Even after his return to English football ended with a defeat to a goal scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Gianfranco Zola was still smiling. Zola, who took over at Birmingham City on Wednesday after the popular Gary Rowett was sacked, had a creditable point whipped away from him when Glenn Murray’s header sealed victory for second-placed Brighton.
Listening to Zola and Chris Hughton – a true tussle for the title of “most affable man in football” – it might have been tough to work out who won and who lost. Hughton said some of his key men “did not have their best day”, while Zola said he did not expect his team, who led for much of the second half, to play as well as they did.
Neither side excelled and the game was decided by the strength in depth Brighton can call on. Solly March, a whispy and brilliantly tricky winger who has only just returned from a year out with a cruciate ligament injury, changed the game after rising from the bench. He set up Anthony Knockaert’s equaliser and forced Birmingham further and further back as they tried to first defend a win, then a draw.
“Physically, we were going down and dropping deep too much,” said Zola, whose side went ahead through a brilliant Lukas Jutkiewicz header. “That was partly down to our condition, partly them attacking. But I didn’t see them scoring. I can’t remember any shots until the first goal.”
The first half offered fairly grim fare, despite an opening three minutes in which Maikel Kieftenbeld hit the post from close range after 30 seconds, then Knockaert demonstrated why he is both so wonderful and so frustrating in the space of five seconds. He made a fool of his marker Jonathan Grounds before shooting, unsuccessfully, from an absurd angle as better-placed team-mates threw up their hands.
The nearest the half got to a goal after that came when a moment of world-class slapstick was narrowly avoided. A Michael Morrison clearance hit the back of colleague Ryan Shotton’s head, off which the ball flew goalwards, but thankfully for the home side Tomasz Kuszczak remained alert.
Jutkiewicz’s header just after the break, for which he hung in the air like Les Ferdinand in his pomp, looked like it would give Zola a fine start to life at St Andrew’s, but from there they were far too cautious, inviting Brighton to attack. March accepted that invitation merrily by skipping to the byline on the left, drilling a cross at about ankle height into the middle where Knockaert, having left the flank in search of more space and chances, showed superb technique to control a low volley into the net. “His level of performance dipped a little bit recently,” said Hughton of Knockaert. “But he’s one player who can still produce something.”
From there, only one team looked like winning. Birmingham retreated even further and were punished when Murray glanced home from a corner in the last seconds. A few boos came from the home fans: presumably not for Zola, but for the men who are still to convincingly explain the reasons for Rowett’s dismissal. Unfortunately for Zola, the circumstances of his arrival will put even greater pressure on him to prove the club’s decision correct.
Brighton, now unbeaten in 15, are a point behind the leaders, Newcastle, but crucially eight clear of Reading in third. “Apart from our two goals, we didn’t really have any clear-cut chances,” Hughton said. Therein may lie the reason for their lofty position.
