- Brighton & Hove Albion romped to a 5-0 victory, handing a 10-man Sheffield United side a piece of undesirable English football history.
- Simon Adingra scored twice against the Blades and goals that added to the thrashing were from Danny Welbeck, Facundo Buonanotte, and Jack Robinson.
Brighton & Hove Albion romped to a 5-0 victory, handing a 10-man Sheffield United side a piece of undesirable English football history.
The Africa Cup of Nations champion Simon Adingra scored twice against the Blades after Mason Holgate was sent off early. Other goals that added to the thrashing were from Danny Welbeck, Facundo Buonanotte, and Jack Robinson.
Even though Chris Wilder’s team entered the game fresh off an unexpected 3-1 victory over Luton Town, they had not won back-to-back Premier League games since 2020, and their chances of breaking that streak were severely damaged just 13 minutes in.
Holgate’s red card challenge on Mitoma. Photo/ Supersport
After a terrible Holgate tackle on Kaoru Mitoma, Stuart Attwell did not immediately show the red card. However, the referee quickly dismissed the former Everton defender, who had grabbed Mitoma in the knee with his studs and could have no objections, after checking the monitor.
When the game was 11v11, Brighton was already gaining ground. It took the Seagulls only seven more minutes to capitalize on their additional man when Lewis Dunk headed the ball into the path of Buonanotte, whose close-range effort hit Osula on the line and caused ripples in the net.
When Wes Foderingham quickly hooked the ball away, there was some initial confusion as to whether the goal had been given. However, Brighton was finally able to celebrate their first goal, though their happiness was almost short-lived as in the 22nd minute, Gustavo Hamer’s clever solo run ended with the midfielder firing wide from a tight angle.
James McAtee was then lucky to avoid giving away a penalty for a two-handed shove on Mitoma in the 23rd minute, but a second later, Brighton supporters were raising their arms more joyously.
Welbeck was in a good position to blast the ball into the roof of the net after Pascal Gross’s dipping back post throw found its way to the foot of Mitoma, who saw Foderingham push his attempt back into the danger area.
A tiny window of opportunity for the hosts appeared in the 43rd minute when Ben Osborn hooked the ball in from close range following a penalty-box scuffle from a corner. However, Wilder ultimately decided to bite the bullet and trade Osula for another defender, Auston Trusty.
Simon Adingra celebrates against Sheffield United. Photo/ The Irish Independent
Though it was unclear whether a foul or an offside offense was the cause of the decision to disallow the goal, Attwell’s whistle went off right away, and the referee’s ruling was affirmed after a VAR review.
In an attempt to breathe some life into a rather lackluster second half, Evan Ferguson also entered the game in the 66th minute. The Irishman managed to put one chance on goal shortly after entering the field, but his header from a corner went straight down Foderingham’s gloves.
A constant threat throughout the day, Mitoma sent a left-wing inswinging delivery. Jack Robinson attempted to deflect the ball with his knee, but the Blades defender inadvertently pushed the ball into his net, adding to Sheffield United’s defensive farce.
When Brighton scored their fourth goal in the 78th minute, the home crowd had already started to leave. Gross had put in a low ball from the right for Adingra, who scored with a well-executed side-footed effort that hit the far corner on the first attempt.
After seven more minutes, the AFCON victor doubled his day goal total. He did this by creating a yard of space on the right side of the box and letting a deflected effort loop over an obliging Foderingham and into the other side of the net.
Brighton play Everton at the Amex next while Sheffield United travel away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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