LAMP SHINES SO BRIGHTLY

Former Chelsea kid helps Seagulls soar

BRIGHTON must be pinching themselves.

Not only have they returned from a 10-game, pre-lockdown, winless run to secure another season of Premier League football with five games to go.

But bagging Tariq Lamptey from Chelsea on a permanent basis in January must go down as one of the steals of the season.

The deal worth just £4million for the 19-year-old is highway robbery for a player who has quickly become a key member of the Seagulls’ defence.

In a desperate 90 minutes of football, Leandro Trossard’s first-half goal pretty much relegated Norwich, who could have played all weekend and not scored.

But joyful Lamptey lit up Carrow Road, gambolling down the right wing as if he was romping around his back garden.

Quick, canny, and one step ahead in terms of his anticipation, the frustration of the Canaries players was summed up by substitute Adam Idah, who pushed Lamptey to the ground when it became clear the teenager’s umpteenth interception – late in the game – would prevent him scoring.

It was Lamptey himself who, seeing Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta in front of him at Chelsea, decided not to sign a new deal. It paved the way for a move to the south coast.

A move with which Seagulls defender Adam Webster is delighted. “It was a brave decision,” said the centre-back. “He could have signed a new contract for Chelsea and maybe not played many games.

“But he stepped out of his comfort zone and came to us. He’s got a real chance here to play and develop. “He’s showing great maturity on the pitch. He’s still learning and will get better with every game.”

Since the restart, Lamptey has helped take points off Leicester and now Norwich.

Considering his last three appearances for Chelsea came in a Premier League victory over Arsenal, and FA Cup wins over Nottingham Forest and Hull, it is a real surprise other clubs didn’t react as quickly to his availability as Brighton.

“I remember watching him on his debut for Chelsea and thinking, ‘This guy’s a player’,” added Webster.

“Obviously, he’s had to wait for his chance and he’s taken it with both hands. We’re really lucky to have him. He’s got everything.”

Daniel Farke has called on his Norwich players to “show pride”, with their Premier League stay all but over.

The Canaries, six points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, have scored just one goal in their last nine top-flight games.

And Farke bemoaned his side’s inability to hit back after Trossard’s strike.

He said: “It was more or less our last chance to get back in the mix and we are disappointed.

“The story of our game was the story of our season – we didn’t find the cutting edge, then made a big mistake.

“We don’t have the right to make any fighting messages or to make any unrealistic claims. We are not naive, let’s show our pride.”