement running in behind the veteran Ivanovic would have offered a very different threat. He also had a certain Danny Welbeck he could have have called upon.

Welbeck must have been licking his lips as he sat on the bench watching the first half and the chances Maupay failed to convert. Lallana teed Maupay up after a beautiful turn in the box, only for the Frenchman to put his shot straight at Sam Johnstone with the goal gaping.

Maupay had put the ball in the back of the net before that but he was very clearly offside. As Warren Aspinall said on BBC Radio Sussex, there was no excuse for that – against a player with Ivanovic’s speed issues, Maupay should be wise enough to give himself two yards as he could still beat the West Brom defence to the ball.

That Maupay played the full 90 minutes with Welbeck an option was another strange Potter decision. Strikers go through peaks and troughs in form – it doesn’t make them a bad player – and Maupay certainly seems to be in the latter at the minute.

A £20 million striker should be putting away at least four of the simple opportunities he has had across both Brighton 1-1 West Brom and Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton.

If Maupay was on form, then with the number of easy chances the Albion have created for him in 2020-21 he could feasibly be approaching double figures already.

You have to assume that a forward of Welbeck’s class and composure is going to be much more clinical, presuming Brighton can get him fit. Maupay and Welbeck up front together could be quite the partnership, providing Maupay finds his shooting boots again.

Trossard stung the palms of Johnstone on two occasions before the comedy own goal arrived to give Brighton the lead. Lamptey surged forward down the right and when Ivanovic attempted to clear the cross, he only succeeded in smashing the ball into the face of Jake Livermore and into the back of the net.

Brighton fans have been crying out for a piece of fortune this season, especially following the controversial penalty last weekend at Palace and the ridiculous scenes at the end of the Manchester United game, when United were awarded a 97th minute spot kick after the final whistle had gone.

The own goal was lady lucky shining on the Seagulls. It provided a platform for Brighton to go on and win the game – all they had to do was score one goal for themselves against the team with the worst defensive record in the Premier League so far.

To then have only one shot in the second half was inexcusable. To withdraw your three best attacking players when the tide desperately needed turning even more so.

It was all West Brom after the break. Conor Gallagher had a shot blocked by Joel Veltman, Maty Ryan saved superbly from Filip Krovinović and Matheus Pereira wasn’t far away when he clipped the post with Ryan beaten.

When West Brom found their equaliser with 10 minutes remaining, it came as a surprise to absolutely nobody watching. Dan Burn’s poor clearing heading on halfway gave the ball to the Baggies and as Burn tried to retrieve the situation, he left a gaping gap for Callum Robinson to collect a through ball and break into.

Adam Webster flayed a leg at Robinson’s low cross, only succeeding in deflecting it into the path of Karlan Grant who took a touch, got away from Ben White a little too easily and beat Ryan with a clinical finish.

It was a poor goal to concede which again highlighted the questionable decision making of Potter to try and hold onto a one-goal lead when Brighton have not exactly covered themselves in glory defensively this season.

Fans of Potter post-match interview bingo would have been delighted to pick up a full card afterwards as he crammed both phrases about “positives” and “learning” into his talk with the BBC.

“I thought we were the better team first half and they responded well in the second half,” said Potter. “We have to learn from the second half and take the positives from the first.”

The trouble is we never seem to learn – especially at home in winnable games. Since Potter took over, Brighton have picked up just two wins and scored nine goals from matches against West Ham United, Burnley, Norwich City, Sheffield United, Plucky Little Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Watford, Palace, Newcastle United and now West Brom.

12 points out of 30 at the Amex from fellow bottom half of the table teams is pitiful. In fact, it is the record of a club who will be no better than relegation battlers without significantly improving it.

Perhaps it is a good thing we have been locked out for eight months now as watching Potter’s Brighton fail to beat struggling teams time and time again would be a soul destroying experience.

Brighton being Brighton, we will probably follow up a 1-1 draw at home to West Brom with a win at Tottenham Hotspur next weekend playing breath taking football and all this will be forgotten. Goodness knows we need three points on the board soon if this is not to become a long, hard winter.

Still, at least we didn’t fork out £15 for it. Have pity on those poor sods who did.

The Brighton Foodbank tweeted before kick off that as of Sunday evening, Albion fans had donated £3912.67 to the charity rather than paying to watch the 1-1 draw with West Brom on Sky Sports PPV.

We hope to have a confirmed total once Monday’s contributions have been totted up, but thank you so much to everyone who donated both to Brighton and any other Foodbank across Sussex.