Full time: Brighton 5-2 Leicester

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Eek.

The away end at the Amex. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 11.12 EDT

Well well well. If Brendan Rodgers was under pressure before this game he’s buried under a mountain of it now. But the real story here is Brighton, who today went from being quietly very good to being loudly very good. Their fantastic start to the season puts them fourth entirely on merit: a point behind City and Spurs with the same number of games played. Graham Potter should be be hot property (much like Rodgers was 12 months ago!).

Full time: Brighton 5-2 Leicester

Peep peep! Brighton make it 13 points from six games by hammering beleaguered Leicester. The home side recovered from the shock of conceding after 51 seconds to dominate a very open game, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice and having a screamer ruled out by VAR.

Leicester stay bottom, having lost five games in a row. But this is all about Brighton, who pound for pound might be the best team in the Premier League. They are certainly one of the most likeable.

That was a delightful goal, a free-kick from 25 yards that gave Ward no chance. Mac Allister got it up and down perfectly, with enough curl to take it away from the flying Ward. Beautiful.

Updated at 10.59 EDT

GOAL! Brighton 5-2 Leicester (Mac Allister 90+7)

Alexis Mac Allister scores his second beauty of the day – but this one counts.

Brighton’s Argentinian midfielder Alexis Mac Allister scores a free kick. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 10.59 EDT

90+5 min “VAR can obviously do one in its current incarnation,” says Dave Skinner. “The only way I see it having any value is giving VAR a short time limit, say 20 seconds, to overturn the decision using full speed replays. No drawing ridiculous lines on a freeze frame. No rocking back and forth in slowmo. If it looks like a howler in full speed replay then VAR intervenes, otherwise it stays in its hole and the on-field decision stands.”

In theory I like that idea but just imagine the explosions of entitlement.

90+4 min “I feel VAR is very much a case of be careful what you wish for,” says Niall Mullen. “Instead of giving referees pelters done the years they should have been supported and resourced properly. I always think of this piece by the late great Steven Wells.”

90+3 min: Double substitution for Brighton The new signing Billy Gilmour comes on for his Brighton debut along with another Chelsea alumnus, Tariq Lamptey. Moises Caicedeo and Solly March go off.

90+1 min Caicedo’s volley from the edge of the area is blocked by a Leicester defender.

90 min Seven added minutes, mainly because of that VAR delay.

89 min A change for Brighton: Pervis Estupinan replaces the marvellous Leandro Trossard, who was about to be substituted when he scored Brighton’s third goal.

Updated at 10.47 EDT

88 min March shoots straight at Ward from 15 yards. Brighton should have scored six or seven.

87 min Mac Allister, who has had a terrific game, swerves away from a Leicester player on the edge of the D but then shoots straight at Ward.

87 min Undav tees up Welbeck, whose mishit shot bobbles through to Ward. That looked a decent chance.

86 min Justin’s cross is swept straight at Sanchez by Daka, 15 yards out. A decent first-time effort.

84 min: Brighton substitution Deniz Undav replaces Mwepu, who was excellent and made the second goal for Caicedo.

83 min Gross almost scores from a corner, with Ward backpedalling to tip it over the bar. I think Gross meant that.

81 min “Graham Potter is a genius, discuss?” says Alan Webb. “That’s no fun. Of course he is. Much more entertaining to discuss ‘Rodgers is a fraud, and is he going to Villa?’”

80 min A corner is spilled by Ward, who is relieved to grab it at the second attempt. He’s had a mixed game – he’s conceded four and looked very nervous at times, but he’s also made three or four pretty good saves.

80 min “Match of the Day should have a new competition,” says Phil Malyan. “Disallowed Goal of the Month.”

Updated at 10.40 EDT

78 min Trossard plays a nice square pass to Gross, 25 yards out. He gets the ball out of his feet and whips a shot back across goal that is pushed away to his right by the flying Ward. Good save.

78 min Graham Potter is a genius, discuss.

Updated at 10.36 EDT

77 min Leicester look beaten now. Their spirit has been pretty good today – there’s no sign that Rodgers has lost the dressing-room – but Brighton’s superior confidence has been decisive.

74 min “I’ve struggled with this since the start – why not follow the tennis/cricket model in football, and allow the captains a number of reviews per game?” says Tom Crane. “As has been said, nobody appealed for that disallowed Brighton goal, and I don’t recall seeing any Chelsea players appealing about Cornet’s yesterday either…”

I’m not sure that would work in a game that doesn’t stop and start as often as tennis and cricket. That said, anything is worth a try.

72 min: Triple change for Leicester Daniel Amartey, Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replace Tielemans (who was superb), Iheanacho and Soumare.

Mac Allister put the penalty straight down the middle, with Ward diving to his right. That should be enough for Brighton, who have played some outstanding attacking football today.

GOAL! Brighton 4-2 Leicester (Mac Allister 71 pen)

Alexis Mac Allister is on the scoresheet now.

Alexis Mac Allister scores from the spot. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Updated at 10.37 EDT

The penalty stands. I think it was a foul. Even if it wasn’t, it certainly wasn’t a clear and obvious error.

VAR check! Oh good lord.

PENALTY TO BRIGHTON!

70 min Trossard beats Ndidi with a glorious bit of skill near the byline. Ndidi shoves him over and the referee gives a penalty.

Updated at 10.58 EDT

68 min: Good save from Ward! Pascal Gross is rampant at the moment. He protects the ball on the edge of the area, despite being surrounded, and eventually finds March to his left. March has a touch and splats a rising shot that is pushed round the near post by Ward.

66 min Tielemans’ cross from the right bounces up awkwardly at Daka, who flicks it wide of the near post.

Mac Allister picked up a loose ball 30 yards from goal and gave it to Gross. He cleverly allowed the ball to run across his body to make the angle for a flicked pass to Trossard in the area. Trossard held his nerve to arc the ball into the far corner. A lovely finish, and VAR can find nothing wrong with it. The goal stands.

Updated at 10.58 EDT

GOAL? Brighton 3-2 Leicester (Trossard 64)

If it stands, this is another really good goal from Brighton.

63 min “I don’t think VAR is the issue; it’s the jobsworth mentality of English officials,” says Richard Parkinson. “You don’t tend to see anything like this number of dodgy calls in Serie A or Ligue 1.”

There’s probably something in that. From memory it worked surprisingly well at the World Cup and Euro 2021.

62 min Nor is Gary.

62 min Ian’s not a fan.

61 min: Good save from Ward! Lovely play from Brighton. After a long passing move, Trossard plays a terrific reverse pass to find Mwepu on the left side of the area. He whips a shot from a very tight angle that is well blocked by Ward.

60 min “A couple of unsolicited thoughts on VAR, Rob,” says Ewan Benson. “If we must persist with VAR, then they should be given 30 seconds max to make the decision. If they can’t, then the decision on the pitch should stand. If there needs to be a benefit of the doubt, the striker (or goalscorer) should be the one who receives it.”

They didn’t trial it properly. They barely trialled it at all. All the problems stem for that.

60 min Nothing’s happening on the field by the way. It’s almost as if VAR has temporarily sucked all the joy and vitality from a hitherto superb game.

59 min Nor is Danny.