UK Edition
Brighton ditched aesthetics to apply the handbrake and the plan so nearly worked
Desperate times call for desperate measures at this stage of the season and Brighton have no time to worry about what people might think of their ultra-defensive approach to this relegation battle with Cardiff City. To ape that famous Millwall chant, no one likes this sort of football but Brighton, to be frank, do not care.
Chris Hughton has sacrificed the aesthetic in favour of a rugged, unashamed resilience, and it said plenty about their defensive quality that it took Tottenham Hotspur until the 88th minute to finally breach their back line.
It was the case against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, when Brighton’s reluctance to attack drew the ire of the home fans, and it was the same here against a Spurs side who grew ever more frustrated until Christian Eriksen’s late winner.
Given the stakes, no one can blame Hughton for fully engaging the Brighton handbrake. After all, such an approach is arguably the most logical for a team who had not scored in their past six games in all competitions. It was still remarkable, though, to see Brighton drop so deep, so early.
Within half an hour, Spurs centre-back Jan Vertonghen had been able to reinvent himself as makeshift playmaker, taking more shots and seeing more of the ball than anyone else. By half-time, the average position for every outfield player was in the visiting half.
It helped Brighton’s cause that they had two centre-halves who are so well suited to this style of defending. Every time the ball came near the Brighton goal, one of Shane Duffy or Lewis Dunk simply smashed it away.
Such was Brighton’s defensive control that Spurs were eventually forced to deploy the long-forgotten Vincent Janssen for the first time since August 2017. The plan so nearly worked, too, and Brighton should take pride from how close they came to securing a point.
The harsh reality of Premier League football struck home at the end, though, when all that effort came to nothing. And so the battle continues for Brighton, who will not be comforted by the thought of having to attack again on Saturday, when they meet Newcastle United.