POTTER’S WORKING HIS MAGIC AT BRIGHTON

THIRTY-THREE games and three long months of uncertainty, all distilled into three minutes. Deep into stoppage time at Carrow Road, Norwich substitute Adam Idah glanced a header towards goal. The ball came off the inside of the far post and, like Brighton for much of this season, stayed just the right side of the line. For the visitors, at least. At the final whistle, Norwich bodies dropped as one. Boss Daniel Farke admitted this was probably their final chance to fight relegation. Todd Cantwell sat alone as the pitch emptied around him. The usually serene Graham Potter, meanwhile, let the mask slip. Brighton’s wild celebrations illustrated how much this meant — not just for their season, but for Potter’s own Project Restart, too. Leandro Trossard’s goal has virtually guaranteed safety and vindicated Brighton’s gamble. This display hardly highlighted the progress Potter has engineered since his appointment a year ago but it did take them to 36 points — their final tally last season. Relegation looked a real possibility when the season was halted. Seven points in four games since the restart has seen them pull away. ‘The break came at the right time and allowed us to almost start again,’ said defender Adam Webster. ‘We used it to reflect, to have a break and take our minds off football.’ Webster said these last few months have also allowed the squad to build their fitness and improve their shape. Perhaps it is no surprise a manager like Potter should benefit from extra time with his players — even if much of it was via Zoom. ‘This is the Premier League and it is hard,’ said Potter. ‘Especially when you are transitioning from a previous coach and you are trying to change things.’ The hope is that, with more time to learn his ways, Brighton can