Brighton's Mitoma inspires comeback victory against Bournemouth
Posted : 24 September 2023
Substitute Kaoru Mitoma inspired Brighton to a come-from-behind victory against winless Bournemouth.
After going behind due to a Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen error that allowed Dominic Solanke to score, Brighton leveled the score with an own goal from Milos Kerkez in first-half injury time.
Mitoma, who came on in the second half, scored just 16 seconds after entering the field, and later headed in a goal to secure Brighton's third consecutive Premier League win.
Brighton, who made nine changes from their previous match, showed the impact of their manager Roberto De Zerbi's substitutions, with Mitoma and Ansu Fati coming on after half-time.
This win propels Brighton to third place in the Premier League, marking their impressive progress under De Zerbi's leadership.
On the other hand, Bournemouth is still searching for their first league victory under Andoni Iraola and has now gone 10 Premier League games without a win, their worst run in the top flight.
This match marked Brighton's first experience with the Thursday-Sunday fixture schedule, which can be challenging for teams participating in European competitions like the Europa League.
Despite their Europa League loss to AEK, Brighton's home advantage in that fixture meant they had a smoother transition to their Premier League match against Bournemouth.
Despite a sluggish first half, the combination of Fati and Mitoma on the left-wing proved to be decisive. Mitoma's quick goal after coming on gave Brighton a boost, and his later header seemed to seal the victory.
However, Brighton remained vulnerable at times and had to rely on Verbruggen's saves and a crucial block by Estupinan in the closing minutes.
Moving up to third place in the Premier League table provided Brighton with a positive response to their disappointment in the Europa League, with their next league match scheduled against Aston Villa on September 30th.
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