- Brighton conceded four goals in the first leg of the Europa League knockout tie
- Roberto de Zerbi fumed as his side were dominated in the Italian capital
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Like all roads, Brighton’s led them to Rome whereupon resistance faltered, they conceded four and must now confront the bitter end first European campaign.
Roberto de Zerbi’s team saved some of their worst for the big occasion. On the ball, they produced flashes of their creative flair but were not clinical. At the back they were painfully fragile, easy to penetrate and strewn with errors in the face of Roma’s intensity.
Paulo Dybala gave the Italians an early lead. Romelu Lukaku, who troubled Lewis Dunk throughout, pounced on a mistake by the Brighton captain to put them two up, before Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante doubled the lead in the second half.
It has been fun, emerging as winners in a group of famous clubs and visiting some of the great venues of European football but this is where the fun came to a halt, on a night after two of their supporters were stabbed and, thankfully, not seriously hurt.
They came they saw, they crumbled.
On-loan Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku maintained his good run of form for Roma
Roberto de Zerbi endured a nightmare return to Italy as Brighton suffered a 4-0 defeat against a rejuvenated Roma side
Brighton’s defence was torn to pieces by Roma’s attack as they slumped to a 4-0 defeat
Roma, last year’s beaten finalists with this trophy firmly in their sights, came out bristling with intent, roared out by a ferocious home crowd.
Lukaku almost found the net within three minutes, with a powerful header on a cross by Leandro Spinazzola forcing a fine early save from Jason Steele.
Another chance was dragged wide and Steele escaped a kicking error before Brighton hit a post in a breathless opening sequence. Simon Adringra jinked into the penalty from the left and took aim from an angle. His effort struck centre-half Evan N’Dicka and deflected against a post.
Roma took the lead through Dybala, who burst clear onto a long pass out of defence by N’Dicka. He sped past ‘keeper Steele and slid the ball into an open goal from an acute angle.
An offside flag went up but Dybala had timed his run to perfection, he was just onside and VAR overruled to the delight of the home crowd.
Brighton responded. Two Danny Welbeck headers, both from Adingra crosses, were kept out by Mile Svilar and, in between those saves, came Roma’s second of the night.
Dunk’s control abandoned him as he defended under pressure and sent the Belgian forward racing onto goal. Lukaku pounced, driving on and beating Steele with a confident and decisive finish at his near post.
Roma’s Argentinian striker Paulo Dybala scored the game’s opening goal in Italy
Gianluca Mancini added a third goal in the second half against a struggling Brighton side
It was all smiles pre-match as Roma manager Daniele De Rossi shared a moment with Brighton boss and friend De Zerbi
Steele saved from Lukaku and Welbeck fired over on the break before Mancini turned in a cross at full stretch for Roma’s third. Again, it had to survive a VAR check for offside.
Cristante headed in the fourth from another cross from Roma’s left.
That was the contest over and probably the tie. Roma boss Daniele de Rossi thought so, replacing experienced Argentines Leandro Paredes and Dybala with Sunday’s trip to Fiorentina in mind.
Brighton must lift themselves for an awkward Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest.