It’s Bright after fright
MAUPAY BIRTHDAY JOY AS SEAGULLS HIT BACK
NEAL MAUPAY was finally able to celebrate his birthday as Brighton’s super subs lit up the striker’s candles.
It had been a nightmare start for the Frenchman – bullied by James Tarkowski – as Burnley struck with a vengeance within two minutes.
And things appeared to be going from bad to worse for the Seagulls as Sean Dyche’s side, full of aggression and menace, were proving too hot to handle.
But at 1-0 up after squandering a glut of opportunities and in the knowledge that they had not won at home in the Premier League since January, there was a chance that the jitters might set in.
When Brighton boss Graham Potter sent on substitutes Jakub Moder and Alexis Mac Allister for the final 20 minutes the landscape changed and it was as if Maupay’s birthdays had all come at once.
He admitted: “It was a nightmare start for us in the first couple of minutes. In the first half we caused our own problems. Credit the players they hung in there and we had a little bit of luck. The substitutes were very important for us.
“If you play on Burnley’s terms then it can be tough but in the second half we grew into the game and attacked better, scored two good goals and in the end we were delighted with the three points.”
Moder’s first touch after coming on resulted in him crossing low following a spring-heeled Brighton break to set up Maupay for a crisp finish and Albion were back.
Burnley were stunned – their commanding play of the first half now a distant memory as Potter’s side smelled blood against a side winless in their previous 10 home games.
It was Mac Allister’s turn to make an immediate impact as six minutes later Adam Webster found the adventurous Pascal Gross and his ball into the box was confidently swept past Nick Pope following the Argentinian’s first action. Burnley looked punch -drunk but for Maupay and his team-mates it was heaven and he was even prepared to put up with some heckling from frustrated Burnley fans during an after-match pitch-side interview.
As soon as it was completed he raced to the Brighton fans in a corner of the stand and threw them his shirt. It had been in stark contrast to the frenetic start in which the seemingly new laissez-faire policy of officials this season reaped dividends for Dyche’s side in the first eight minutes.
Tarkowski took full advantage from an Ashley Westwood corner bowling over his would-be marker, birthday boy Maupay, and thundering in a second-minute header.
Cue a howl of protests from aggrieved Brighton players as referee David Coote awarded the goal – backed up by a VAR – sparking more protests from Potter and the Seagulls’ bench.
And when six minutes later Johann Gudmundsson flattened Yves Bissouma on his follow-through after winning the ball, the Albion players surrounded Coote demanding a red card – but got a yellow.
They should have been more bothered about failing to deal with Westwood’s dangerous corners, skipper Ben Mee heading against the bar and Tarkowski volleying the rebound over the bar as keeper Robert Sanchez and company flapped under pressure.
Gudmundsson also rattled the post with a long-range effort as the home side, seeking an elusive home win, dominated only for Brighton to provide the sting in the tail.
If you play on Burnley’s terms then it can be tough but we grew into the game and attacked better