- Albion draw 1-1 with Burnley at the Amex
- Neal Maupay scores the opener
- Jeff Hendrick scores a stoppage-time equaliser for Burnley
- The Seagulls are next in action away at Newcastle United next Saturday
Neal Maupay’s brilliant improvised finish at the start of the second half looked to have secured a first home win of the season for Graham Potter’s side, but Hendrick’s long-distance strike gave the visitors a point.
Potter made three changes to the side that were beaten 4-0 by Manchester City before the international break, as Shane Duffy, Glenn Murray and Pascal Gross replaced Martin Montoya, Bernardo and Leandro Trossard.
It was a line-up which kept the press on their toes, with four centre-halves named in the starting 11, as Duffy, Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk and Dan Burn all took to the field. Potter still stuck with a 3-4-3 formation though, with Solly March and Burn deployed in the right and left-wing back positions.
Following an opening quarter of an hour with little in the way of goalmouth action for either side, the visitors almost broke the deadlock in fortuitous fashion, as Dwight McNeil’s cross in from the left was cleared by Webster straight into the path of Burn, who diverted the ball over the bar.
Burnley were buoyed by that chance and came arguably closer to breaking the deadlock when Jack Cork’s close-range angled strike was cleared off the line by Glenn Murray.
Albion pressed forward through March down the right flank, and he got the better of McNeil and picked out Gross, but the latter fired wide from inside the box.
Murray started a lovely free-flowing Albion move after linking up well with Maupay, who in turn played a one-two with Burn, but the Frenchman couldn’t quite engineer a chance for himself.
Potter’s men grew into the game, and March became the focal point for everything going forward. The wing-back latched onto a Gross pass only to be denied by Nick Pope at his near post, before he returned the favour to supply chances for the German and Murray.
Albion were the side that didn’t want the half-time whistle to blow, and Murray could’ve scored at the death with a first-time effort from distance, but it was pushed away by Pope.
Potter’s men looked to continue their momentum after the re-start when Gross’s low corner found Dale Stephens and Davy Propper on the edge of the box, but neither of their efforts in quick succession found the target.
Maupay was denied by Pope at his near post moments later, but the Frenchman gave the Seagulls a well-deserved opener in the 51st minute with an eye-catching spinning strike from March’s cross, which had the Amex crowd in raptures.
The tried and trusted Gross-Murray combination almost engineered a second goal just shy of the hour mark, as the latter latched onto the midfielder’s pass and stood up a cross for Propper, whose header sailed over the bar.
The Seagulls continued to press for a second, as Duffy took a whack in the face from Pope when he looked to meet an enticing ball into the box from Gross.
Maupay received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Amex crowd as he departed the pitch in the 84th minute for Aaron Connollly, who would have another chance to show his undoubted potential following his appearances against Bristol Rovers and Manchester City.
The young Irishman could have added extra gloss to the scoreline late on after being superbly picked out by Gross on the left, but his strike hit the side netting.
Just as Albion looked to have seen the game out, the hosts were dealt a hammer blow in the first minute of stoppage time — Hendrick’s strike nestled into the bottom right-hand corner to leave the final score at 1-1.
Attention now turns to next weekend's game against Newcastle United at St James' Park.
ALBION: Ryan; Duffy, Dunk, Webster; March (Bong 90), Stephens, Propper, Burn; Gross, Murray (Mooy 80), Maupay (Connolly 84).
Subs not used: Button (GK), Baluta, Bissouma, Alzate.
1901 CLUB LOTTERY
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ALBION HAT-TRICK
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1ST GOAL TIME 51ST MINUTE