Tariq Lamptey dazzles in Brighton's win at Newcastle but Bissouma sent off
Whenever Tariq Lamptey ran at Newcastle it seemed as if Steve Bruce’s players were operating with their boots laced together. To say the home side were terrorised by Graham Potter’s teenage right wing-back is an understatement and the resultant psychological damage could take some repairing.
If Newcastle’s unhinging raises all sorts of awkward questions about the team’s suitability for a 4-4-2 formation while also serving as a reminder that relegation struggles on Tyneside may not yet be things of the past, it also offered further vindication of the radical stylistic overhaul Potter has presided over on the south coast. Not even Yves Bissouma’s 88th-minute sending-off could strip the sheen from a most accomplished visiting performance watched live by Mike Ashley.
All things considered, Newcastle’s owner may wish to revise his recent pledge to attend more games. “It was an awful afternoon,” conceded Bruce. “We never gave ourselves a chance. We have to try to put things right.”
Overhead the clouds were heavy, slate grey and threatened rain, but Brighton enjoyed the brightest of beginnings as it fast became apparent that Bruce’s straight-up-and-down 4-4-2 system was not ideally suited to its left sided midfield component, Allan Saint-Maximin – particularly on a day when the Frenchman faced such an attack-minded wing-back as Brighton’s 19-year-old.
Saint-Maximin possesses many strengths but defending is far from his forte and it was not long before he tripped Lamptey in the box, leading to a fourth-minute penalty converted by Neil Maupay. Then, four minutes later, Lamptey cued up Leandro Trossard, whose cross was slid past Karl Darlow by Maupay, the scorer having sneaked beyond Jamal Lascelles after blindsiding the centre half.
Initially Maupay’s second goal was disallowed for a perceived offside against Trossard but that decision was overturned by a VAR check.
Like Saint-Maximin, Jamal Lewis, Newcastle’s left-back, found Lamptey a tricky adversary and needed to watch his step after being booked for a mistimed tackle on the England Under-21 international. With Jonjo Shelvey also shown a yellow card for a similarly miscued challenge on the same opponent, something had to change.
Bruce duly ordered his wingers to swap flanks, leaving Newcastle’s nemesis up against the more defensively robust Jeff Hendrick. Undeterred, the star of the show simply reminded everyone he can tackle too courtesy of an impeccably timed challenge on a goalbound Callum Wilson following the striker’s connection with Shelvey’s stellar through ball.
With a limping Saint-Maximin replaced by Ryan Fraser, Lascelles booked for fouling Maupay and Darlow required to save smartly with his legs from Lamptey, Bruce’s grim demeanour was almost as forbidding as the sky overhead.
Bar somehow managing to slip a sedative into Lamptey’s half-time drink it was hard to imagine what button he could possibly press in order to turn the tide. Something had to change and Newcastle’s manager responded by replacing the peripheral Andy Carroll with the more mobile Miguel Almirón.
In the 57th minute, Bruce must have felt that maybe, just maybe there was a god after all. Suddenly it seemed as if Lamptey had taken one kick too many and Dan Burn duly trotted on in his place.
As the man of the match – by several country miles – walked off to sustained applause from the Brighton contingent before receiving a series of embraces from his manager and assorted coaches, renewed hope flickered for Newcastle, who might have scored had Wilson’s header from Almirón’s cross not flown off target.
Potter, though, sowed further home confusion by switching to a back four, his goalkeeper Mat Ryan remained ridiculously underworked and Trossard’s thunderous shot struck a post.
Aaron Connolly quickly showed everyone how to finish, curling an imperious shot from the edge of the area past the goalkeeper after Maupay had rolled the ball into his path.
It dictated that Bissouma’s subsequent dismissal after his recklessly stray boot caught Lewis in the face – a decision upgraded from a yellow card to a straight red when Kevin Friend reviewed it on the VAR replay screen – represented a footnote, aside from the suspension.
A week earlier Ashley had stood on his seat at West Ham, loudly applauding Newcastle off after their 2-0 win; now he headed straight inside, head bowed.