Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
It’s time for another guest article now as Reading fan Oliver Walsh – who you can follow on Twitter here returns. With Brighton playing Newcastle last night in a top of the table Championship clash it made perfect sense for Oliver to cover it and here is his take on the game, over to you Oliver.
Newcastle climbed above Brighton in the Championship table, with their dramatic late 2-1 victory insuring they reclaimed their place at the top of the table.
The quality of the teams was evident as the top two sides battled it out in a match that could’ve easily been in the Premier League.
First Half:
Brighton began the game brightly and were dominant in the first ten minutes, their form was typified as their consistent right back Bruno nearly scored a sumptuous volley, drawing a confident save from Karl Darlow.
In the 13th minute the Seagulls were rewarded as Glen Murray convinsingly dispatched a penalty into the bottom left after being brought down by Ciaran Clark in the box following a corner.
Newcastle reacted brightly and gained a foothold in the game, beginning to dominate the possession of the ball. The Magpies found joy down the right flank with Atsu terrorising fellow Chelsea loanee Fikayo Tomori, yet the Ghanaian ultimately lacked end product.
Towards the end of the first half both sides had chances with Darlow saving well after Glen Murray flashed a technically brilliant volley and Atsu squandering an exceptional chance in the centre of the penalty box.
Second Half:
The second period began frantically with Newcastle full back Paul Dummet clearing the ball of the line after Darlow’s doubtful attempt at claiming the ball following a free kick.
Despite the English goalkeeper’s poor decision making, his shot stopping was excellent throughout the game as he made crucial saves from Anthony Knockeart and Sam Baldock.
Following these chances, the Seagulls began to control the possession of the ball, and orchestrated a few chances because of it, both for them and the opposition. In the 55th minute Stockdale afforded Yohan Gouffran a one and one chance after a misjudged pass into midfield, however the Frenchman failed to capitalise.
Daryl Murphy replaced Jack Colback in the 70th minute and the Irishman’s aerial ability caused Brighton problems immediately as he nearly scored a free header from a corner.
Less than five minutes later the Magpies were gifted a fluke goal as Atsu’s awful volley rebounded off of Diame’s foot and looped into the top right corner.
Just eight minutes after their equaliser with less than two minutes left in the game, Ayoze Perez (who replaced Gouffran in the 80th minute) scored the winner after Matt Ritchies’s pinpoint long ball found Atsu on the left flank, who crossed for the Spaniard to place into the bottom left corner.
Man of the Match: Glen Murray
Although Glen Murray didn’t end up on the winning side, the veteran English striker caused problems for Newcastle throughout the game with Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles unable to deal with his stellar hold up play and physicality in the box.
The win means that Newcastle go two points clear at the top of the table. Furthermore, the victory gives the North East club confidence going into a tough run of fixtures as they face both Huddersfield and Reading.
Despite the loss, Brighton still look set to stay in the automatic promotion spots at the end of the season and will not be too disheartened after a commendable performance against a quality side. But it’s still very much to play for in the race for the title.
Thanks Oliver and I look forward to your next installment
If you would like to give a view from your club on a weekly basis then please get in touch – you can email me at – realfootballmanwordpress@gmail.com
