Brighton 3 (Wilson 50, Zamora 83, Hemed 85), Charlton 2 (Lookman 2, Goochhannejhad 5).
This cruel defeat which acted as a corkscrew through their heart sent Charlton limping back from the South Coast licking their many wounds and unrewarded for a stirring rearguard action. They had come within seven minutes of a famous victory against considerable odds but were eventually ground down by Chris Hughton’s talented Seagulls, who chipped skilfully away at them until they wearily succumbed.
The ongoing cost of losing in such desperately disappointing circumstances will be assessed on Monday at Sparrows Lane, where the wounded, walking or otherwise, will report for treatment. Among them will be unlucky 20 year-old Academy graduate Harry Lennon, whose first start of the season was curtailed in a sickening head collision with Solly March before the half hour. A dazed Lennon was led off, to be replaced by Naby Sarr, with a bandaged March surviving to torment the Addicks with a virtuoso performance of right wing play. Also departing early was a clearly stricken Johann Berg Gudmundsson, while Stephen Henderson and Jordan Cousins went the distance despite hobbling painfully. Patrick Bauer’s dismissal on the hour, of which more later, completed a picture of disintegration.
Their belated meltdown was a particularly savage end to Charlton’s see-saw afternoon which had started so promisingly. Set up by Karel Fraeye in a bold 4-3-3 formation, (or so it seemed to your tactically innocent reporter), the quicksilver trio of 18 year-old rookie Ademola Lookman, Ricardo Vaz Te and Reza Goochannejhad up front were initially too much for Albion. Inspired by Lookman, who readily answered right back Bruno Saltor’s nudges and kicks with nudges and kicks of his own, all three of them combined to fire the visitors in front within two minutes. Vaz Te’s clever lay-off near the centre circle sent Goochannejhad sprinting into space before passing to Lookman on his left. Moving outside Saltor, the uninhibited youngster seemed trapped on the left byline but made light of the unpromising angle by lashing a ferocious drive through a narrowing gap into the far top corner.
Caught out by the classic counter, Brighton were suckerpunched again three minutes later. Lookman led the break out from an abortive free kick and though he was superbly tackled by Saltor, Gudmundsson picked up the pieces and fed Goochannejhad to the right of David Stockdale’s goal. Stepping back on to his left foot, the rehabilitated Iranian international found the centre of the net with a crisp rising drive.
Stunned by the sheer impudence of their struggling visitors, the Seagulls were briefly easy pickings and only the excellence of Stockdale prevented them from capsizing completely. The first of three key saves saw him save Goochannejhad’s bulleted header at full length after Vaz Te’s dinked cross set up the chance. He quickly followed up by blocking Gudmundsson’s close range effort with Vaz Te again the provider, then before the interval, his knees came resourcefully to Albion’s rescue as Lookman shot instinctively.
With their puny first half replies amounting to no more than Bobby Zamora’s off-target header and Dale Stephens’ wildly skied drive, the South Coasters could only improve. It became imperative that they were held at bay beyond the hour, instead of which the Addicks fatally conceded within five minutes of resumption. Declining to clear their lines agriculturally in favour of cerebral interpassing, Alou Diarra and Bauer were neatly pickpocketed by Manchester United loanee James Wilson, who sauntered through to score with insouciant ease.
Following Henderson’s magnificent save from March’s long distance blockbuster, on the hour came Bauer’s critical dismissal. Caught on the wrong side of Zamora who had an umistakeable route to goal, the centre back deliberately clipped his heels and suffered the inevitability of an straight red card. Too often swayed by the home crowd’s baying, referee Keith Stroud got this one right.
The deficit-halving goal and Bauer’s rush of blood intensified the pressure on the visitors. Gudmundsson’s enforced departure preceded a nasty foul by Stephens which incapacitated the hardworking Cousins. The former Addick’s metronomic passing, chiefly to feed March, was more acceptable and began to wear down his former colleagues.
March was irrepressible and with time running out on Albion, popped up near the left byline to deliver a chaos-inducing low ball into the six-yard area. A hectic scramble, during which Henderson saved at close range, was resolved by Zamora, who fired the equaliser through an untidy mess.
As if to make the point that Brighton’s resources run more deeply than their victims, two late substitutes collaborated in Albion’s by now inevitable winner. Rajiv van La Parra crossed accurately from the right for Tomer Hemed to head powerfully at goal. Reacting intuitively, Henderson managed a right-hand save but was left helpless as the ball spiralled high into the air before backspinning almost malevolently over the goalline.
With the stuffing knocked completely out of them, Charlton resembled an exhausted fighter finally sapped by body shots and, though fully conscious, counted out on his knees in the last round. They had given everything and it wasn’t enough. The boxing analogy only works, by the way, if you get past that pair of mugs masquerading as the best heavyweights on the planet last week in Germany. On second thought, they might actually BE the best heavyweights on the planet. Now there’s a really grisly thought.
Brighton: Stockdale, Saltor, Greer, Dunk, Calderon (van La Parra 83), March, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy (Hemed 73), Wilson (Chicksen 90), Zamora. Not used: Maenpaa, Huenemeier, Manu, Ince. Booked: Calderon, March, Stephens.
Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Bauer, Lennon (Sarr 29) Fox, Cousins, Diarra, Gudmundsson (Holmes-Dennis 75), Goochannejhad, Lookman, Vaz Te (Ba 85). Not used: Makienok, Ahearne-Grant, Charles, Pope. Booked: Solly, Fox, Cousins, Henderson. Sent off: Bauer
Referee: Keith Stroud.
Att: 24,587 (1206 visiting).
Paul MACE says
I thought the donkey known as Zamora went over to easily more than once. I also felt a tackle on Cousins in the 81st minute effectively reduced us to 9 fit men and that coming directly after the third substitution was indeed malicious. No red card here though. This is my first comment on this match!!