Another home game, another victory – what is this sorcery? Yes in a surprising turn of events Brighton & Hove Albion women’s team have won two matches at the Broadfield from two – doubling their win total in Crawley from last season. The match itself was a tight and tense affair, with tempers fraying at times, but the Albion got the job done and now sit 3rd in the WSL.

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For a recap of the game, check out the Albion website HERE, and for highlights head over to the club’s YouTube channel HERE.

As always I had some views on the game and you can find those below:

Notes:

• Brighton started well with Nikita Parris almost going through on goal only for a moment of indecision to force her to cut back. We also had a free kick that bounced around the penalty box only for Villa to scrape a clearance before a Brighton player could put it in the net.
• Villa grew into the game and began to find some down the flanks. This was clearly a pre-planned tactic as they looked to expose our back three. It sort of worked. Though they had quite a bit of joy down both wings, Brighton defended both sides admirably and neither of the Villa goals were the direct result of targeted wide play.
• Unfortunately both of their goals came from avoidable defensive mistakes though which will surely frustrate Dario Vidosic.
• Their first came when Vicky Losada dwelt a little too long on ball out from the back. Her subsequent pass was charged down by Rachel Daly, who was a handful all game, and the ball found its way to Kirsty Hanson. Despite the fact four Albion shirts were in the box, Hanson was able to find Daly in return – who stroked home from short range.
• This had all the hallmarks of last season’s inability to recover once play breaks down. There were enough defenders back and Daly should have been so high on their list to cover that she should never have got free. Vicky needed to move the ball quicker initially and then be stronger as Hanson breezes past her on her way to putting the ball in to the box.
• Far from feeling sorry for themselves though, it almost felt like Albion were angry that they’d gone 1-0 down. So much so in fact that they immediately pushed high with real aggression. A ball into the box from Maria Thorisdottir (I said we were high) looped towards the back post where Poppy Pattinson was able to stretch out her left leg and direct the ball back across goal. Johnny-on-the-spot was Nikita Parris who was in the right place at the right time to poke the ball home from inside the six-yard box. Less than sixty seconds after Villa took the lead, the game was level.
• What I love about the team this season is that they continue to play their way (or endeavour to), no matter the circumstances. In the past there might have been a collective sigh of relief at equalising and a noticeable reduction in intensity – not under Dario though.
• Brighton’ second goal came from the press too. A Kenza Dali pass was deflected under pressure from Marisa Olislagers. The ball fell to Parris who immediately drove forward towards the box. Pauline Bremer made an excellent run in behind and Parris played a beautifully weighted pass into her path. With the trademark aplomb of an elite striker, Bremer settled into her stride and struck the ball with her left foot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. THIS is what happens when you have quality throughout your entire team, and I bloody love it!
• Unfortunately the Albion allowed Villa back into the game in the second half with another defensive mistake. A speculative ball into the box from Hanson was miscontrolled by Guro Bergsvand and in her attempt to recover she clearly fouled Anna Patten. No arguments here, absolute stonewall penalty. Daly stepped up and inevitably scored. 2-2 and it felt like the 3 points could be slipping away.
• The game then ebbed and flowed with both sides looking to seize the initiative. Ultimately though it took a moment of madness from a Villa player to decide the outcome. In the 80th minute Maisie Symonds lofted a ball towards Kiko Seike in the opposition box. As it fell Tomas cut across the front of the Japanese international and hit her in the face with what could only be described as a forearm smash. There might have even been a bit of elbow in there too. Truthfully I couldn’t even believe it had happened for a few seconds. The referee kept his head though and had clearly seen the incident as he marched over, sent Tomas off and awarded a penalty. Everyone was slightly stunned, but to me, it was absolutely the correct decision. Having seen it back again on replay, not only was it correct, but Tomas should be looking at a lengthier ban for violent conduct in my opinion. Fran Kirby, who’d worked hard all game, stepped up and dispatched the penalty to put the Albion 3-2 up.
• Give them credit though Villa kept trying and they even hit the bar from range despite being down to ten. It was only a powerful run and excellent finish by Michelle Agyemang in added time that really knocked in the coffin nails.
• Trying to remain unbiased it was quite an even game and on balance of play a draw would have probably been fair. Brighton have been losing those type of games for the last few seasons though, so to start winning them is a massive change. Long may it continue!
• Poppy Pattinson was sent off late on, arguably undeservedly. It appears the second yellow was awarded for delaying the restart, which, if that is the case, could have been avoided. The first however came when, in the aftermath of the Tomas incident, she stood over to the penalty spot to stop the Villa players scuffing up the turf. Lucy Staniforth then walks over and just kicks Poppy. Just kicks her. Whether she meant to kick Poppy or the spot she was still trying to do something against the rules at best, and deliberately attempting to injure an opponent at worst. Hopefully the league looks at this because how Pattinson and former Seagull Katie Robinson – who stepped in to break Poppy and Staniforth apart – got booked and Staniforth didn’t, beggars belief. One can only surmise it wasn’t seen by the officials.
• There was far too much hesitation when passing out from the back, whether that be from defenders or midfielders dropping back to pick up the ball. One incident led to their first goal and multiple times throughout the game we had the ball blocked, intercepted or just plain stolen off us. Decisions have to be made quicker, particularly in areas where a loss of possession can quickly turn into a goalscoring opportunity for the opposition.
• Once again the press waned as the game wore on, to the point in the second half that their deepest defenders were on the halfway line. Either our own press needs to be sustained for longer periods of time, or we need to switch tactics to counter when the opponent is so aggressive.
• Sophie Baggaley wasn’t challenged too often, but when she was she dealt with everything well and her composure is definitely starting to improve when playing out from the back. Fantastic to see her carry on her excellent form from last season.
• More of the same from Olislagers, Pattinson and Carabali who were all excellent once again. I was pleased to see that Parris, in her first start for the Albion, looked as dangerous as she ever did playing for United or Arsenal. The pedigree of her and Fran, alongside established international stars like Bremer and Thorisdottir, and rising talent such as Olislagers and Pattinson, is a heady mix that could have us looking down on other teams, particularly those who we’ve struggled against in recent seasons.
• Just a note on Rachel Daly as she was excellent all game. She put pressure on our defence every chance she got and of course scored both Villa goals. The thing that stands her apart from other strikers to me is her own ability as a defender. Generally a striker will not present a massive challenge when the defence is looking to develop the ball from the back. However, with Daly, the defence in possession immediately faces an opponent playing up front, but with a defensive skill set. It just doesn’t allow time to breathe and even in this game, her defensive capabilities led to their first goal.
• I thought the referee, Ryan Atkin, was excellent considering he had some big calls to make. I cannot fault him for the decisions regarding Poppy because I honestly don’t think he saw anything in the melee except Pattinson and Robinson coming together. That’s where you need some assistance from the other officials, and perhaps in this case, video review after the game.
• I’m not particularly familiar with Villa manager Robert de Pauw, but his post-match comments in regards to the sending off incident, ‘It was clearly not excessive force, Paula Tomás was in her rights to step in the way’, is not only wrong, it is willfully ignorant. I would suggest he perhaps watches several replays and calms himself down before making such bold statements again. Nobody should be arguing that was a fair challenge in any way shape or form.

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We’ll be talking about all these incidents and more on the SheGulls Podcast, recording tonight and out in the next 24-48 hours. Give it a listen if you feel so inclined!