![Prost International [PINT]](https://prostinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PINTtFontLogoRoboto1536x78.jpg)
Graham Potter was once again unable to end his winless run against Brighton’s not-so-local rivals Crystal Palace in a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on Friday night. A late Joachim Andersen own goal spared him another undeserved defeat against the side from South London, and his team’s habit of scoring late on is no doubt helping them to climb the Premier League table.
In Graham Potter’s first 12 cup ties in charge of Brighton and Hove Albion, he made an average of nine changes from the starting line-up that had begun the Premier League game directly before it.
On Wednesday night, Brighton and Hove Albion travelled to the home of Chelsea and accumulated a higher expected goals total than the reigning European champions. They registered seven more shots than their hosts, and were rarely troubled in defence.
Enock Mwepu has shown glimpses of the quality that convinced Brighton and Hove Albion to part with a reported £20 million to secure his services from RB Salzburg in the summer, but the man nicknamed ‘The Computer’ put together his best 90-minute performance so far in the Boxing Day win against Brentford, offering a tantalising sign of things to come.
“Last week, after the Leeds United game, I was the worst striker in the world,” said Neal Maupay with a hint of exaggeration following Brighton and Hove Albion’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United last Wednesday. “Now I’m the hero and that’s the life of a striker.”
Saturday’s goalless draw against Leeds United means that Brighton have now gone nine games across all competitions without a win. Although a spattering of boo’s from a section of the home support at The Amex Stadium have probably been blown out of proportion, the performances that Graham Potter’s side are putting in still merit plenty of patience.
Following up an outstanding first season in the Premier League with a campaign of consistently excellent performances is one of the most difficult challenges that face modern-day top-flight footballers.
Mohamed Salah headed into Liverpool’s home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion having scored 14 goals in his last 12 appearances, which included a hat-trick against Manchester United.
As Gabriel Jesus’ shot deflected off teammate Phil Foden to extend Manchester City’s first-half lead to three goals at the Amex Stadium, everyone watching was surely expecting the remaining 60 minutes to prove to be a long evening for Brighton & Hove Albion.
After eight games of the current Premier League season, only Manchester City and Chelsea have conceded fewer goals than Brighton and Hove Albion’s five.
Following Christian Benteke’s 95th-minute winning goal in last year’s instalment of the A23 derby, Graham Potter was quite possibly starting to think that his first win over Crystal Palace as Brighton & Hove Albion head coach might never arrive.
Sunday’s 2-1 victory against Leicester City ensured Brighton and Hove Albion’s impressive start to the Premier League season continued as the Seagulls moved into the top five after matchday five.
It would be fair to say the majority of Premier League eyes were firmly fixed on Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, but a meeting of two stories worthy of equal attention was taking place at the Brentford Community Stadium.
‘Winning’ the transfer window has become a very real yet largely meaningless exercise for supporters of football clubs across the world to invest another layer of partisanship into.
As half-time substitute Aaron Connolly stabbed a 52nd-minute chance wide of the target with Brighton two goals to the good against Watford, Seagulls’ supporters could be forgiven for experiencing a familiar sinking feeling.
Brighton made a winning start to their Premier League campaign thanks in no small part to a fantastic defensive performance from the returning Shane Duffy. Graham Potter’s willingness to re-integrate the Irishman into his squad provides hope that he can bring a couple of difficult seasons to an end with the Seagulls in 2021/22.
Brighton and Hove Albion head into the 2021/22 Premier League campaign with a sizeable amount of optimism after avoiding relegation last season. Arguably more importantly, they have a highly-regarded head coach whose methods, although yet to earn the victories they deserve, appear to be making the most of a talented group of players. Should the Seagulls start finding the back of the net with greater regularity, a top-half finish is not out of the question.
Losing Ben White is arguably the first time that Graham Potter has lost a player he did not want to lose since becoming Brighton’s head coach. However, the tactical acumen of the former Ostersund boss combined with the Seagulls’ track-record for smart work in the transfer market could well see White’s move to Arsenal work out well for all parties involved.
Oxford United once again missed out on promotion by falling short in the League One play-offs, but to concentrate solely on the outcome would be to overlook a season worth remembering despite the lack of supporters in attendance.
Oxford United suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat to Blackpool in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final, leaving them with a monumental task to end an up-and-down season with a return to Wembley.
Oxford United host Blackpool on Tuesday night in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final. The Yellows are hoping that defeat in last season’s final to Wycombe can spur them on to glory this time around.
Oxford United secured a place in the League One play-offs with a final day hammering of Burton Albion at the Kassam Stadium. Even though the victory was devoid of the drama that has defined the U’s season, it sets Karl Robinson and his players up for an opportunity to avenge last season’s defeat to Wycombe at Wembley.
Oxford United host Burton Albion on the final day of the League One season in the hope that a victory will be enough to secure a place in the play-offs.
Brighton moved a step closer to securing their place in the Premier League for next season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Leeds at the Amex on Saturday. Underpinning this achievement is the relentless desire of head coach Graham Potter to improve the group of players under his command, and the progress they have made has rarely been more evident than in the victory over Marcelo Bielsa’s side.