It wasn’t to be Brighton’s day on Saturday.
They went to Old Trafford and gave it a go. On their journey home, there would’ve been absolutely no shame.
For the hundreds of millions that Manchester United spent, Brighton measured up to them on Saturday.
Shane Duffy was given the unenviable task of taking care of £75m striker Romelu Lukaku. For the most part, he did.
The Belgian striker has eight goals in the Premier League, just two less than the league’s top scorer Mohamed Salah, but he hasn’t been in the greatest form of late.
This is what is currently troubling the special one https://t.co/d9fBolisrS
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 24, 2017
That continued when Duffy took care of him on Saturday and, in the end, it was only an own goal that separated the two sides.
Some of Duffy’s stats from the game are quite impressive.
- 7 Aerials battles won
- 88% of them duels he competed in he won
- More tackles than any other defender
- Second highest rated Brighton player
It’s funny when you think back to a couple of years ago how Shane Duffy was perceived.
After moving from Everton, the Derry man was with Blackburn and, in the Championship, it was too easy to cast him off as another defender and overlook him. He was far from an Ireland regular under Martin O’Neill but fast forward to present day and Duffy is one of the first names on the team sheet for Ireland – probably the first.
After Brighton’s 3-0 win over West Ham, Jamie Carragher said of Duffy:
“We don’t see enough of this in the Premier League now, we want a lot more from our centre-backs, that’s the way the game is going, but there’s nothing better for me in the role that I played to see defenders defend like this, and want to defend. Doing everything they can to stop that ball going into the back of the net.
“A lot of their success will be built on those two centre-backs. If they are going to stay in the league they need to keep them fit, and if they perform they are going to give Brighton a fighting chance.”
For his efforts, Duffy has been receiving plaudits from fans.
You didn't give Lukaku a kick. So proud to have been there to witness a great team performance.
— Malcolm Furminger (@MalcFurminger) November 26, 2017
Having a great season @shaneduffy – onwards and upwards! https://t.co/HyH0q1GWsd
— Ryan McBride Foundation #5 (@RyanMcBrideFnd) November 26, 2017
Agree. Man U could only dream of havjng a centre back of the caliber of @shaneduffy
The man is colossus. #COYBIG— Rob Daly (@robserdaly) November 25, 2017
What an excellent showing by #BHAFC today. Shane Duffy 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
— Nick Davie (@Nick_Davie) November 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/VivaMartiaI/status/934464906346336256
Won’t be the last time either.
