Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Sam Baldock celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in his team’s 2-0 victory over Barnsley at Oakwell.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Sam Baldock celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in his team’s 2-0 victory over Barnsley at Oakwell. Photograph: Nigel French/PA
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Sam Baldock celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in his team’s 2-0 victory over Barnsley at Oakwell. Photograph: Nigel French/PA

Brighton climb back to top spot after Sam Baldock double sinks Barnsley

This article is more than 7 years old

This was a landmark success for Chris Hughton in multiple ways: a 100th match in charge of Brighton delivered a 50th victory plus a return to the top of the Championship.

In replacing Newcastle at the summit, for 48 hours at least, and opening up a seven-point buffer to those in pursuit of the top two, it also felt like a statement from last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists.

It came – following a dip in their season partly caused by those FA Cup upstarts Lincoln – via a return to their chief characteristics. Organised, disciplined and clinical, they dispatched an in-form team with two expertly taken goals from the striker Sam Baldock.

“Each game now feels like a bigger game than the last because of the stage of the season we are at,” Hughton said. “We are where we are in the division and the challenge now is to stay there.”

“In the summer I knew I had a group of lads that were incredibly disappointed. Credit to them because they have shown a real desire to want more of what we had last season.”

Barnsley, fresh from a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in midweek, have maintained their season’s momentum despite a significant January turnover of players, including the loss of captain Conor Hourihane and the top scorer Sam Winnall. And they might have received an early boost from a penalty when the ball struck Lewis Dunk on the hand. Appeals fell on deaf ears, undoubtedly due to Tom Bradshaw having nudged him into the path of the ball.

Barnsley looked the likelier to score during the opening half hour, with Marley Watkins the primary threat stepping off the right flank. A drive from Watkins forced David Stockdale into a fine, low save midway through the half.

But the balance of power altered as time wore on, with Dale Stephens orchestrating the contest in midfield. Stephens has been a constant in Brighton’s successes this season: he has not started a single one of their six defeats across all competitions.

It took a supremely timed tackle from the Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom to block Anthony Knockaert in the process of shooting just shy of the half hour. Then, after Baldock curled an effort wide, an alert Adam Davies tipped over after Glenn Murray’s deflected header threatened to creep into the top corner of the net.

Davies was powerless to stop the next effort on target after Baldock seized on Knockaert’s toe-poke forward, teed himself up with his first touch and thrashed it past the goalkeeper with his second

“Their first goal was a great finish but we were three yards out of position, and they weren’t three yards out of position all game,” said the Barnsley manager, Paul Heckingbottom.

Barnsley attempted to hit back but the substitute Adam Hammill narrowly cleared the crossbar with a shot on the turn.

Brighton sealed things with 22 minutes remaining as Baldock broke up a Barnsley attack at source, and fed the ball to Knockaert. The Frenchman twisted the Barnsley defence inside out, and teased a cross into Baldock’s path. An instinctive finish ensured Brighton lead the Premier League promotion race as it enters the final third.

Comments (…)

Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion

Most viewed

Most viewed