Brighton v Leicester: Premier League – live!

The scoreline seems fair. Brighton have been the better team throughout, and Lallana’s goal was a real moment of quality. Tavares’ shot – and Sanchez’s save – showed Leicester are not out of it. And Brighton may well retreat into their shell. Leicester’s quality has so far been missing but they are still in the contest.

44 min: Maupay has the ball in the net from a fine Lallana pass. There will be no need for VAR. Good decision from the linesman, even there wasn’t any daylight.

42 min: Mac Allister, back and typically active, comes back to stop Tielemans in his tracks. It’s been a manful effort from Brighton. They need another goal.

40 min: Close for Brighton! Maupay holds the ball up well, and buys a foul from Fafana. Nice forward play again from him. Gross takes the free-kick, and Lallana’s flick comes off the post and bounces out. No takers for the rebound.

38 min: Rick, an economist, asks of that Iheancho/Mac Allister interface: “ How in the world is that not at least a booking with the raised arm/elbow into MacAllister’s head? Arm doesn’t need to be up there.

36 min: Brighton in danger of sitting back after that early impetus. The reasons for their anxiety are understandable…and here’s why: Vardy nods down and Tavares rattles one that Sanchez has to make a fine, strong save to stop. It was hit hard and low. Great football all round. The highest quality of the night.

34 min: Neal Maupay makes what used to be known as a buccaneering run before his pass into the middle is cleared. No lack of effort from him, but the quality of chances and finish has been lacking a little of late.

32 min: Vardy is pulled down by Gross when the German had lost the ball. That was cynical but a yellow card is avoided.

30 min: Mac Allister is in the wars, when Iheanacho’s inadvertent elbow catches the Argentinian on the jawbone. That will hurt, and he leaves the field looking unsure on his feet.

29 min: Bissouma does well to sweep up some Leicester danger. Lovely play.

27 min: Brighton by far the better team in defence as well as attack. They hold their shape well just as Vardy scampers to the byline, and then clear a corner. Sanchez launches a long pass from a goal kick and there is a brief moment of chaos in the Leicester defence. Then everyone seems to fall over at the same time. The danger is cleared.

25 min: Iheanacho gets some space, the ball to Vardy is on but Ben White’s bulk gets in the way. Good defending while Vardy looked a tad slow. He still seems to be struggling with that prior muscle injury.

23 min: Mac Allister, who has been quiet, takes a whack from Tielemans but no real harm done. Then Brighton almost score from an extended session of headers and volleys in the box before Lallana is penalised for a handball. Leicester are sat deep, and off them.

21 min: Lovely backheel from Lallana to Maupay. Signs of an understanding between the pair even if an offside flag is waved to break up the frivolity.

20 min: Castagne keeps having to cut back on to his left foot. He’s far better suited to being a right back. Leicester’s back three/back five is not working as a unit.

18 min: A Leicester attack, and Tielemans’ flick is intercepted just as Tavares looked to seize on it. A gentle lifting of the pace from Leicester. Then Ricardo and Sanchez clatter into each other. The goalkeeper was brave. Both are OK to carry on.

16 min: Taveres gives the ball away to set up another wave of Brighton attacking. Leicester have enjoyed very little time on the ball.

14 min: Brendan is chewing and pacing. Graham Potter hardly looks much more comfortable.

12 min: Leicester have been slack. And deserved to go behind. Could the great choke be on again? That would seem a shame as they have been great to watch all season. Then again, they were that way last season until it came apart.

How wrong can you be? Maupay shows real bravery in setting up Lallana who wallops in a great finish. That’s the mark of a player used to doing things on a grander stage.

9 min: Trossard is robbed before Brighton win the ball back. But the ball again drifts away into nothingness. This is a fault that lets Brighton down. They don’t seem to have the player that makes things happen.

7 min: Lallana, Fofana…a combination of words that sound like some scatting in an Iron Butterfly freakout. Anyway, they result in another Brighton corner. That’s cleared away. Brighton pushing on, Leicester sitting back.

6 min: Peter Oh: “When it comes to matches like this where I don’t have a horse in the race, I like to focus on how members of the Liverpool Alumni Club are doing. I see that Adam Lallana is in Brighton’s starting XI but I also have the option of switching over to Serie A coverage, where Lazio have three alumni starting at Juventus (Pepe Reina, Lucas Leiva, and Luis Alberto). Which match do you reckon I should spend my time on?”

Luis Alberto: Liverpool legend. Former Brendan charge too.

5 min: Schmeichel scampers when the ball bounces back off a Leicester leg. A Brighton corner results but Dunk knocks behind.

3 min: Dan Burn has to concede a corner. Tielemans takes. Brighton get it clear and Leicester are forced all the way back. Schmeichel lashes a long ball forward but to little avail.

1 min: Early touch for Veltman as an attacking full-back in the continuing absence of Tariq Lamptey. Brighton begin on the front foot.

And away we go at the Amex, with Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter exchanging fist bumps. Potter sheerly towers over Brendan in person if not in the Premier League table.

Brendan Rodgers speaks to Sky Sports.

[Fofana]’s a big talent for such a young player, and Wilf does a good job for us at the back but it’s good to have him back. [Taveres] He’s an attacking base player. He wants to run forward, receive the ball. We have a lot of attacking base players out and I’ve been impressed with him since the first few days when I saw him in training. I’m looking forward to putting him in.

Graham Potter speaks to Sky Sports.

Probably both I would say, we were disappointed with the results and the manner of the results. Ultimately we are in this game to get results. We are not the only team to have those challenges. The key for us is to make better chances. You need a little bit of luck. Lets hope we get some tonight. [On Lallana] He’s done really well when he’s come in. He’s had a bit of time off. He’s an important player. We have to play well and have a good balance.

Alexis Mac Allister spoke to Jacob Steinberg earlier this week.

Leicester make two changes. Papy Mendy and Hamza Choudhury are replaced by Wesley Fofana. Sidnei Tavares gets his first Premier League start. It only takes 90 minutes. For Brighton, Adam Lallana replaces Aaron Connolly.

Brighton: Sanchez, Veltman, White, Dunk, Burn, Bissouma, Gross, Trossard, Mac Allister, Lallana, Maupay
Subs: Steele, Moder, Jahanbakhsh, Alzate, Welbeck, Izquierdo, Tau, Propper, Zeqiri

Leicester: Schmeichel, Amartey, Fofana, Soyuncu, Ricardo Pereira, Ndidi, Tavares, Tielemans, Castagne, Iheanacho, Vardy
Subs: Ward, Albrighton, Choudhury, Mendy, Fuchs, Thomas, Leshabela, Daley-Campbell, Flynn

With Leicester rocking on their heels and hamstrung by injuries, this looks a decent chance for Brighton to open up a six-point gap on Fulham, and also distance themselves from crisis club Newcastle. Now, can they find a goal to get the job done? They never managed more than one in their February, which started with a 1-0 win over Liverpool but no further victories. Last week against West Brom will be recalled for refereeing controversy but the truth is that Graham Potter’s team haven’t scored enough to pull themselves from safety. At that point, all talk of being too good to go down is rendered irrelevant. Leicester, shorn of Jonny Evans and badly missing Harvey Barnes’ zest from the left to add to an already grim injury list, are limping home, just as Brighton are clinging on to safety. They are in third place but have Chelsea lurking behind them with intent. This current predicament is a severe test for Brendan Rodgers, particularly after last season’s slide out of the top four.

What does all that mean? An all-time Premier League classic is in the offing. Join me.