The Media Review: Leeds United

In a recent poll on a fan message board to find Albion’s best-ever signing, Pascal Gross unsurprisingly collected a large number of votes.

The German arrived from Ingolstadt for a bargain £3m fee right at the beginning of the club’s Premier League adventure and, five years, 165 games and 20 goals later, is arguably playing the best and most effective football of his time in Sussex.

Albion fans perusing the Sunday papers had two more reasons to be grateful to Gross. Not only did his cool finish in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Leeds United temporarily propel Graham Potter’s men to the summit of English football, but it also prevented a familiar old story of chances not taken becoming the dominant narrative.

Arindam Rej was one of the writers who spotted that Albion had gone to the top of the table before Manchester City took the lead against Crystal Palace. He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that “Pascal Gross’s strike for dominant Brighton led to home fans chanting ‘we are top of the league’ - which is where they stood when that goal went in - and they deserved to enjoy their revelry.

“Although the table-topping did not last, Graham Potter’s team have produced a stunning start to the season, unbeaten with 10 points from their four games, including wins over Manchester United and West Ham plus a draw against Newcastle.

“Gross struck twice in that win over Manchester United at Old Trafford so this was another sign that he can potentially ease the goal-scoring burden on Brighton.

“Leeds United had arrived here unbeaten after defeating Chelsea 3-0 the previous weekend, but they were rendered ineffective, pushed on the back foot and outplayed here for long periods.

“Before Gross’s intervention, this had, however, threatened to be one of those afternoons where Brighton are on top for long spells and fail to profit. The likes of Solly March and Adam Webster had spurned excellent chances.

“Potter’s men are a team that seem to enjoy playing against Leeds. They by-passed the Yorkshire club’s pressing with their man-marking and breaking - and it eventually paid off.”

In The Sun on Sunday, long-time Albion watcher Tom Barclay recalled the goalless draw against the same opponents last season when a similar performance did not receive its deserved pay-off. “Pascal Gross’ cool finish made things smiles better for Graham Potter this time against Leeds,” he wrote.

“At times it looked as if this game would go the same way as Albion could not make their dominance pay. That was until Gross kept up his fine start to the season in the 66th minute to take all three points. And that left Potter grinning from ear to ear at full-time as his side went momentarily joint-top of the Premier League with Manchester City.

“Failing to convert their chances was Brighton's downfall last season and it is a problem they still need to solve, with Neal Maupay's departure to Everton leaving them even lighter in the attacking areas.”

If the club’s highest-ever finishing counts as a ‘downfall’, then we might take a repeat. But she continued: “Potter's side are solid in every other department. Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster have struck a solid partnership at the back while Moises Caicedo looks at home in midfield alongside Gross and Alexis Mac Allister. A striker is the final piece of the jigsaw for Potter, but finding one is not easy.

“'How you get points in this league is you score one more goal than the opponent and there's only eight teams that did it better than us last year, Potter said. 

“'So far, there's a couple of teams that have done it better than us this year. You can talk about individuals and you can mention the 20-goal-a-season striker that apparently we should sign on our salary with our transfer fee, but, as I pointed out the other day, there's two of those in the Premier League so it's not so simple’.”

The Observer carried a report by Ed Elliott of the Press Association, who wrote that “Brighton stretched their unbeaten Premier League streak to a club-record nine games after Pascal Gross’s second-half strike earned a deserved win over Leeds. The hosts squandered a host of chances at the Amex Stadium before Gross coolly claimed his third goal of the season.

“Leeds were second best for much of a frustrating afternoon. Leandro Trossard fired over following a Gross corner, Solly March thumped straight at Illan Meslier and Webster was again off target when well placed, while Leeds failed to threaten before the break.

“The visitors enjoyed greater possession just after the restart but were almost caught out on the counte-rattack. March was sent racing through on goal by a sensational first-time volleyed pass from Gross but wastefully stabbed into Meslier’s midriff.

“Leeds captain Rodrigo tested goalkeeper Robert Sánchez before the hosts broke the deadlock. Trossard, who had been profligate earlier in the match, opened up the visitors’ defence and Gross continued his fine start to the new campaign by calmly slotting into the bottom left corner.

“Brighton rode their luck at times in the closing stages but, despite Leeds defender Marcos Llorente going dangerously close eight minutes from time, they held on for a merited victory which extends their fine form.”

“Adam Webster was the guiltiest party for Brighton when it came to spurning good chances. The centre-back looked destined to score when meeting a Gross free-kick after 17 minutes, but somehow headed wide with the goal gaping. Later the England hopeful hooked over when defensive pal Lewis Dunk had nodded down another Gross set-piece delivery.

“Leandro Trossard was also played through twice by clever passes from Danny Welbeck but both times opted to cut back in rather than shoot and the chance was gone.

“Into the second half and this time it was Solly March who could not find the net. Gross played the wing-back in with an inch-perfect through ball and while March had the pace to get away from the defender, he could not beat Illan Meslier who made a fine stop.

“Ecuadorian Estupinan was making his full debut and impressed with his pace on the overlap, skill in possession and final ball.

“The visitors finally fell behind as Gross applied the composed finish no one else on the pitch seemed capable of producing on Saturday. A just-onside Welbeck controlled a ball forward and gave it back to Moises Caicedo, who in turn found Trossard. The Belgian squared it for Gross who found the corner neatly for his third league goal of the season.”

In The Sunday Times, Tom Kershaw bafflingly singled out the game’s only scorer for a decidedly backhanded compliment.  “Beguiling but blunt for so long, Pascal Gross delivered the telling blow that gave Brighton & Hove Albion three richly-deserved points,” he wrote. “Graham Potter had attempted to puncture the ‘crazy’ narrative of his side’s urgent need for a new striker, but those arguments looked set to be inflamed as Brighton cut through Leeds with ease but contrived to miss a number of clear chances.”

However, he praised the team’s existing leader of the line: “Danny Welbeck might not deliver 20 goals this season, but it was his deft hold-up play that sparked the decisive move midway through the second half as Gross arrowed a shot into the far corner.

“While Brighton remain unbeaten and riding the coastal breeze into the top four this was a sharp reality check for Jesse Marsch’s side.”

Kathryn Batte of Mail Online was far more generous to Albion’s German marksman. “For 66 minutes it looked as if their lack of a clinical striker was going to cost Brighton again,” she wrote.

“Thankfully for Graham Potter, he has a midfielder who is more than capable of finding the back of the net. Pascal Gross scored the only goal to hand Leeds their first defeat of the season. Gross has already bettered his goal tally for the previous campaign and was by far the best player on the pitch at the Amex.

“In truth, he got his team-mates Solly March and Leandro Trossard out of jail. Both were guilty of wasting chances they should have converted, but in the end it did not matter."