Sheffield Wednesday 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 0
Statistics suggest a third-placed finish is anything but a curse in the Championship play-offs. Try telling that to the walking wounded of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Six of the previous 10 sides to finish number three have been promoted. But Brighton have it all to do to make it seven after injuries blighted the first leg of their semi-final against a rampant Sheffield Wednesday. They finished a man down and with two goals to claw back at the Amex Stadium on Monday following fine finishes in either half by Ross Wallace and Kieran Lee.
Brighton had only six days to stomach the disappointment of missing out on a top-two finish. No side in the second tier has ever lost so few matches as their five and not been promoted automatically. It has been hard to take.
Equally so that the glue of their team Dale Stephens will play no further part in the quest to secure Premier League football. Having provided fresh hope with an equaliser in last Saturday’s promotion duel with Middlesbrough, he was dismissed for a slicing tackle on Gastón Ramírez soon afterwards that left his opponent with a huge gash on his knee. Brighton’s appeal against a ban, based on the fact that Ramirez’s wound was more ghastly than the crime itself, fell on deaf ears.
Already without his rock at the back Lewis Dunk due to suspension, Chris Hughton opted for his most experienced head, Steve Sidwell, as Stephens’ replacement in midfield. His other changes were unforced, with Gaëtan Bong preferred at left-back to Liam Rosenior and Jiri Skalak asked to maraud further up that flank instead of Jamie Murphy.
So while Brighton made a trio of alterations, their opponents were unrecognisable from the XI that took to the field for their 46th league match. Carlos Carvalhal made 10 changes for that dead rubber defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers, allowing his key personnel to rest. Here, with Wallace available again following a ban, he sent out a completely new team.
“We go into these games physically and emotionally fresh and this is a good sign entering into the play-offs,” Carvalhal wrote in his programme notes.
One of the other opinions Carvalhal aired was that from this point each of the four contenders has a 25% chance. His Wednesday team finished sixth but showed no inferiority complex and, as if to emphasise his points, tore out of the blocks. Fernando Forestieri almost punished Beram Kayal’s loose first-minute backpass. The second minute was not up when Forestieri’s attempt to create room in the area with a drag-back was snuffed out by Bruno.
Yet Brighton were not too shabby either, with both sides exchanging chance for chance before Forestieri had a goal disallowed in the 20th minute.
This is the Yorkshire club’s most serious attempt to return to the Premier League since exiting it 16 years ago and the roar that rattled around the stands to greet Forestieri’s low strike was reminiscent of headier days. Latching onto Kieren Westwood’s raking clearance, he dispatched the ball beyond David Stockdale’s left hand and into the bottom corner.
The celebrations were 30 seconds old before it became apparent that the referee, Andre Marriner, following advice from his fellow officials, had ruled it out for offside. Wednesday’s top scorer was yards offside from Westwood’s initial clearance and no one subsequently touched the ball on to the forward.
Hillsborough voiced its displeasure. Forestieri was clearly rattled. Brighton sensed an opportunity. They almost seized it when Tomer Hemed preyed on indecision on the edge of the area between Westwood and Glenn Loovens in the 25th minute, only for the latter to recover the situation with the home goal unprotected.
Momentum swung back Wednesday’s way, however, when Hemed and Connor Goldson departed to muscle injuries. Within four minutes Brighton, unbeaten in 14, went behind. Gary Hooper swept the ball out to the right flank to launch a counterattack and, instead of heading for the outside, Wallace cut infield on his left foot and sent a ferocious 25-yard drive beyond Stockdale.
Further disruption followed for Brighton the other side of the interval as the on-loan Stoke midfielder Sidwell hit the turf. Hughton opted to throw on the Towell. It was some occasion for Richie Towell, a 24-year-old former Irish youth international, to make his debut. He would have been forgiven for throwing the towel in 10 minutes later when Anthony Knockaert succumbed to a knee injury.
With all three substitutes already made it meant Brighton once again faced playing with 10 men for the final half-hour. In contrast, Carvalhal attempted to energise his team with attacking changes, throwing on a third forward, Atdhe Nuhiu, alongside Forestieri and Hooper. Marco Matias was asked to provide the ammunition from the right in place of Wallace.
The reshuffle forced Forestieri into the No10 role and it was from the pocket between Brighton’s defence and midfield that he threaded the pass into Lee’s run for Wednesday to double their lead. Lee picked his spot with the precision of a striker, and the Kop bounced with the vigour of yesteryear.
(Guardian service)
