And here’s a match report. It’s been a blast. Bye!
Ryan Shawcross and Glenn Murray talk, about that first-half penalty incident and life in general. First, Shawcross.
I think it probably was a penalty if you look back at it. I think the attacking players on each side decided it. They’ve got a lot and we’ve got a lot. We’re disappointed [not to win]. Their goals were a bit sloppy. A point away from home for us is brilliant, so we’ll take that and move on.
And Glenn Murray:
It’s just one of those things. Hopefully throughout the course of the season it’ll even itself out. [The game] felt very open, it was an enjoyable game to play in, we’re just disappointed we didn’t clinch it. We’re happy with the point. We seem to be better away from home at the minute, which is something we need to sort out.
An entertaining game ends with the points justly shared. Brighton did exceptionally well to come back twice against a rugged Stoke side, but though they were entertaining and enterprising their play was too often imprecise. Stoke had better quality, but lesser attacking intent. They scored from a (lovely) long ball and a corner, and most of their brighter moments from open play in the second half came from Brighton – under some pressure – gifting them possession in dangerous areas.
Final score: Brighton 2-2 Stoke City
90+4 mins: Nope.
90+3 mins: Half a minute to play, and Stoke have a throw-in deep into Brighton territory. Is there time for one more chance?
90+2 mins: Not by shanking shooting chances high and wide from the edge of the area, as Schelotto just did, they won’t.
90+1 mins: The home side win a corner. The crowd roars. Will they find a winner?
90+1 mins: There will be three minutes of stoppage time. Brighton go into it with the wind in their sails and the crowd willing them onward.
88 mins: March tries to go past Diouf, who blocks his path and then dives to the ground. There was contact from behind, but Diouf’s dive made him look a bit silly. Anyway, the referee buys it, and the crowd is absolutely furious about it.
86 mins: Schelotto nicely tricks his way into the area, and then annoyingly spears a poor ball across the area.
84 mins: More substitutions, both for Brighton: Izzy Brown replaces Pascal Gross, and Schelotto replaces Knockaert.
83 mins: Brighton break, and Knockaert’s lovely flick finds Murray. Zouma gets in the way and then steals the ball away, but it was still a lovely flick.
82 mins: Diouf ridiculously overdramatises a collision with Dunk that barely existed at all, and the referee buys it. Nothing comes of the free kick, though.
81 mins: The constant rain of crosses ends when Zouma has a long-range shot that zips across the turf into the arms of Ryan.
80 mins: Crouch’s arrival seems to have changed the game in Stoke’s favour. Suddenly they’re peppering Brighton’s penalty area with crosses, and the home side seem very worried about it.
79 mins: Stoke win a corner and Fletcher picks out Crouch, but his header is from too far out, and also not on target.
77 mins: Here’s the all-time top five players with the most Premier League substitute appearances, according to Sky. It seems Crouch has not just joined Ameobi at the top of the list, but overtaken him altogether.
.@stokecity’s @petercrouch sets a new @premierleague record of 143 substitute appearances #MNF
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) November 20, 2017
143 - Peter Crouch
142 - Shola Ameobi
136 - Jermain Defoe
129 - Carlton Cole
123 - Joe Cole pic.twitter.com/6HK6PmTVDk
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74 mins: Some substitutions: March replaces Izquierdo for Brighton, and Crouch replaces Shaqiri, making history in the process.
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73 mins: Gross, on the left wing, takes on Zouma. He goes down the line and turns back; Zouma eventually catches up. He goes up the line and turns back again; Zouma eventually catches up. He goes down the line and turns back again, gets the ball muddled between his feet, and gives away a throw-in. Still, it was fun.
71 mins: There seem to be a lot of passes being misplaced. Even Shaqiri’s been doing it. As a result, the last few minutes have been played entirely in a narrow belt around the half-way line.
68 mins: Shaqiri hits a left-foot shot from 20 yards that just fades away from goal in the last few metres and skims past the far post.
67 mins: A world of opportunity and potential has opened up, post-equaliser. Life is, once again, good. Brighton raid down the right, but Bruno’s cross is headed clear. Stoke run down the other end, where Choupo-Moting’s cross is also headed clear.
63 mins: Sky report that even as Izquierdo knocked in his goal the fourth official was putting his number into his board, as Brighton prepared to take him off.
62 mins: Izquierdo is fun but frustrating. He often seems to make the wrong decision, or be just a little too imprecise with his passing. But he’s also fast and nimble enough to really expose Zouma. “Izquierdo is an exciting player,” writes Kelvin. “Loved watching him play at Brugge. He had a silly habit of running to the bench to don his sunglasses whenever he scored, even when it was raining.”
GOAL! Brighton 2-2 Stoke (Izquierdo, 60 mins)
The ball is crossed from the right to Murray, beyond the far post. His control is good, and after hinting at a cross he instead passes short to Izquierdo, befuddling the defence. His attempted pass across goal hits Wimmer, bounces back to him, and is calmly knocked into the net!
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58 mins: Brighton very nearly play themselves into trouble again on the edge of their area. They’re making a habit of it, and it’s not a good one.
58 mins: Brighton win a corner, but as the ball comes in Fletcher goes over, and Stoke have a free kick.
56 mins: Zouma and Murray jump together, and Murray’s arm presses against Zouma’s head. The Stoke defender goes to ground, stays there a while, and is then treated by physios for a bit, before walking slowly to the touchline and immediately turning to run book onto the pitch, absolutely fine.
54 mins: I don’t understand why the referee doesn’t just book a goalkeeper who is obviously timewasting. Accepted protocol seems to be that you let it pass a couple of times, then wave a beckoning arm, then give a warning, and only then take his name. It all just allows a great deal more timewasting than is ideal. Anyway, Grant still hasn’t been booked, but it’s only a matter of time. And protocol.
53 mins: Brighton win two corners in swift succession, both of which are hit too long, clear the entire penalty area and end up with Izquierdo on the opposite flank.
50 mins: Save! Propper gives the ball away just outside his own penalty area and Stoke immediately have three players bursting into it. A quick exchange of passes between Allen and Sobhi opens a chance for the latter, but Ryan positions himself well and makes the stop!
49 mins: Murray is found at the edge of the D, controls, spins and shoots – but he’s offside.
48 mins: So far this half Brighton have probed down their right and down their left, but both attacks have ended with really poor passes played under no pressure.
46 mins: Peeeeep! Brighton get the second half started.
The players are back out. More action imminent.
Further examination of replays shows that Shawcross’s challenge on Murray was definitely and without doubt a penalty. Or at least it should have been.
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A jolly old half, that one. Goals, controversy, incident, drama, it had the lot. But that second Stoke goal was a blow for all neutrals. There is something spirit-sapping about watching this team destroy a game, which seems to be how they deal with away leads. Maybe I’m doing them a disservice, though. Perhaps they’ll put on a display of fantasy attacking in the second half. They certainly have the potential to do more than simply close this out.
Half time: Brighton 1-2 Stoke City
45+4 mins: The referee blows his whistle and the crowd erupts in boos, aimed at the referee who denied them a likely penalty and the devilish football gods who so swiftly destroyed their post-equalising joy.
GOAL! Brighton 1-2 Stoke (Zouma, 45+1 mins)
It’s an excellent corner towards Choupo-Moting, which hits Bruno in the back of the head and goes straight to Zouma, who nods in from close range.
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45+1 mins: Into stoppage time, of which there will be three minutes. It starts with a Stoke corner.
GOAL! Brighton 1-1 Stoke (Gross, 44 mins)
That’s fantastic work by Propper! He’s given the ball in the middle of Stoke’s half, with opponents all around him, and somehow he escapes from all of them, runs to the right, crosses low and Gross’s low shot goes through the goalkeeper’s legs!
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42 mins: Murray steams in on Wimmer, wildly late, and is booked. He needs to find a better way of dealing with his frustration: that was a yellow and a half, and if the referee had been feeling really vindictive he might have been sent off.
40 mins: There wasn’t much contact on Murray, but there was no contact on the ball. Shawcross is extraordinarily lucky to get away with that.
39' Shawcross incredibly lucky! Lee Mason gives a free-kick, but in all honesty it looked a penalty (0-1) #SCFC
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) November 20, 2017
39 mins: Murray and Shawcross run side by side in the penalty area. Shawcross slides in, misses the ball, waves a leg in front of Murray and the Brighton striker goes over it. The referee gives a free kick to Stoke.
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38 mins: Stoke have the ball and pass it around for a while, without getting more than 15 yards into Brighton’s half, or really wanting to.
37 mins: Though Zouma just took a throw-in reasonably quickly.
36 mins: I watched Stoke beat Watford a couple of weeks ago, and I’m basically watching it again now. A first-half goal, and now 11 men behind the ball and maximum timewasting at every stoppage.
34 mins: Gross is picked out on the edge of the area, but he falls as he gets into it, and when the ball falls to Knockaert he is offside. Grant takes an age over the free kick.
34 mins: Diouf is picked out on the right wing, but his low cross hits a defender. “Did you see what Duffy was doing on that goal?” asks JR. “He was waving his arm in the air like he just didn’t care (that Choupo-Moting was about to score a goal). Perhaps instead of appealing for offside Duffy should have continued playing. Just a thought. A bit radical, I know.”
31 mins: Grant takes an age over a goal kick, enraging the home fans. Stoke are an infuriating team, and never more so than when you’re losing to them.
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GOAL! Brighton 0-1 Stoke (Choupo-Moting, 28 mins)
A long ball forward from the half-way line is brilliantly controlled by Choupo-Moting, running into the area. It would have taken him wide to the right of goal, though, except it hits Dunk on the thigh and lands perfectly at the Stoke striker’s feet, and he sidefoots in from 10 yards!
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25 mins: Izquierdo is a lot of fun. Very imprecise fun, but tremendous value. This time he bursts infield before taking a shot from 25 yards the goes out for a throw-in.
23 mins: Knockaert is taken out on the right wing by Shawcross, and Gross’s excellent free-kick is turned goalwards by Propper. Grant saves.
21 mins: The effervescent Izquierdo bursts forward again and then passes inside to Murray, who tries to work room for a shot but is dispossessed instead.
21 mins: Sobhi gets the ball outside the area, goes past Bruno easily, tries to go past him again, and this time the Brighton man gets an important toe on the ball.
19 mins: Choupo-Moting wriggles about on the right before scooping in a cross which Shawcross heads towards goal, but the ball loops gently into Ryan’s arms.
18 mins: Izquierdo has another shot. He runs clear on the left behind Zouma, who was very slow to sense danger, and into the area, cuts onto his right foot and then curls past Grant but a yard wide of the far post!
17 mins: Isquierdo gets into the box, cuts inside, then starts cutting backwards for some reason, and when he finally reaches a shooting position much worse than the one he had a while ago, he shoots wide.
16 mins: It’s been a bright opening. Brighton are attacking with pace and intent, largely down the left. Stoke are countering Stokeishly, and winning many corners. Promising.
13 mins: Propper miscontrols 10 yards outside his own penalty area and then falls over, and Shaqiri nips in, steals the ball and surges into the box, but his shot is well blocked by Dunk.
12 mins: Save! From the resulting corner Shawcross heads at goal from beyond the far post, and Ryan tips it over!
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12 mins: Pieters escapes down the left, and though his cross is cleared Knockaert gets a rollicking for allowing the Stoke player so much space.
9 mins: Bong’s cross is headed clear, and Stephens chests down and shoots from 40 yards. It’s quite a handsome shot, even if it flies well wide.
6 mins: Diouf has a shot from the edge of the area, but he falls over while he’s having it, and it deflects wide for a corner. It’s a lovely ball in by Shaqiri, and Stephens can’t clear it, but when the ball is eventually sent back in Ryan comes out to catch.
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5 mins: Shawcross and Murray have a little set-to, as Mark Hughes’s favourite tactic of intimidation and provocation begins.
4 mins: Chance for Brighton! Izquierdo has the ball on the left again and this time the cross is low, and it runs to the in-form Murray, who swings his left foot and misses it completely!
2 mins: Izquierdo gets near the byline on the left, but his cross is high, loopy and long.
1 min: And we’re off! Stoke get the game started, and promptly tonk the ball into touch on the right wing.
Coins tossed, hands shaken, football imminent.
“Third on the list is Javier Hernandez isn’t it?” guesses Peter Crosby. “Thank you – thank you very much.” It is not Javier Hernandez.
The players are emerging from the tunnel!
“I’m going to say James Miner,” writes Charles Antaki. “Not because I think it actually is him, but because it’s the only kind of award that a stalwart, but slightly obscure, Premier League player who’s been there since its inception (or perhaps a century before) is going to get.” Nice thought process, but you should really have spent less time thinking and more time reading the question.
There’s answering a simple quiz question, and then there’s just showing off:
@Simon_Burnton Bit late to see quiz but Defoe is third followed by a couple of Coles - one of which (Carlton) has spent longest time on pitch as an #EPL sub
— Andrew Clark (@pssGuy) November 20, 2017
Giggs also makes top 10
The managers have been talking. First, Chris Hughton:
It seems like a long time [since their last game], and certainly on the back of a really good away performance, but if we thought that was going to be tough this will be even tougher. We need to start as well as we can and keep the good things going. They’re a very manly side, with good quality. They are a threat all over the pitch. I still feel, even after a couple of really good away performances, that our season will be based on the points we’re able to get at home.
And also, Mark Hughes:
I’ve said all along that we had difficult fixtures in the opening period. We knew that was going to test us. But we’re OK. In terms of like-for-like results, I’ve said many times, we’re ahead of where we were last season. We’re building steadily. We’re doing OK. I think we can look back on certain performances where we haven’t done as well as we hoped but in other ones we’ve done fine. Tonight, up front they’ve got an obvious threat, two lads playing well with confidence, scoring goals. We’ll have to deal with those two. They’ve got good threats, they’re organised as every Chris Hughton team is.
No changes for Brighton and just one for Stoke, with finger-knacked goalkeeper Jack Butland out, and Lee Grant coming in.
Ladies and gentlemen, a winner:
@Simon_Burnton It's not Shola, is it? Eternal glory?
— PJ Nellbone (@pjnellbone) November 20, 2017
The teams!
The team sheets are in, and these are the names upon them:
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo, Gross, Murray. Subs: Hemed, Goldson, March, Schelotto, Krul, Suttner, Brown.
Stoke: Grant, Zouma, Shawcross, Wimmer, Diouf, Fletcher, Allen, Pieters, Shaqiri, Sobhi, Choupo-Moting. Subs: Berahino, Jese, Afellay, Martins Indi, Adam, Crouch, Haugaard.
Referee: Lee Mason.
Here's how #BHAFC line up for this evening's @premierleague game against @stokecity at the Amex. #BHASTK ⚽️🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/0USEbio3Vl
— BHAFC ⚽️ (@OfficialBHAFC) November 20, 2017
📝#SCFC Starting XI v @OfficialBHAFC: Grant; Zouma, Shawcross, Wimmer; Diouf, Fletcher, Allen, Pieters; Shaqiri, Ramadan; Choupo-Moting.
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) November 20, 2017
SUBS: Haugaard; Berahino, Jese, Afellay, Martins Indi, Adam, Crouch. pic.twitter.com/UvEyKa4B34
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Hello world!
Welcome to Magnificent Monday! Today’s match pits Chris Hughton against Mark Hughes, perhaps the Premier League’s most similarly-surnamed managerial contest since (excluding previous Hughes/Hughton encounters) Bobby Robson and Bryan Robson last faced off back in October 2000. And their surnames aren’t so much similar as identical, so don’t really count (do let me know if I’ve forgotten any potential alternatives, though).
Brighton’s next four fixtures have a nice repeated rhythm about them, like boxing’s jab and cross: Stoke then Manchester United; Palace then Liverpool; Huddersfield then Tottenham. There are no easy games in the Premier League, certainly – and despite their excellent performances so far this season – for a team like Brighton, but they will be surely taking alternate matches very differently.
Stoke, meanwhile, have had a troubling start to the season but everything might be looking a fair bit rosier by Boxing Day, by which time they will – including tonight’s – have played nine more games, facing all the current bottom four plus Burnley, Brighton and Huddersfield (and also Liverpool and Spurs). Then again, it might not. It’s hard to tell. Besides, if you’re looking at this Stoke team in a rosy light, it’s almost certainly because one of them has just elbowed you in the face and your vision is blurred by blood.
Anyway, welcome. Let’s hope for some fun. Brighton are averaging precisely one goal per game this season; Stoke are averaging 1.2. A low- but not no-scoring encounter is thus on the cards.One for the purists
QUIZ! If he comes on as a substitute Peter Crouch will become the Premier League’s join all-time most offthebenchful player, with 143 substitute appearances. For the prize of a mention in the liveblog and consequent enternal glory, can you name which former Newcastle striker currently has that title to himself? You can have a bonus point if you know which current top-flight player, currently third on the list, has made four substitute appearances so far this season and needs just seven more to also share the crown. Clue: the only other current player within sniffing distance of the records is James Milner, who is 32 behind. So it’s not him.
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Simon will be here shortly. In the meantime you can get the lowdown on Saido Berahino’s struggles at Stoke …
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