How long was the ball actually in play against Aston Villa?

Lost time seems to have been a theme of this week. Before we get onto Brighton 1-2 Aston Villa, I bring you news that this is my second attempt to offer my take on the game between Seagulls and Villans.

As I was writing the initial piece on Monday evening, I leant across the table at home to reach for something. Whilst doing this, I must have caught the Samsung keyboard and the screen went white. Shock, horror, panic, where are those two pages I have just written?

Surely, I thought not gone for good? I thought the article was pretty good, one of my better efforts. I had so much to tell you all.

I went digging around in Google Docs, temporary files and even on the web as well. However, it was all in vain. Nothing could be recovered from either my Android device or the internet and so it was back to the drawing board.

It seemed apt that this happened whilst writing about the visit of Aston Villa. Like my Samsung losing two hours work, Villa were also masters at time wasting which made for a frustrating afternoon at the Amex.

At least there could be no complaints about the weather. It was a beautiful Sunday at the Amex. The skies were blue, the poppies for Remembrance Sunday were red and to go with their timewasting Villa picked up enough yellow cards to make the pitch look as if it were a buttercup field. And of course Roberto De Zerbi was booked on the touchline.

Villa have a new head of their family in Unai Emery and they were benefitting from the new manager bounce having beaten Manchester United 3-1 a week earlier.

Even though Brighton were buzzing off the back of winning 3-1 at Arsenal on Wednesday night, the Emery factor gave this the look of a tough game. The impression I got from others I chatted to was that most of us expected an Albion victory though.

I was stood outside the Amex Superstore at 10.40am – yes that early – waiting to repurchase an Albion Poppy Pin that my dear neighbour had bought for me and which had dropped off my jacket walking between the Bridge Car Park and Falmer Station.

So, if you happened to find such a pin on the path it was mine. Whilst waiting for the shop to open, the wonderful waft of fish and chips and the smell of burgers came flowing across the ticket office area.

There were some musicians warming up and the brass instruments could be heard practicing Good Old Sussex by The Sea.

Things felt good and my reason for arriving so early was that I had been given special permission by Mr Paul Camlin who is head of media and communications to learn from Johnny Cantor what goes on in the commentary box.

Having met Johnny in the press centre, I can now write about A Day in the Life of a BBC Radio Sussex Commentator. Keep your eyes peeled on WeAreBrighton.com for a series of articles in the coming weeks, presuming the Samsung does not have a funny turn again!

The visit of Aston Villa was of course our last game in the Premier League before the World Cup. It will be six weeks through until the Boxing Day trip to Southampton.

Then on New Year’s Eve it is back to the Amex where we will face Arsenal again. Oh God, I must keep my head down with my wife’s family supporting the Gunners and our win at the Emirates still fresh in the mind.

Speaking of the World Cup, it is amazing that eight Albion players will be representing their countries. Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupinan and Jeremy Sarmiento are all headed to Qatar with Ecuador.

We have Alexis Mac Allister playing for Argentina and slipping passes through to Lionel Messi, I am sure. Kauro Mitoma is with the Japanese squad and Tariq Lamptey representing Ghana.

Two of our Europeans are there too; Robert Sanchez with Spain and of course the man-of-the-moment Leandro Trossard hoping to make an impression for Belgium.

It will be warm in Qatar and it was warm at the Amex too; so warm I had to remove my coat. Two local Salvation Army offices Mr Crombie and Mr Warren played the Last Post on their bugles before kick off. De Zerbi and Emery both laid wreaths at the side of the touchline to remember the fallen in battle.

A different type of battle them took place and it did not take long for Brighton to gain an advantage. Adam Lallana kicked off back to Robert Sanchez, followed by the Albion moving down the left hand side.

The ball went out for a throw which Villa worked back to Emiliano Martinez. Lallana was so clever in what he did next, initially running towards Tyrone Mings on the right.

Lallana then swung across at speed directly towards Martinez. The pass to Mings was cut out and so Martinez having taken too much time now had no option but to play the ball to Douglas Luiz who was facing the Villa goal.

Little did Luiz know that Mac Allister was on his back. Luiz went to ground as Mac Allister stole the ball before firing off a shot that went straight in. 1-0 to the Albion in 58 seconds thanks to some great thinking by Lallana.

Brighton had to produce some excellent defending after that up until the 19th minute when Villa equalised. A break by John McGinn allowed him to get through the middle and although Lewis Dunk did his best to challenge McGinn, the Albion captain clipped the Villa midfield who went down in the area.

Referee Chris Kavanagh did not hesitate, immediately blowing for a penalty. Danny Ings eventually stepped up the plate to take it.

Robert Sanchez is yet to save a Premier League penalty and although he got his left hand onto the ball, the power of the shot was so great he was not able to keep it out.

Brighton came back with a couple of corners as they attempted to reestablish themselves. There were few chances though and the sides went into the break level at 1-1. Oh, to be a fly on the wall to hear De Zerbi’s advice to the team.

The second half began with a very near miss early on from Aston Villa. Matty Cash crossed to the head of Emiliano Buendia whose effort hit Robert Sanchez’s right post and went out towards the East Stand.

Solly March had the ball but nowhere to go other than back to Joel Veltman. Veltman passed to Mac Allister who lost possession, leaving Ings to hit a weak shot which beat all of Dunk, Levi Colwill and Sanchez.

It seemed a weird goal to concede as the speed of the ball was so slow and it crept in at the near post. Brighton now had it all to do in the remaining 36 minutes.

Their task was made very difficult by how scrappy things become, largely through Villa’s timewasting. I could not believe how many times Martinez – a goalkeeper I have really admired in the past for his skill – could be so unprofessional with all his playacting and wasting of time.

Villa ending up with seven yellow cards was telling. De Zerbi also had his name taken by Mr Kavanagh, followed by saying after the game that he used to think the Premier League was a fair arena to play in. I bet he was having second thoughts on that after Brighton 1-2 Aston Villa.

I would love to know how much time the ball was actually in play. A long way short of the 90 minutes a game of football is supposed to last would be my guess, robbing the Albion of the chance to get back into the tie.

Still, it is not all bad news. Brighton will sit seventh in the table on Christmas Day with a points tally of 21, above Chelsea on goal difference.

Let us hope that the success can continue after the World Cup and De Zerbi delivers an even greater 2023 than 2022 has been.

If it is, I shall have to release volume two of my book. Don’t forget, The Seagulls Best Ever Season is available from the Amex Superstore or via Amazon at this link.

Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony