Brighton 3-1 Newcastle: Seagulls smash Saudi sportswashers
Well, that turned out to be a pretty good week for the Albion. Buying the second most expensive player in the club’s history on Wednesday. A dream Europa League draw and signing Barcelona’s number 10 on Friday. Brighton 3-1 Newcastle United on Saturday.
Neither Carlos Baleba nor Ansu Fati featured against the Saudi Sportswashers. The Albion did not need them. And if they are to improve this squad as much as people – including Roberto De Zerbi – think they will, that is a frightening prospect.
Brighton under De Zerbi either sink or swim. There tends to be no middle ground. When DeZerbiBall works, not many teams in the Premier League can live with it.
When the Albion have an off day or opponents set up in a way which catches Brighton out, then the result tends to be a disappointing and often heavy defeat.
Brighton against West Ham last week fell into the latter. Not many would have backed the Irons to win, just as nobody expected Everton to leave the Amex back in May with a 5-1 win to their name.
Both those results left fans tearing their hair out. Such is life under De Zerbi and the feast or famine that his management brings that the Albion always bounce back.
The hammering by Everton was followed by a 3-0 win at title chasing Arsenal. And now this. Brighton react to a first defeat in 13 matches against West Ham by thrashing the team who finished third in the Premier League last season.
There is a lesson here. Albion supporters need to learn to accept that results like West Ham and Everton are all part of the adventure.
Rather than stressing about De Zerbi changing his goalkeeper randomly or hailing Adam Webster the worst defender since Colin Hawkins, write whatever defeat has just occurred off and look forward to the reaction in the next game. Because there always is a response.
Easier said than done for fans, of course. Football is an emotive sport and who doesn’t love an overreaction? De Zerbi has proven time and time again though that one swallow does not a summer make when it comes to losing, he learns and adapts and the Albion become better for it.
Take his team selection for Brighton 3-1 Newcastle. Eddie Howe used similar tactics to West Ham at the Amex last week when beating the Albion at St James’ Park in May, long balls forward to a physically strong target man striker for the purposes of launching quick counter attacks.
De Zerbi assumed Howe would do the same again. Webster struggles against powerful opposition forwards, as the bullying he took from Michail Antonio is testament to. And so in came Jan Paul van Hecker, who was absolutely magnificent.
The Hammers also caused numerous problems down the Albion right. De Zerbi responded by bringing Joel Veltman in for his first start of the season. Just like his fellow Dutchman Van Hecke, Veltman more than justified the decision with a rock solid 90 minutes.
Billy Gilmour had looked a little lightweight against West Ham. De Zerbi though kept the faith. The result of that decision was Gilmour being the best player on the pitch.
Amongst all the questionable dealings Todd Boehly and Chelsea have had with Brighton over the past year, selling Gilmour to the Albion for just £9 million could well end up being the most stupid. He is developing into a a fine player.
The contributions of Van Hecke, Veltman and Gilmour to Brighton 3-1 Newcastle being highlighted before Evan Ferguson tells you everything you need to know about what a good team performance this was from the Albion.
Ferguson will take the headlines almost everywhere else for his sensational hat-trick. The boy from Bettystown cost peanuts compared to the billions of petrodollars in the bank of Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian overlords.
Brighton again showed the football world that money is not everything; good scouting, great coaching and a reputation for being a place where young players can thrive allows the Albion to compete with club’s owned by nation states for no other purpose than sportswashing.
“You can stick your Saudi money up your arse,” was the chant ringing around the Amex as the goals were raining in.
At a time when the Saudi regime are sentencing retired former teachers with 10 followers on Twitter to death for posting about the government, goodness knows what Newcastle’s owners thought about the dissent from Brighton supporters.
The Saudi Sportswashers actually started the game the better side. Van Hecke made a superb sliding challenge on Alexander Isak to force the Newcastle forward wide as he went in one-on-one with Bart Verbruggen.
Verbruggen then had to show quick reactions, getting down to his left to turn away a cross which Lewis Dunk had inadvertently deflected towards the bottom corner.
Ferguson opened the scoring with 28 minutes on the clock following some interesting goalkeeping from Nick Pope. The England international hit a terrible clearance, resulting in him being required to save with his feet from Kaoru Mitoma seconds later.
The loose ball found its way to Gilmour 30 yards out, who hit an absolute piledriver. It still should have been bread and butter for Pope, but an uncharacteristic error saw him spill the ball and Ferguson gobble up the rebound.
Gilmour was again heavily involved in the second which came around the hour mark. A poor first touch made it initially appear that he had lost possession in a dangerous place just in front of the Albion defence.
His recovery though was impressive, sliding in ahead of a Newcastle playing pressing and feeding the ball into the feet of Ferguson some 30 yards from goal.
Ferguson advanced to 25 yards out and with no player in Saudi green showing any inclination to shut him down, the Irishman picked out the bottom corner using his right foot with unerring accuracy.
Four minutes later and it was game, set and match. Mitoma advanced and passed to Ferguson on the edge of the area. Some quick feet created just enough room for Ferguson to fire a left footed effort towards goal, taking a big deflection off Fabian Schar to defy Pope.
With his treble complete, Ferguson became only the fourth 18-year-old to score a Premier League hat-trick. The other three? Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney. Not bad company to be in.
The only downer on the day came when substitute Callum Wilson made it Brighton 3-1 Newcastle in stoppage time. The Albion defence fell asleep momentarily, a long ball over the top catching out both Dunk and Van Hecke, allowing Wilson to run through and beat Verbruggen.
Smug Eddie was not looking so smug afterwards. Having suffered three Premier League defeats in a row, he should be wary about accepting any invitations to the Saudi embassy. Just ask the family of Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered and dismembered for being critical of the regime.
Wonder what the punishment is for Newcastle losing 3-1 to Brighton? A month’s detention? 50 lashes in a public square? Something for Howe to ponder as Newcastle beheaded home with nothing to show from their trip to the Amex.
