SOUTHAMPTON 1-2 BRIGHTON
- Goals: Che Adams (£5.8m) | Lewis Dunk (£4.9m), Leandro Trossard (£5.7m)
- Assists: Ryan Bertrand (£5.0m) | Pascal Gross (£5.8m), Danny Welbeck (£5.5m)
- Bonus: Trossard x3, Adams x2, Dunk x1
DEEP BURN AS DAN DOWN
Budget Brighton defender Dan Burn (£4.2m) did not reappear for the second half in Sunday’s win over Southampton due to a hamstring injury.
On Burn, manager Graham Potter explained:
We lost Dan at half time with a tight hamstring. So we had to adapt and I thought we did it really well.
A little bit too early to say [on the severity]. It was more tightness and we’re hoping more precautionary, so we’ll see how it settles down over the next day or so.
Those who drafted in the colossal defender for Blank Gameweek 29 will find out next week if they’ve been burned, while Free Hitters probably have one less budget option to consider.
SLAM DUNK THE FUNK
Lewis Dunk (£4.9m) will be under heavy consideration for those using the ‘Free Hit’ chip, however.
The Brighton skipper rose into space to jam a header home from a Pascal Gross (£5.8m) corner after 16 minutes.
Dunk’s aerial prowess should see him feature in many a Free Hit team, though the situation is not as clear for other FPL managers.
The Seagulls play away to Manchester United and Chelsea between Gameweeks 30 and 32, with those fixtures sandwiching a visit from Everton.
Next week’s match-up does bode well, however.
Only Crystal Palace (19) – who have played an extra fixture – conceded more headed attempts than Brighton’s Blank Gameweek 29 opponents Newcastle (17) between Gameweeks 24 and 27.
THREE-CHE
Che Adams (£5.8m) made it three goals in as many games, volleying past Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) from a Ryan Bertrand (£5.0m) knockdown.
Southampton have clashes with Burnley (H), West Brom (a) and Crystal Palace (H) before a blank in Gameweek 33.
Their outstanding match from that round of fixtures, away to Spurs, could also give the Saints a Double Gameweek before Blank Gameweek 33; though nothing is confirmed in that case.
So despite another lacklustre performance in Gameweek 28, Southampton assets could be on the menu after the international break.
However, Ralph Hasenhuttl delivered a fairly scathing verdict on his team after full-time that will not promote confidence in the Saints for the time being.
“They are fighting for relegation and we think we are safe – but I think we should pay attention because when we play like this we will not win a lot of games, that is for sure.
“We had a not so good start. We came back a bit better, with a few chances but in the second half, the opponent wanted it more and we have to be self critical about it because it was by far one of the worst games we have played this season.
“It is time to work on a few basic fundamentals in the next weeks. The second goal gave them a lift. After we did not have a solution, only one chance at the end. But in total it was not enough to deserve a point today. We see that our game is far away from what it has been this season.
“The way we tried to play was far away from what I wanted. You could see, it was chaotic. There was no plan and no clear idea during the final 30 minutes.
“We have to work on this. We have shown in the past that when we have time to work on things, we can come back to the highest level.” – Ralph Hasenhuttl
POTTER WORKS HIS MAGIC
Burn’s withdrawal saw Graham Potter make an unorthodox substitution, with forward Andi Zeqiri (£5.0m) brought on to play at left wing-back.
That shifted Pascal Gross (£5.8m) to right wing-back, allowing Leandro Trossard (£5.7m) to play behind the striking duo of Danny Welbeck (£5.5m) and Neal Maupay (£6.1m).
In the 57th minute, link-up play between Adam Lallana (£6.2m) and Welbeck allowed the latter to slip Trossard in behind the Southampton defence.
The Belgian made no mistake as he slotted past Forster to put Brighton in the lead for a second time, an advantage which they would not relinquish.
“He’s an important player. He’s experienced, has great quality on the ball and we need him as a team. He’s added that extra bit for us and we are really happy to have him.” – Leandro Trossard on Adam Lallana
“I thought it was a deserved victory. Full credit to the players, they had to adapt. Second half we got a really good goal and when we had to defend we defended against a really good side that plays with huge intensity.” – Graham Potter
On Lallana, Potter added:
I thought he was fantastic today. He takes the ball in tight areas, links the play up really well and uses his voice to organise the team. He’s a really important player and person for us. Really delighted for him – that’s his second 90 minutes, so we need to recover him and get him ready for the weekend.
Southampton XI (4-2-2-2): Forster; Bertrand, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Walker-Peters; Ward-Prowse, Diallo; Minamino (Redmond 65′), Armstrong (N’Lundulu 87′); Tella (Djenepo 68′), Adams.
Brighton & Hove Albion (3-4-1-2): Sanchez; Dunk, Veltman, White; Burn (Zeqiri 46′), Bissouma, Lallana, Gross; Trossard (Moder 85′); Maupay, Welbeck (Propper 76′).
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