Brighton moved into the FA Cup fifth round with a difficult win over lower-league opposition, edging past Blackpool to end the League One club’s impressive cup run.
After lovely first-half goals by Yves Bissouma and Gary Madine, only a wild deflection claimed by Steven Alzate separated the sides.
It would have been understandable if Blackpool had far less resistance to offer on the day the club announced five positive Covid-19 tests. But Neil Critchley’s team was impressive. Away to Premier League opposition and without some of their most creative players, Blackpool did not simply defend for 90 minutes. They looked to play out from the back when they could, demonstrating their collective quality by calmly navigating the Brighton press.
Further progress was halted by one of the most impressive performers in England this season. Bissouma picked up the ball from far outside the area, scanned his surroundings and decided on the simplest solution from 30 yards out: he belted a beautiful strike into the top left corner, which kissed the crossbar and then crossed the line.
Bissouma has so many wonderful layers to his game, but goals are not normally one of them and he had scored three goals for Brighton before this fixture. This was perhaps a glimpse into the 24-year-old’s future and where he will look to develop his game next.
“I had a discussion about his shooting decisions and he always tells me he’s got the ability to whack one in from 30 yards into the top corner,” said Brighton manager Graham Potter. “It’s hard for me to argue now, isn’t it?”
Although Brighton continued to hold on to the ball in the first half, most of their chances came from either deft deliveries by Joël Veltman on the right or from corners. They were disappointing in the final third and their sloppiness came with consequences.
Blackpool closed off the first half with a beautifully worked goal. Jerry Yates’s backheel found Luke Garbutt on the left who whipped in an excellent cross and Madine converted with a brilliant poacher’s finish.
After a deeply impressive half from Blackpool, they could not keep their level up. They fell back to earth early in the second half, which also served to underline why they are 16th in the league and their victory over Leeds last week was their first over a Premier League team after 11 attempts.
Numerous defensive errors offered Percy Tau and Andi Zeqiri clear opportunities to secure an easy victory for Brighton, but they badly fluffed them all.
As Brighton began to move the ball quicker and swarm the final third, their breakthrough came in an unexpected form.
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Alexis Mac Allister’s long-range strike was heading towards the right corner when it struck Alzate, who diverted the ball into the other side of the net. As Mac Allister and Alzate giggled at the absurdity of Alzate’s first official goal for Brighton, the Blackpool goalkeeper, Chris Maxwell, could only watch it fly past.
The pair had three minutes to savour their contributions before Potter made a triple substitution, swapping them and Tau for Neal Maupay, Leandro Trossard and Solly March. The aim was for the usual starters to sweep on to the pitch and secure the victory with another goal, but even at the best of times finishing off chances has not come easily for Brighton this year.
Although they generated ample opportunities, Maupay was wasteful in the final minutes and the relaxing sensation of a two-goal cushion never came. Alzate’s slice of luck was enough in the end.
from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3qHR6bh
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