Pro Sports

Potter has losing return to Brighton; City tops EPL with win

Posted October 29, 2022 7:00 am

By MATTIAS KARÃN

Brighton's Leandro Trossard celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea at the Amex stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - Well before halftime, Brighton supporters were already taunting the manager they once adored with chants of 'œYou're getting sacked in the morning.'ť

Graham Potter may not have to worry about being fired just yet, but his return to Brighton created the closest thing to a crisis he has experienced in his fledgling Chelsea reign.

Brighton beat Chelsea 4-1 in the English Premier League on Saturday to hand Potter his first loss since leaving the south-coast club to take over the Blues in September. After a strong start under Potter, Chelsea has dropped points in three straight league games following draws against Brentford and Manchester United.

And the worst part for Chelsea was that the scoreline wasn't at all misleading.

Brighton was 2-0 up after 14 minutes and added the third before halftime, having looked more confident and ambitious than the visitors who saw forward Christian Pulisic miss their best chance when he somehow shot wide with the goal gaping after a rebound. Kai Havertz pulled one back for Chelsea early in the second half but Pascal Gross finished off the scoring in injury time for the hosts.

'œThe atmosphere was really intense here, and we didn't necessarily match that level of intensity from the start,'ť Potter said. 'œClearly, Brighton were better at what they did, so we have to take that as a lesson '“ even though it's a painful one for us.'ť

Brighton has taken just two points from a possible 15 since Potter's departure but earned a first win under new coach Roberto De Zerbi - and the club's first over Chelsea since 1933.

The loss means Chelsea dropped eight points behind Manchester City, which took the overnight lead in the standings by beating Leicester 1-0 away thanks to an inch-perfect free kick from Kevin De Bruyne in the second half.

Arsenal can reclaim top spot on Sunday by beating last-placed Nottingham Forest at home.

City was without star striker Erling Haaland for the first time because of an ankle problem but De Bruyne made sure that didn't matter when he curled in a set-piece from 25 yards that dipped under the crossbar and in via the post in the 49th minute.

Tottenham came from two goals down in the second half to beat Bournemouth 3-2 and halt a run of two straight league losses, while resurgent Newcastle - which beat Spurs in the previous round - has won five of its last six after routing Aston Villa 4-0 at home.

Tottenham's comeback meant it stayed in third place, two points ahead of fourth-placed Newcastle.

After Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez went off with a concussion in the first half - having initially tried to play on despite looking groggy following a collision - Callum Wilson scored two for Newcastle and Joelinton and Miguel Almiron added one each.

Crystal Palace beat Southampton 1-0 at home for a third straight win while Brentford settled for 1-1 against Wolverhampton. Wolves striker Diego Costa was sent off for a headbutt deep into injury time.

Fulham had 24 efforts on goal against Everton but couldn't convert any of them as it was held to 0-0 at Craven Cottage.

Liverpool welcomed struggling Leeds to Anfield in an evening kickoff.

SPURS COMPLETE COMEBACK

Antonio Conte was furious after his team was denied a late winner by VAR in the Champions League in midweek, but there was no stopping the Tottenham celebrations this time.

Substitute Rodrigo Bentancur scored deep in stoppage time to complete the comeback for Spurs after Kieffer Moore's double put Bournemouth into a two-goal lead. Ryan Sessegnon started the comeback in the 57th minute and Ben Davies leveled following a corner.

'œIt was vital to win this game,'ť Conte said. 'œThis type of win for us can help us to have more confidence and to trust much more in ourselves."

DE BRUYNE SHINES

City manager Pep Guardiola publicly challenged De Bruyne recently to raise his level even higher for the club. The quality of the free kick the Belgium playmaker produced to beat Leicester was certainly top class.

'œHe's back,'ť Guardiola said of De Bruyne. 'œHe was not playing good in the last games. (Today he was) amazing. He knows it.'ť

Guardiola said Haaland will almost certainly be rested for the Champions League game against Sevilla but could be back for next weekend's match against Fulham.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Brighton's Pervis Estupinan celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea at the Amex stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) The Associated Press

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne scores on a free kick his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Manchester City at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) The Associated Press

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne makes an attempt to score during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Manchester City at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) The Associated Press

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez receives treatment during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Aston Villa at St. James' Park, Newcastle, England, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP) The Associated Press

Bournemouth's Kieffer Moore celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/David Cliff) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.