Before FC Seoul’s K League 1 match at home on Sunday, Gwangju head coach Lee Jung-hyo said he stayed up late to watch the English Premier League (EPL).
His focus was on the EPL’s fifth round match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at 11 p.m. (KST) on Nov. 16. At the same time, Tottenham, which features South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min, plays Sheffield United in the league, but Lee chose United and Brighton.
Brighton have been making waves in the EPL this season. After beating Luton Town 4-1 in the opening round, they followed that up with a 4-1 win over Hwang Hee-chan’s Wolverhampton in the second round. In the third round, they faced West Ham and lost 1-3, but in the fourth round, they beat Newcastle 3-1 thanks to a hat trick from Evan Ferguson.
The fifth-round tie at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, was a crucial test of how far Brighton’s rise could go.
Brighton take sole possession of EPL lead with 15 goals
Despite being away from home, Brighton were undaunted and pushed their opponents early on. Eventually, in the 20th minute, Danny Welbeck scored the first goal against his hometown team. Eight minutes into the second half, Pascal Gross scored the second goal, calmly and neatly from near the penalty box. The first goal came from the right side, the second from the left, and both were organized plays.
Roberto De Zerbi took off Welbeck and Lallana in the 19th minute of the second half, bringing on João Pedro and Ansu Pati. The Frenchman’s choice paid off, as he split the United goal with a sensational strike just seven minutes after coming on. United pulled a goal back two minutes later, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around.
Brighton’s attack was simple. They attacked from the flanks and crossed into the box. They used passing to speed up the attack rather than forcing individual dribbles from the flanks. Despite being away from home, Brighton won the ball 56% to 44% and had more shots (10 to 9) and shots on target (8 to 4).
Brighton took the three points from the game against United and are in fourth place in the league. They have now scored 15 goals, more than first-place Man City (14).
When asked why United lost, Lee told reporters ahead of the match against Seoul: “Just to put it simply, Brighton’s manager knew how to do it and (United’s) manager Eric ten Hagh didn’t.”
When asked if Seoul were like United and Brighton were like Gwangju, he replied, “Absolutely not. It’s still a long way off. I saw it yesterday and felt it again. We have a long way to go,” he said.
While Lee’s words don’t put Brighton and Gwangju on the same level, the rise of the ‘promotion team’ is frightening. Seoul have secured two wins against Gwangju this season, but 스포츠토토 on this day, Gwangju were the underdogs. Seoul, under acting head coach Kim Jin-gyu, came out aggressively in search of a goal, but were unable to break down Gwangju’s defense, which scored the first goal of the game early on.
Lee Jung-hyo: “Seoul was the better team in the match”
“We still have a long way to go” when asked about season goals
“I paid a lot of attention to every little thing” before the game against Seoul, and when he met with the press after the game, he said, “In terms of performance, I think Seoul deserves a little bit of credit. Seoul played better, but I think our players spoke with the result,” he said cautiously.
“I think we gave Seoul a lot of chances, so we will review and improve that part,” he said, adding, “I would like to praise the players for fulfilling their responsibilities in a difficult environment, even though it was not their position.”
With the win, Gwangju (48 points) solidified third place behind Ulsan Hyundai (62 points) and Pohang Steelers (56 points), but Lee was humble when asked about his season goals, saying, “There is still a long way to go and we are still lacking a lot.” “I will work harder with the players to fill in the gaps,” he said.
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