Huddersfield Outclasses Brighton to Earn First Victory in a Month
Huddersfield Town beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 at the John Smith Stadium on Saturday (December 9) to earn their first win in a month thanks to Steve Mounie's brace.
This was the first time that the two sides have ever met in the top flight and the snow was falling in Yorkshire to make the occasion even more surreal for both sets of fans. On-loan Chelsea youngster Izzy Brown kept his place in the starting line-up to face the side he won promotion with from the Championship last year.
However, both sides made a host of changes - Huddersfield manager gave Chris Lowe his 50th Terriers start, recalled combative central midfielder Jonathan Hogg and welcomed back Mounie for his first home start since recovering from an ankle injury.
Brighton manager Chris Hughton handed Ezequiel Schelotto his first Premier League start in place of Anthony Knockaert who didn't even make the bench - his substitute's spot filled by the returning Sam Baldock. Markus Suttner also returned at left-back in place of Gaetan Bong.
Jonas Lossl was forced into an early save in the 5th minute, denying Glen Murray's header from five yards out before the assistant flagged the Scotsman offside. It was then Matty Ryan's turn three minutes later to save Steve Mounie's left footed volley from the edge of the box, forcing the Brighton goalkeeper down smartly.
Huddersfield took an early lead from a set piece in the 12th minute - Chris Lowe's corner was flicked on at the near post by Christopher Schindler to allow that man Mounie to bundle home at the back post for his first home goal.
Mounie then grabbed his second of the game in a very similar fashion to his first. Ryan punched Lowe's corner clear, Aaron Mooy whipped the ball back in to Mathias Jorgensen, who nodded it towards the Beninese striker for a header from close range that Ryan will be disappointed he couldn't keep out.
The goal came at the perfect time for the Terriers as they had slowed the game down under the watchful eye of their master technician David Wagner, steadying the ship and then pouncing on their opportunity to go into half-time with an extended lead intact.
Brighton were really poor in the first-half and didn't offer anything going forward, so it came as no surprise to see Hughton bring on the more attack minded winger Solly March for traditional wing-back Schelotto.
Matty Ryan managed to redeem himself in the 56th minute with a fantastic stop to deny Tom Ince. Elias Kachunga played through the marauding right-back Tommy Smith who's delicious low cross was flicked goal-bound by Ince but the Brighton goalkeeper made himself big to block.
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Brighton weren't in the game at all, and Hughton tried to switch things up in the 63rd minute by bringing on record signing Jose Izquierdo for Pascal Gross, moving Brown in behind. He then rolled the dice again ten minutes later, putting Tomer Hemed alongside Murray in place of Brown, who's name the Town fans sang as he departed the pitch.
Smith almost made it three as he drove inside and curled an effort just round the post - Huddersfield relentlessly kept knocking on the door.
However, Hughton's changes came to no avail and the game finished 2-0. Huddersfield started the game in the relegation zone after West Ham's surprise win against Chelsea in the early kick-off, but the Terriers first three points since the famous 2-1 win against Manchester United in late October lifts them up to 16th.
Brighton stay in 12th, worryingly just four points above the relegation zone ahead of a tough December schedule.
