Tuesday 27th August 2024, Kick-off 19.45
Carabao Cup Second Round
American Express Community Stadium, Falmer
Admission: £15.00
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 19.175
A match report from a Brighton perspective can be read by clicking here, and from a Crawley perspective by clicking here, both also copied and pasted below.
Video highlights of this game can be viewed by clicking here
Ruthless Albion punish Crawley to progress
Albion’s quality in front of goal eventually overwhelmed Crawley as Fabian Hurzeler’s impressive start as head coach continued with a third win out of three and a place in the last 32 of the Carabao Cup.
Crawley carved out some good chances but couldn’t finish and Albion showed the League One side how it was done. Simon Adingra scored his second goal of the season on the half-hour and Jeremy Sarmiento got his first for the club two minutes into the second half.
Adam Webster and substitute Mark O’Mahony – with the first goal of his senior career – netted in the last ten minutes while the only disappointment for Albion was an injury to Matt O’Riley.
His debut lasted just six minutes after he was flattened by a badly-timed challenge from Crawley captain Jay Williams and had to be helped off. Another Williams’ tackle, this time on Julio Enciso, a few minutes later earned him a yellow but he was fortunate to still be on the pitch.
Julio Enciso had gone close with a 20-yarder which was just wide of the right-hand post but the visitors, backed by more than 3,000 noisy fans, were more threatening with Bart Verbruggen making decent saves to dent Ronan Darcy and Josh Flint, who then directed a free header from a free-kick wide as another chance went begging for the visitors.
They were made to pay on 30 minutes. Carlos Baleba made a powerful run forward and slipped in Adingra, cutting in from the left. Keeper Jojo Wollacott got a hand to his shot but not enough to stop it going in.
Albion doubled their lead with a brilliant goal two minutes after the break. Enciso’s quick feet and sensational skill took him away from Armando Quitirna down the left and he burst into the box before playing the ball to Sarmiento. The Ecuadorian still had a lot to do, but did it with aplomb as he shifted it onto his left foot and lashed it into the roof of the net.
Sarmiento was denied a second by a combination of Toby Mullarkey and Charlie Barker, son of ex-Albion striker Richie, when they blocked his shot on the line but Reds went close again with a glancing header by Armando Quitirna which bounced just wide. Sub Ade Adeyemo then pounced after dispossessing Tariq Lamptey but dragged his shot across the face of goal before Imari Samuels was caught on the ball but Darcy’s inviting cross eluded two of his teammates, who would have had a tap-in.
Again, Albion demonstrated their ruthlessness in front of goal by scoring two more goals in the space of three minutes. Webster met Yasin Ayari’s corner with a powerful header past Wollacott on 81 minutes before O’Mahony robbed a defender and drove the ball home for his first senior goal to make it 4-0. Crawley’s evening took another turn for the worse when substitute Jack Roles was shown a straight red for a reckless foul on Ayari in stoppage time.
Albion: Verbruggen, Lamptey (Offiah 80), Igor, Webster, Samuels (Estupinan 70), Adingra, Baleba, Sarmiento (Weir 78), Ayari, O’Riley (O’Mahony 8), Enciso (Peupion 70).
Subs not used: Steele, Ferguson, Cozier-Duberry, Yalcouye.
Referee: Alex Chilowicz
Attendance: 19,175
Crawley Town bowed out of the Carabao Cup after a brave performance at the American Express Stadium.
In the first Sussex derby since 1992, Reds gave a good account of themselves and were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, before Brighton & Hove Albion showed their clinical edge.
The 4-0 full-time scoreline is a harsh one for Scott Lindsey’s side.
Reds made one change from the weekend’s narrow defeat at Wigan, with Cameron Bragg coming in for Ade Adeyemo.
The first signs of danger came in the fourth minute when Reds were caught out from a quick free-kick and Carlos Baleba broke through from midfield, but his touch away from Jojo Wollacott also took him too far wide of goal.
Julio Enciso then fired just over from outside the area, but it was Reds who had the ball in the net on 13 minutes. A well worked corner saw Armando Quitirna whip the ball in and pick out Ronan Darcy, who produced a fine finish but only for the flag to go up for offside.
Crawley looked good moving the ball forwards, and threatened again when Rushian Hepburn-Murphy flashed a ball across goal but it was deflected wide of the far post with Jeremy Kelly lurking.
Darcy then had a sight of goal from the resulting corner which Bart Verbruggen was forced to turn away, before Reds had a great chance on 25 minutes. Neat play on the left saw Kelly release Josh Flint who broke through on goal, but one on one with Verbruggen saw his effort kept out by the Dutch international at his near post.
However, they were almost made to pay for their style of play just before the half hour mark when a loose pass from Wollacott was pounced upon by Enciso, but a great covering challenge from Joy Mukena denied the Paraguayan from getting a shot away inside the 18 yard box.
Reds then had another chance when Kelly floated in a free-kick from the right and picked out an unmarked Flint 12 yards out, but he couldn’t get enough on his header and could only glance it wide.
And Albion took advantage of the visitors’ missed chances to go in front on 31 minutes. Baleba had space in midfield and threaded the ball through to Simon Adingra, who slotted it past Wollacott.
The hosts then looked to get on the ball more and pen Reds inside their own half, but the visitors almost got themselves back level just before the break but there was just too much on Kelly’s ball through for Flint to get on the end of.
Brighton, though, doubled their advantage just three minutes after the break. Superb work from Enciso on the left saw him turn away from a defender before driving towards goal and sliding in Sarmiento, and he rifled the ball into the roof of the net.
Toby Mullarkey should have done better for Reds but could only fire off target at the far post, before it took smart defending from Mukena to block Enciso’s shot after he linked up well with Tariq Lamptey.
Reds had a penalty appeal waved away after good work from Hepburn-Murphy saw him bypass Adam Webster before going down, but referee Alex Chilowicz waved shouts away.
Albion then should have added a third when Sarmiento pressed high and won the ball in Reds territory, teeing up Enciso who was superbly denied by Wollacott, before the recovering Charlie Barker made a great block to keep out Sarmiento on the rebound.
Reds almost halved the deficit when substitute Panutche Camara floated the ball in from the left and picked out Armando, but his glancing header went just wide of the far corner.
Another chance went begging midway through the second half when Reds won possession on the halfway line and Ade Adeyemo was allowed to break through and drive towards goal, but his low drive across the face of goal missed both the bottom corner and Reds shirt in the middle.
Armando then found Darcy on the right, and his low ball across the six yard box couldn’t be turned in by either Adeyemo or the lunging Camara.
Verbruggen then had to be alert to deny Reds when Flint’s long throw was headed as far as Jack Roles, who having just come on saw his first-time volley well kept out by the Dutch keeper.
But it was Albion who would wrap up victory with five minutes to go. Cameron Peupion whipped in a corner from the right and Adam Webster found room at the near post to plant a header into the bottom corner.
And Brighton added gloss to the score-line moments later when Mark O’Mahony challenged Flint and came away with the ball to go through and finish past Wollacott.
Albion: Verbruggen; Lamptey (Offiah 79), Webster, Igor, Samuels (Estupinan 71); Baleba, Ayari; Sarmiento (Weir 79), O’Riley (O’Mahony 9), Adingra; Enciso (Peupion 71).
Subs: Steele (GK), Ferguson, Cozier-Duberry, Yalcouye.
Reds: Wollacott; Mullarkey, Mukena, Flint; Armando (Khaleel 85), Williams (Barker 58), Bragg, Kelly; Anderson (Camara 58), Darcy (Roles 76); Hepburn-Murphy (Adeyemo 58).
Subs: Beach (GK), Papadopoulos.
Att: 19175
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