sport news Brighton have struggled this season when their opponents let them play keep ball trends now

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With a croaky voice, having rollicked his players in a dressing-room lock-in after their 5-1 embarrassment by Everton, Roberto De Zerbi promised we will see the ‘true’ Brighton next time.

By that he means the Brighton who have swept sides away with their swashbuckling style this season. The Brighton who beat Manchester United twice and Chelsea twice in the Premier League. The Brighton who have been chasing a European spot.

According to De Zerbi, we did not see that team against Everton; we saw some pretenders.

Brighton managed their greatest possession of the season — 77.7 per cent — but Sean Dyche’s side scored five times from counter-attacks. They were disciplined. They sat deep. They defended and broke forward at speed once they won the ball in a tactical plan executed to perfection at the Amex Stadium.

Yet Everton are not the first opponents to expose this vulnerability of Brighton’s.