Our Brighton review of year for 2021

Maybe that helps explain what appear to be the top three (or now four) Albion highlights of 2021.

The memory glosses over how you got into the hole in the first place.

Actually, the worse you were en route to that predicament, the better.

It’s about the response and the final word.

That crossed my mind when I was asked to come up with highlights of the Albion calendar year.

(Yes, I know football in our country does not really work alongside calendar years, it’s more July to June).

And then when I heard BBC Sussex commentator Johnny Cantor had come up with the same trio.

Bizarrely, only one of the three, now four, ended in an Albion win.

Don’t tell them up the M23 that the Seagulls are celebrating draws again!

But three highlights which stick out are the 3-2 win over Manchester City, the 2-2 draw at Anfield and the late goal to force a 1-1 at Crystal Palace.

Even though the latter was a nightmare from the perspective of sending the newspaper to press on deadline less than ten minutes after the final whistle.

Not to worry. We can live with that. Just get the scoreline right!

Those three games tell you about the drama of the Premier League, the character of Albion and - at times - the quality within their ranks.

All were comebacks. From 0-2 to 3-2, from 0-1 with seconds left to play and Palace in possession to 1-1.

And from 0-2 (fleetingly 0-3 and looking like rabbits in headlights until VAR correctly intervened) to 2-2.

Fair to say the 1-1 at Selhurst Park was a point gained.

But that second half at Anfield was perhaps the very best I’ve seen Albion play.

They even had the ball in the net for 3-2 after another stunning move, only for Leandro Trossard to be marginally offside.

Had that goal stood, I would have no hesitation in naming the Anfield trip as the best Albion game I’ve covered.

Instead it was 95% pleasure and privilege and 5% what might have been.

Harsh, maybe, but such is human nature.

But there was another comeback in 2021 and it is reflected in my choices (and Johnny’s).

How can a draw away to Liverpool make the list ahead of a win at the same venue a few months earlier?

Simple. The draw was achieved at a full Anfield.

Have a dig at the atmosphere if you like. Of course it does not live up the hype.

Of course the noise for Brighton on a Saturday afternoon is not the same as for Barcelona on a big Champions League knockout night.

But Anfield is still made Anfield by the crowd.

Fans were there for the 2-2. Albion silenced the Kop. That was what made it special.

And that’s no slight on the 1-0 win last season which was brilliant viewing from the sofa.

Again tight deadlines to meet.

But the pages were completed with five minutes still to play and Albion were so comfortable it never felt like a rewrite would be needed.

That’s the big comeback of 2021. The comeback of fans.

It’s strange to think now how accustomed we became to empty stadia.

Whether watching matches on TV and listening to commentators who sounded like they were narrating documentaries.

Or, in the case of the fortunate view, there in person.

Sitting in the back row of the West Upper as bitter winds swirled around that vast unpopulated concrete void.

Watching Danny Welbeck produce brilliant strikes in front of what should have been an adoring North Stand.

Enjoying the novelty of VIP parking spaces among the directors at Southampton or right under the Emirates and then remembering the sad reason for such a luxury.

And then the scenes when 8,000 returned to the Amex.

Were they the reason for Albion coming back from a two-goal deficit?

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That’s the theory. I don’t quite buy that. The scoreline was not 0-2 for long enough.

But they definitely played a huge part from 1-2.

It was the year of Sanchez and Moder’s progress, Duffy’s return, White’s record-breaking departure, the arrival of Cucurella.

Of some horrific Expected Goals tales of the unexpected.

Of wins over Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham and a first ever point at Chelsea.

And then a second ever point at Chelsea

I have revised my top three since then. Last Wednesday makes the podium rather than a point at Palace.

Another recovery to end a year which started with Albion coming from 3-1 down for a point againt Wolves.

It is easy to forget the fact that, for a while earlier in the year, they were also the Prem team most likely to give up a lead.

That they let slip great positions at Manchester United and Wolves and at home to Leicester.

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But you think of Jason Steele’s four penalty saves in a shoot out.

Of four wins out of five to start this season.

Of late Neal Maupay equalisers.

And one or two numbing defeats at home back in those chill days of an empty Amex.

That was the year. How will the season develop?