Games at the Amex are always special, it’s the opportunity to cast the net wider and put on a performance that will make Brighton-based folk realise that Crawley isn’t all that far away. This match had even more on the line though, a loss and the Albion were back in amongst that bottom pack of teams in the WSL, a win and they could start to see real light at the end of the tunnel.

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• For a full recap of the match action courtesy of Matthew Bishop head over to the Albion website: HERE
• Match highlights are available on the official WSL YouTube channel: HERE

Brighton & Hove Albion

• For a a few games now it has been the points that Brighton required, not necessarily the performance, so what a pleasure it was to see both on Sunday afternoon. Whilst the first 15-20 minutes were a little inauspicious, the Albion settled in and once they went ahead it was hard to see a road back for the visitors.
• Massive credit should go once again to Chiamaka Nnadozie who was imperious once again in between the sticks and made several saves to ensure Leicester didn’t take the lead. That first goal for the Seagulls was so key, but it only enabled them to go one up by virtue of the defence, and in particular Nnadozie, keeping the away team at bay.
• What an absolute pleasure it was to have Madison Haley back in the starting XI. She brings a determination and drive the Albion sometimes lack as the ball filters up the field. It’s not just that though, she’s really good at retaining possession and allowing her teammates time to make runs or take up dangerous positions. In this case she was on the end of some fantastic interplay just outside the box as Marisa Olislagers fed the ball to Kiko Seike, who steered the ball into the path of Haley for her to clip a lovely left-footed finish over the onrushing Janina Leitzig. Refreshingly, it was a well-worked goal, the product of several players working together to create space and develop an opportunity through movement.
• Although Brighton continued to pour pressure on before half-time, another concrete opportunity eluded them and both teams would have gone in feeling like they could have made more of some excellent opportunities.
• In the past it has been the Albion who have been caught cold out of the dressing room, but this time they were the beneficiaries of an early goal upon the restart. Just 65 seconds in, a cross from Olislagers was deflected slightly by Nadine Noordam towards Maelys Mpome who with all the calmness and aplomb of a seasoned striker, side-footed the ball from the edge of the area into the bottom corner of the net. Again the build-up play was excellent, again there was movement, again there were players in space, again Brighton score. It’s just something we haven’t seen enough of this season.
• Although they didn’t let off the pedal in terms of command, the Seagulls couldn’t find a third goal, which truthfully wasn’t concerning, until some uncharacteristically poor defending allowed Leicester back into the game.
• It began with a Charlie Rule pass to Maisie Symonds which put her under pressure facing her own goal. Although it looked like Sam Tierney fouled the Brighton captain in getting to the ball, the referee played on and the defense was momentarily scrambling for position. A short header from Jutta Rantala followed and Shannon O’Brien was able to turn Rule to go through on goal where she finished cooly past Nnadozie. It was a brief moment of sloppy play in what had been an excellent sustained period of control. Again, unfortunately, it would be hard to argue that the Albion weren’t architects of their own downfall.
• Brighton teams of old would have what I used to describe, rather unimaginatively as a ‘mad x minutes’. One mistake led to another, led to another and before anyone knew it, wins turned to draws, draws turned to losses – you get the picture. This defence is built different though and a setback only appears to make them more resolute. They soaked up the pressure of a resurgent Leicester which allowed the team to go on and get the third goal they needed to put the tie to bed.
• The real nail in the coffin came in the 87th minute as another well worked passage of play saw Seike play a ball into Noordam who laid it off to Olislagers on the edge of the box. Mo only scores crackers, and this time she was able to curl a first time right-footed finish low and into the bottom corner past Leitzig. The crowd took a collective sigh of relief and were able to relax and enjoy the remaining time – where they were treated to a fourth as a special treat!
• A foul by O’Brien on Manuela Vanegas in stoppage time led to a free kick midway into the Leicester half. Thinking quickly Jelena Cankovic squared a pass to Symonds who was completely unmarked, but still a long way from goal. She unleashed a thunderous straight drive that had so much power and movement on it, Leitzig could only parry the ball back out. As all good forwards should do, Seike followed the ball in and was able to finish the rebound off through the goalkeepers’ legs sending the crowd into raptures just before full-time.
• Losing Carla Camacho before kickoff with delayed concussion symptoms obviously affected the lineup and perhaps contributed to the shaky start as the team adapted. What it meant though was that the two wide forwards, Haley and Seike, who are often out towards the touchlines had much more freedom to come inside and combine to create chances. Obviously 4-4-2 is old hat now, but there is a lot to be said for two forwards who support and complement each other as opposed to one single striker as the sole focal point. Food for thought.
• Seike had a great game. She really seems to be coming into her own as a forward who can get in behind and come inside, making use of the space afforded rather than rigidly ploughing a furrow down the right hand side. A confident Kiko is a force to be reckoned with and she’s flying high right now.
• Noordam was excellent in midfield as she just seemed to be everywhere all at once. She had some key passes that led to opportunities and finished with two assists. It would appear that when she is utilised in her preferred role, Brighton may not have a better player with same capabilities.
• Rosa Kafaji came on Haley after 68 minutes and looked lively. Her movement and dribbling seemed more suited to the Amex dimensions, with more room to manoeuvre and find pockets to drive into. We all know about the oft-mentioned ‘big stadium phobia’ that was a narrative in the past, but you can’t help but wonder if some players prefer the bigger stage both metaphorically and physically.
• Overall Brighton were clearly the better team. It didn’t stop them giving us a few nervous moments at times, but an emphatic win and three points will make you forget about those pretty quickly. With three weeks until the next fixture, will the break allow the team to rest and heal up? Or could it be a momentum stopper as they finish off the calendar year?
  You’ll have to stay tuned to find out…

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Leicester City

• To be truthful Leicester started well and they might look back and think if they’d taken their opportunities and gone one or two goals up – then maybe it would have been a different game. The fact they didn’t is probably the reason why they will continue to remain relegation candidates for the foreseeable future.
• That being said they have a few players who you can easily see playing a role for a bigger club in the future. Rantala was a threat throughout and it was a shame to see her go down injured late on, whilst the likes of Shannon O’Brien, Sam Tierney and Asmita Ale all looked more than capable at this level.
• In a nice touch, Leicester brought scarves along and put them on away supporters’ seats as a thank you for travelling. It’s a small gesture, but things like this only help to build and grow travelling fanbases – so good on them .

Other Business

• The attendance at the Amex was 4,645 – which you can read into as you will. Quite frankly Leicester aren’t an opposition that draws casual fans and it’s no coincidence our record attendance of 8,369 came against Manchester United. That being said it did better numbers than both West Ham and Liverpool in the 2024/25 season at the same venue. Attendance was surely aided by the fact that there hasn’t and won’t be another Amex game during the first half of this season, and by virtue of the PR and Marketing departments going all out to promote it across social media and relevant outlets. My personal instinct is that this was a par score for where Brighton are as a women’s club right now.
• The atmosphere was rather fantastic, arguably the best at the Amex I’ve witnessed. When you’re winning and playing well it’s amazing how engaged the crowd are – which just gives more credence to the theory that what happens on the pitch is of first and foremost importance when it comes to the fans outlook and attitude.
• On a personal note I was one of a privileged few who were invited by Visit Kissimmee (club and away travel sponsors) to avail of the hospitality at Mullery’s inside the stadium. Not only was it a fantastic and most appreciated treat, but the staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a good time. My thanks go to both VK and the club for the opportunity.

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The SheGulls Podcast was recorded last night and will be released on Wednesday – so for more analysis of this game – do give it a listen. We still plan to continue the show over this short break and hopefully we can provide you with some entertaining Albion content whilst we all wait excitedly for the London City game on the 7th December.

See you all soon as always!