Brighton won at Getafe on half their usual shots and less ball

M. Yalcouye's 64th-minute goal gave Brighton a 1-0 win at Getafe, in a match where both sides fell short of their usual numbers.

Costinha's pass found M. Yalcouye in the 64th minute, and that finish was the only goal Brighton needed at Getafe. The match was 1-0 in the Europa Conference League, and it was not settled in the opening minutes or in stoppage time. It turned once, in the second half, and everything else in the game should be read against that moment.

Brighton had 65% of the ball, against 77% in their away matches this season, and took 13 shots against an away average of 25.3. Their expected goals figure, a measure of how good each chance was, came to 1.60. That is below the 2.59 they usually reach away, but above the league average of 1.35, so what Brighton created was of better quality than a typical side in this competition manages, even though they created less of it.

Getafe had 35% of the ball, against 54% in their home matches this season, and took 8 shots against an average of 13.5. Their expected goals were 0.26, against 1.73 usually at home, which means their chances were few and of poor quality. Their shot count was also below the league average of 12.7, so the shortfall was not just a matter of Brighton's defending.

Brighton kept a clean sheet, which is ordinary for them, since their away average of goals conceded is none. Bart Verbruggen made four saves and was rated 8.2, the highest mark in the match, and his work is the reason the scoreline stayed where it did. Getafe conceded one goal, below the 2.3 they usually concede at home, so their defence held up better than their chances suggested.

Getafe did get more of their shots on target than Brighton did, but few of their attempts carried much threat. Ivan Azón's two shots were both on target, and Sebastián Boselli, rated 7.6, was the best of the Getafe players listed, though neither man could turn that into a goal. For Brighton, Costinha was involved in the goal as the provider, and his assist was the only moment of quality in the attacking phase that the figures point to.

Getafe sit 31st in the table with one point from their two matches, while Brighton are 12th with four points from the same number of games. The gap in the table is wider than the gap on the pitch, which is one reason the result will matter more to Brighton's position than to Getafe's. Both sides have now played twice, so the next results will tell us more than this one.

Brighton have won three of their last six matches, and Getafe have won one.

Player of the matchBart Verbruggen4 saves8.2

Sebastián Boselli5 duels won7.6

Diego Gómez1 chance created7.5

Pascal Groß2 chances created7.3