Asaba's arrival turns the tide on Brighton

A hat-trick in 10 electric second-half minutes from substitute Carl Asaba wrecked Brighton's ambitions of ending a dismal sequence of 10 straight League defeats.

At half-time they led Sheffield United by two goals, and deservedly so. Then in 18 minutes the introduction of Asaba and two other replacements wrought a miracle that not even that supreme optimist, the Sheffield manager Neil Warnock, could have dreamed of.

Brighton conceded four goals in that time and many home supporters, incensed by the nature of the collapse and the two penalties awarded inside the last five minutes by the referee, Phil Prosser, massed on the touchline. Any thoughts of a pitch invasion were deterred by a police line, albeit a worryingly thin one, but the jeers will have left a deep impression on a manager of the experience of Steve Coppell. This was his first game in charge of Brighton.

Coppell had warned in his debut programme notes that the club were in a "desperate situation". After the roof had caved in at Withdean, Coppell amended his description to "horrendous".

Still bottom of the First Division with four points from 13 matches after they had deservedly led at half-time with goals from Gary Hart and the Arsenal loan man, Graham Barrett, Brighton were feeling low. "The dressing room is like a morgue," Coppell said. "It's as if everybody's mother had died. It's really hard on my players, they are desperate for a result."

That result may be a while arriving if the scale of the second-half collapse is anything to go by. This was the epitome of that football cliché, a match of two halves. In the opening 45 minutes, having seen the robust Wayne Allison's ferocious volley brilliantly turned aside by Michel Kuipers, Brighton delighted their followers with impressive build-ups and enterprising running at the front by Barrett and Bobby Zamora.

They were helped by the tendency of the Sheffield goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny, to clear with an extended fist. The first two times he flattened team-mates Rob-ert Page and Rob Ullathorne. The third time it cost a goal. Barrett fastened on to the mistimed punch and crossed for Hart, darting in, to head home. The second came 11 minutes later. The enterprising Hart started it by sending Zamora away on the left and the cross was headed in by Barrett, his first for the club.

After an early second-half flurry, Brighton lost the plot. At first it was not alarming, just nervous defence. But three substitutes arriving in six minutes around the hour mark inspired Sheffield and destroyed the home team. With his first touch Asaba hit the base of a post when United's star man, Allison, headed a Steve Yates cross down to him. Ten minutes later Brighton capitulated as Michael Brown surged from the halfway line and, seeing the defence opening up before him, lashed a low shot past Kuipers.

Arguments erupted among the Brighton defenders and Guy Butters had to hook away when Kuipers was slow to come out of goal. Brighton were in an awful state, and the equaliser came after 78 minutes. Another top-speed run, this one by Michael Tongue, had the home defence dithering. His shot rebounded from Kuipers and Asaba drove it home.

The first penalty was awarded after 86 minutes when Kuipers and Paul Watson between them hauled down Asaba. After Watson was carried off, Asaba scored calmly. If Brighton argued then (Coppell called it "harsh") they were soon incensed when Adam Virgo was adjudged to have pushed Allison in the back. Asaba did the business again. Was this his fastest hat-trick, he was asked: "No, I got one in seven minutes once for Brentford."

The row escalated when the MP for Hove, Ivor Caplin, accused the referee of being "inept and corrupt" and demanded an inquiry. Mr Caplin also wondered why a referee from West Yorkshire was in charge of a game involving a team from South Yorkshire.

Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Hart 23, Barrett 34

Sheffield United 4
Brown 70, Asaba 77, pen 86, pen 88

Half-time: 2-0 Attendance: 6,810