Three days after scoring an 89th-minute overhead kick to salvage a point against West Ham, the Frenchman twisted in the box to hammer home the equaliser after being found by Jakub Moder’s volleyed cross after his initial free-kick was blocked.
Neal Maupay rescued another dramatic draw for Brighton with a 98th-minute equaliser against Southampton despite being a man down through injury. Remarkably, on both occasions Brighton found themselves down to 10 men because of injury. This time it was Leandro Trossard who left the field on a stretcher after landing awkwardly on his arm, with the visitors unable to make any more substitutions.
Ten minutes of injury time was added as a result and it gave the Seagulls a lifeline after Armando Broja’s brilliantly-taken first-half goal appeared to be enough to earn Saints their fourth win of the Premier League season.
The result was met with wild celebrations by the visiting fans, but it also meant Brighton equalled an unenviable club-record 10 successive top-flight matches without a win. They last went on such a run between December 1982 and February 1983.
Still, Brighton remain in the top half of the table in ninth place, while a share of the spoils leaves Saints 14th and winless in four games. The Seagulls’ run of results prompted fans to jeer the team in last week’s goalless draw with Leeds United. That left manager Graham Potter “a little bit perplexed”, but the latest performance from his injury-hit side drew nothing but cheers.
Four of the five changes made from the midweek draw with West Ham were through injury, with captain Lewis Dunk and the influential Adam Lallana among the players sidelined for the trip to St Mary’s.
Southampton had an early double chance with Broja and Che Adams denied by Robert Sanchez. Moments later, Adams was foiled for a second time from a tight angle, while Valentino Livramento and Lyanco both had efforts blocked in quick succession as the hosts piled on the pressure.
Brighton rarely threatened before the break, but Enock Mwepu and Trossard did test Alex McCarthy. Two excellent touches from Broja proved to be a defining moment in the 29th minute after a weak clearance from goalkeeper Sanchez was quickly worked back up the field.
His first was to meet a flicked header from Nathan Redmond and cut the ball back, and under his body, which left Shane Duffy helplessly sliding past on his backside in defence. The second was a composed finish to put his side ahead.
It was rare clinical moment between two south coast rivals. As two of the league’s lowest-scoring teams – only Wolves second-bottom Norwich had scored fewer than the 13 they had both netted before Saturday’s game – the lack of clear-cut chances epitomised their recent struggles.
Albanian frontman Broja was guilty of sending a good second-half chance wide, while Maupay curled an effort off target and was denied by McCarthy before grabbing his second crucial equaliser in a week.
Source – BBC News
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