BRIGHTON CROCK

Potter blasts supporters’ boos after his side fire blanks

AT least the fireworks were bright. In the colours of the rainbow, they took off with their positive messaging into the cold, windy night before this match began. Shame everything that followed was so very grey.

Not the game itself — that was actually decent for a 0-0. But if ever a result could mimic the bleakness of the weather. And if ever a result could be so utterly useless to all parties.

Each side needed something more to snap out of their malaise and each left the opportunity of a winnable fixture on the table.

So this was a draw that smelled of a loss, the most acute regrets over which will belong to Brighton.

They controlled possession, they repeatedly marched the ball into dangerous places, or rather Tariq Lamptey did, and then the same old story was told. They create so well, they couldn’t shoot a massive carp in a tiny barrel.

If the first five games of this season offered new hope via four wins, their current run of six draws and two defeats in the past eight is the colder reality of Brighton’s autumn.

Perspective — and what a concept that might be for those home supporters who booed at full time — is found in the fact they sit eighth in the Premier League.

Indeed, manager Graham Potter was mystified by the supporters, stating: ‘I am a little bit perplexed to the reaction in the crowd because the performance was fantastic against a team that like to dominate possession, like to out-run you — they didn’t do that. Fans are entitled to their opinions but I disagree with them completely. We are eighth in the Premier League, but maybe I need a history lesson on this club.

‘We did everything but score. We played really well. We created some really good chances. Too many positives to mention — I’m really happy. But for different reasons we came up short.’

Clearly the main cause was the finishing. Chances were missed or wasted by Neal Maupay, Leandro Trossard, Jakub Moder and Solly March in what was, effectively, a 20-shot act of mercy. Maupay, in particular, botched an open-goal in the first half. As for Leeds, this second campaign continues as a disappointing sequel. With one win in six, they are tiptoeing ever closer to the swamp.

At their best last season, Leeds had been drilled so hard by Marcelo Bielsa that their movements and patterns could be a thing of wonder and beauty. But, as ever, if the passing is sloppy, it all looks like litter scattering in a gale.

They were better in the second half here and with that they had chances to win, but a point was a bargain of a return.

‘In the first half the differences were very big in their favour and in the second half we managed to play as equals,’ said Bielsa. ‘I hope the performance in the second half is a start for us to grow.’

Each manager made three changes for this game. For Brighton that meant keeper Robert Sanchez returning from a one-game suspension in place of Jason Steele, while Maupay and Joel Veltman came in for Shane Duffy and Adam Lallana.

Bielsa had Raphinha and Rodrigo back after their respective difficulties with illness and injury. Amid the ongoing and costly absence of Patrick Bamford, the Leeds attack could illafford to be without either.

Along with Junior Firpo they replaced Joe Gelhardt, Pascal Struijk and Mateusz Klich from the side which was spirited at Tottenham but left with nothing.

As with the Spurs defeat, Kalvin Phillips was rebranded as a centre half. Unlike that fixture, Leeds struggled to gain any traction in the middle to the point of being at serious risk so, within 20 minutes, Phillips was sent forward to make some sense of the game.

Try as he might, he didn’t do much to stem the Brighton chances and was substituted at the break. He wasn’t injured, according to Bielsa.

By then, Leeds had been on the receiving end of a kicking, mostly from the brilliant Lamptey on the right wing and now recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him out for nine months.

He truly mauled Firpo, to the extent the left back was also taken off at half-time.

In the opening minutes he made one decent chance for Moder and then put a better one on a plate for Maupay, who shinned the ball over an open goal. Trossard and Moder then hit the same post and Maupay fluffed another good chance before the half was out.

Firpo was taken off for Jamie Shackleton at half time — Bielsa is a kind man at heart — and Pascal Struijk came on for Phillips.

That package lifted Leeds, with Stuart Dallas and a third substitute —Tyler Roberts — at least forcing saves of moderate difficulty from Sanchez. Two more followed from Roberts in the final 10 minutes as Leeds threatened the sucker punch.

It never landed. Nothing did. All spark and no fire, this game. BRIGHTON (3-5-2): Sanchez 6; Veltman 6.5, Dunk 6.5, Webster 6.5; Lamptey 8 (March 76min), Gross 6, Bissouma 7, Moder 7 (Sarmiento 81), Cucurella 7.5; Maupay 5.5 (Locadia 68, 6), Trossard 7. Subs (not used): Steele, Mac Allister, Mwepu, Lallana, Duffy, Richards. LEEDS (4-1-4-1): Meslier 7; Llorente 6.5, Phillips 6 (Struijk 46, 6), Cooper 7, Firpo 4 (Shackleton 46, 6); Forshaw 5.5; Raphinha 6, Rodrigo 6, Dallas 6, Harrison 6 (Roberts 63, 7.5); James 5.5. Booked: Firpo, Llorente, Shackleton. Subs (not used): Klaesson, Gelhardt, Cresswell, Klich, McCarron, Jenkins. Referee: C Pawson South Yorkshire) 6.5.