Salah crushes Arsenal
ALL THE PREMIER LEAGUE ACTION
SO SOUTHAMPTON are not as poor as results on the first two weekends of the season suggested, and Brighton may not be quite as good, Saints just about deserving to take their first points of the season thanks to Moussa Djenepo’s first Premier League goal and Nathan Redmond’ s late clincher.
But Brighton must think that VAR was devised specifically to target them, after they had a second goal in eight days ruled out by the system.
They were already up against it after Florin Andone had been sent off on the half- hour for a high challenge on Y an Valery when Lewis Dunk’s 39th-minute header was—correctly— disallowed.
Unlucky to lose at home to Liverpool a week ago, Southampton made the most of their extra man, although Brighton could be said to have contributed to their own downfall as Djenepo made the breakthrough 10 minutes into the second half.
True to the beliefs of head coach Graham Potter, Brighton’s 10 men were pressing for an opening goal but allowed Saints to break away and the Mali winger, who arrived at St Mary’s from Standard Liege in June for £14million, made them pay, although they might have snatched a leveller against the odds just before Redmond sealed the points.
‘We know that we can do much better but when you have no points you are not full of self-confidence,’ Ralph Hasenhuttl, the Southampton manager, said.
‘The change of the game happened with the substitute. First touch, a goal, it’s unbelievable. Again it was a hard fight against a team full of confidence.’
For Potter, who made eight Premier League appearances for Southampton in 1996 under Graeme Souness, it was a first defeat as Brighton manager.
He had said after encouraging performances in their first two matches that there would be times when they did not play well, and this was one of them, although how the game might have played out without Andone’s rush of blood is anybody’s guess.
Potter’s plans to use Andone’s speed against Southampton’ s central defenders were undone after 29 minutes when the Romanian misjudged a challenge on Valery and caught the French defender with his studs.
Referee Kevin Friend had no hesitation in showing the red card, and Potter had no complaints.
Nor did he object in the 39th minute when Dunk’s header from Leandro Trossard’s corner was ruled out, VAR upholding Friend’s original ruling that Brighton’s Dan Burn had been offside.
Standing directly in front of the goalkeeper, he also looked guilty of a foul on Angus Gunn into the bargain.
The Premier League tweeted: ‘After consulting the VAR, referee Kevin Friend confirmed his decision not to award a goal to Brighton as Dan Burn was in an offside position and impacting on the goalkeeper in the build-up to the goal.’
That decision was not, though, communicated to the home crowd, who made their opinions very clear after seeing another goal ruled out after are play following Trossard’s against West Ham, both times for infringements by the same player.
Their ire, perhaps, would have been more justifiably aimed at Burn. The luckless Burn was also among the defenders caught out in the 55th minute, stranded well upfield supporting an attack as Saints broke away.
Shane Duffy missed a straightforward challenge and Danny Ings spread the ball into acres of space on the left for Djenepo. He cut inside and curled a shot past the left hand of the wrong-footed Mat Ryan.
Redmond could have doubled the lead after running at a stretched defence again, but he shot wide.
After 71 minutes, Brighton had strong appeals for a penalty turned down when a cross hit the arms of Pierre- Emile Hojbjerg, and they a l most snatched an unlikely equaliser four minutes from time when Duffy headed on a corner from the right and Jurgen Locadia, unmarked, cracked the ball against the outside of the post. But Redmond removed any doubts in the first of five added minutes, tapping in at the far post after Sofiane Boufal had crossed low from the left.
‘Sometimes you need the margins to go in your favour,’ Potter said.
‘Obviously the red card affected the complexion of the game, but we responded really well. We were solid, had some opportunities and one action for their goal was disappointing.’