Substitute Florin Andone’s superb header was enough to give the Seagulls victory over the Premier League’s bottom club. Brighton manager Chris Hughton said he was “relieved” after his side recorded their first league win of 2019 at home to Huddersfield.
“I feel relief,” Hughton told BBC Sport. “It feels like a big win but I think any win from now until the end of the season will feel big.” Brighton had earned just two points from seven games since beating Everton in their last outing of 2018.
“It was not so dramatically different to other games where we have had good spells and difficult spells,” added Hughton. “It is almost a perfect result.” Hughton’s team were sluggish until Alireza Jahanbakhsh hit the crossbar before half-time for the hosts, who dominated after the break.
Jahanbakhsh forced a fine save from Jonas Lossl, before Andone powerfully headed Anthony Knockaert’s cross past the Huddersfield keeper.
Brighton rise one place to 15th in the table, while Huddersfield stay 13 points short of safety. The Terriers had ended a 14-match run without a win with victory over Wolves midweek, and were the better side for much of the first half.
But they faded badly afterwards against a Brighton side who, having looked transformed after half-time, are now five points clear of the relegation zone.
“I am totally angry because we lost the game because of a free-kick,” said Huddersfield manager Jan Siewert. “In the Premier League if you are not switched on, you cannot allow this.”
Brighton substitutions add spark
Brighton’s form had dipped alarmingly in early 2019, with just two points collected since the start of the year.
And they looked short of confidence for much of the first half, until Jahanbakhsh’s brilliant, dipping effort thumped onto Huddersfield’s bar.
The Iranian, Brighton’s record signing of £17m from AZ Alkmaar last summer, provided the spark that Chris Hughton’s side needed and was a handful on both flanks in his first league start since 3 November.
Glenn Murray had worked tirelessly for the home side, but the appearance of Andone before the hour mark in his place proved to be vital.
The Romanian added energy to Brighton’s attack, and he went close to scoring with a fierce shot from outside the area that Lossl did well to parry away.
But it was another of Hughton’s substitutions who started the move that ended in the game’s turning point, with Jose Izquierdo finding Knockaert to allow the French midfielder time to pick out Andone.
The Brighton manager had responded to the midweek loss at Leicester with three changes, and the resilience of the players at his disposal could prove vital in the closing stages of Brighton’s league campaign with the prospect of an FA Cup quarter-final also looming.
Huddersfield’s survival chances ebbing away
Steve Mounie’s injury-time winner against Wolves in their previous outing had given Huddersfield a glimmer of hope for Premier League survival, breaking an horrendous run of just one point from 14 games.
But while looking the more confident of the two sides, and enjoying 52 per cent of possession before half-time, they lacked the tools to find a way through the Brighton defence.
Their only real threat in the first half came from long range, with shots from distance by Alex Pritchard and Philip Billing forcing Mathew Ryan into action.
The Terriers’ possession stats went into reverse after the break – down to just 41 per cent – and it was only after Andone’s goal that they threatened to score, with Steve Mounie’s header superbly tipped over by keeper Mathew Ryan.
Siewert’s team do not lack spirit but the lack of threat in the final of third of the pitch has been a feature of their season and looks increasingly likely to condemn them to relegation.
“From the first minute to the 95th or 96th you have to be switched on,” added Huddersfield’s German manager.
“Because of injuries, we had early substitutions but we still should have got something out of the game. We had many shots on target, we had possibilities but we lost because of a free-kick.”
Man of the match – Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Brighton)
Huddersfield’s unhappy hunting ground – the stats you may have missed
- Brighton are unbeaten in seven home league meetings with Huddersfield Town (W4 D3 L0) since a 2-3 defeat in League One in April 2011.
- Brighton’s win ended a run of seven Premier League games without a victory (D2 L5).
- Huddersfield have lost 14 of their last 16 Premier League games (W1 D1).
- Only Derby in 07-08 (14) scored fewer goals after 29 games of a Premier League season than Huddersfield in 2018-19 (15).
- Anthony Knockaert has registered two assists in his last three Premier League games for Brighton, after managing just one in his last 15 before that.
What’s next?
Brighton face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at 12:30 GMT on Saturday, 9 March while Huddersfield host Bournemouth at 15:00 later on the same afternoon.
Source: BBC News
