Penalty madness sees Charlton edge past Brighton
ON THE SPOT: Charlton Athletic players celebrate after Sam Lavelle scores the winning penalty in the shoot-out. Pic: Steven Paston/PA Wire.
EVEN the numerous World Cup penalty shootouts couldn’t match the drama at The Valley as Charlton Athletic missed three spot-kicks but still overcame Premier League Brighton to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for only the second time in the club’s history.
Both posts were struck, as was the crossbar, while Brighton keeper Jason Steele pulled off two saves to gift Solly March with the opportunity to send the visitors through.
March lifted his spot-kick high over the bar, though, before Sam Lavelle converted the 14th penalty of an extraordinary climax to clinch Charlton’s passage.
The visitors started with two players returning from World Cup duties with their nation – Ghana’s Tariq Lamptey and Moises Caicedo of Ecuador – with a further three being introduced as second-half substitutes.
The obvious absentee was Alexis Mac Allister, who is still enjoying the afterglow of Argentina’s triumph in Buenos Aires and has been granted a fortnight’s holiday by Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi.
The question many Albion fans were asking at The Valley is whether they will see their attacking midfielder wearing a Brighton shirt again given the growing transfer interest in the World Cup winner, who will turn 24 on Christmas Eve.
Mac Allister, an £8m signing from Argentinos Juniors in 2019 is under contract at Brighton until the summer of 2025 with a mutual option, but will still be seen as a wise investment by clubs higher up the Premier League food chain.
If the prize of only a second-ever appearance in the quarter-finals of this competition was the same for both clubs, their immediate ambitions could hardly be more different.
Brighton will resume their Premier League campaign with a south coast derby at Southampton aiming to maintain the seventh position they gained prior to the World Cup hiatus.
For Charlton and their newly appointed manager Dean Holden, arresting the club’s slide towards the League One relegation zone has become a matter of urgency.
The hosts have at least been playing competitive fixtures as a squad while Brighton have enjoyed a mid-season sojourn.
Any levelling-up which may have sprung from their respective workloads was quickly dispelled as Brighton almost took the lead twice in as many minutes.
Lamptey skipped his way down the right wing before finding Adam Lallana whose step inside was followed by a rising left-foot drive which clipped the Charlton crossbar on its way over.
Barely 60 seconds later, Solly March drifted over to the left and forced Charlton keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer to tip over his fierce shot.
Charlton responded in kind when Jack Payne cut inside after 24 minutes. His low shot from just outside the area was struck firmly but straight at Jason Steele.
Miles Leaburn then chased a through ball but saw his shot cannon back off the body of the onrushing Brighton keeper.
Steele required the intervention of Lewis Dunk to block a Steven Sessgenon shot six minutes before half-time.
Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi introduced another World Cup hero, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma, after the interval.
Just as in the first period, the visitors went close to finding a breakthrough with two chances on the hour.
Maynard-Brewer reacted superbly to flick over a Levi Colwill header before March spoiled a jinking run past three Charlton defenders by sending his shot wide of the post.
The home keeper was needed again to palm away a Leandro Trossard shot that was destined for the bottom corner as Brighton sought to avoid a penalty shootout.
Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson's outstanding performance at Ewood Park helped Nottingham Forest defeat Blackburn and advance to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.
The Welsh attacker gave the visitors the lead, but Scott Wharton drew Blackburn level just before halftime.
Before Taiwo Awoniyi's goal made it three, Jesse Lingard's deflected free kick had restored Forest's lead.
Johnson added a second goal late to cap off an outstanding performance.
A Maynard-Brewer 8; R Chin 6, R Inniss 6, S Lavelle 6, L Ness 6, S Sessegnon 7; J Rak-Sakyi 6, G Dobson 7, S Fraser 6 (J Forster-Caskey 76, 6), J Payne 6 (C Blackett-Taylor 63, 6); M Leaburn 6 (C Aneke 63, 6 [J Stockley 68, 6])
J Steele 6; T Lamptey 6, L Dunk 8, L Colwill 6, P Gross 7; B Gilmour 6 (P Estupinan 63, 6), M Caicedo 6; S March 7, A Lallana 6 (L Trossard 63, 6), J Enciso 5 (K Mitoma 46, 6); D Undav 6 (E Ferguson 79, 6)
Thomas Bramall
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