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Rising to Dunk: Luis Dunk defeated Liverpool and continues to write his own private legend

He used to make headlines mostly because of own goals, but the captain who was born in Brighton and spent his entire career there establishing himself as one of the best brakes in the Premier League.

After first keeping a clean sheet against the Reds he finally won at Anfield, much to the delight of fan Pep Guardiola

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Michael Yochin

Thursday, 04 February 2021, 15:30

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Summary: Liverpool - Brighton 1: 0 (Sport 1)

In February 2012 through Lewis Dunk for the first time on the grass at Anfield.

Brighton, the newcomer to the Premier League, hosted Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the English Cup, and the 19-year-old brake was required to keep Luis Suarez and face height balls against Andy Carroll.

It ended badly, and the most unfortunate moment occurred in the 75th minute, when the Uruguayan sent a fairly routine wide ball into the box.

"I was taught not to throw balls into the stands," the young defender boasted in several interviews at the beginning of his career, and tried to maintain his image even when there was a real need to throw the ball into the stands.

No pressure was applied to him, so Dunk decided to show off his skills right in the goalkeeper's box.

He stopped the ball on the chest on the first touch, then on the knee on the second touch which was not particularly soft.

The third touch, when he tried to save the situation in a desperate glide, was already over the line.

It was one of the funniest own goals of the year, and he joined two own goals earlier than his home team-mate Liam Bridcat.

And so, Brighton won particularly amusing headlines - she scored four goals at Anfield, but was defeated 6-1.

It was the first team in history to score three times for the wrong net in a single cup game.

Even Reds manager Kenny Dalgliesh took pity on the unlucky opponent, claiming that one of Bridcat's performances should have been recorded in the name of Steven Gerrard.

Dunk himself did not want to talk to the media after the final whistle.

He locked himself in the locker room, trying to digest the humiliating experience.

Had anyone told him then that in nine years' time he would keep a clean sheet at Anfield, celebrate his first personal win over Liverpool and be one of the best stoppers in the Premier League even though he still wears a Brighton shirt, he probably would not have believed it.

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Watch the summary: Liverpool lost 1: 0 to Brighton at Anfield

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His first visit to Anfield ended with a particularly funny self-goal.

Lewis Dunk (Photo: AP, Tim Hales)

Asked to call himself "John Terry"

However, that is exactly the situation.

Today, Dunk is the powerful captain and symbol of the Seagulls, and in every transfer window there are rumors of the possibility of moving to one of the luxury clubs.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea - all have been mentioned as candidates to bring him in at some point in recent years.

For him, Stamford Bridge was and remains the big dream, because Dunk is a die-hard fan of the Blues who admired John Terry, and even asked his teammates to call him that when he played in the youth teams.

Terry is the ultimate idol for him, but even last summer reports of a possible sale to Chelsea for £ 50m turned out to be false. Instead, he signed a new Brighton contract until 2025, and did so without hesitation. Almost every year the club grants him A contract for five years ahead. This is how it is when it comes to the best home player ever.

Ironically, the guy who was born in Brighton needed an extraordinary event to join the local club. As a child, Dunk belonged to Wimbledon Academy, and his heart was broken when it was decided to close the club in 2002. And move him to another city - Milton Keynes.According to the association's rules, youth players are not allowed to travel more than an hour and a half in any direction for training, so in terms of regulations the dunk was not allowed to stay in his team because Milton Keynes is farther from Brighton compared to London.

For him Chelsea is the dream.

Louis Dunk (Photo: Reuters)

Oscar Garcia did not count it

So Brighton's youth coach called his father, and Mark Dunk's happiness knew no bounds.

First, he has been a die-hard Brighton fan since he can remember.

Second - and this consideration was even more important - he got tired of the long trips with the son several times a week.

"We're done with it, from now on you can play 10 minutes away from home," he informed Lewis, and Crystal Palace's groping was rejected outright.

Thus, almost two decades ago, began this special novel, which continues to this day.

In those days, Brighton was a very modest club in the third division, and joining it was seen as a step backwards compared to Wimbledon.

Expectations were not particularly high, and the facilities were also of a poor standard.

Dunk remembers how he participated in demonstrations organized by the fans to persuade the heads of the area to build a new stadium in place of the old-fashioned Whitdin Stadium.

In fact, he even managed to play it at the beginning of the previous decade, and made his debut in an amusing way against Milton Keynes Dunes.

But it took him a while to prove himself, and after the season in which he scored that own goal at Anfield the club did not fully believe in him.

He was even sent to a failed loan period at Bristol City, and then, in the 2013/14 season barely, saw grass at manager Oscar Garcia who did not count him.

Responsible for the sharp turning point in Dunk's career.

Sami Hofia (Photo: Reuters)

Sammy Hofia nurtured him

The man in charge of the sharp turning point in his career is Sammy Hofia.

The legendary Liverpool stopper signed at Brighton in the summer of 2014, and his tenure was short while the team sank to the bottom of the sub-league, but he recognized and nurtured Dunk’s potential well.

Towards the age of 23, he finally got the chance to play on a regular basis and took it with both hands.

"I did not hear about him before I arrived, but I immediately saw that he is an excellent brake. He is strong, tall, has good control of the ball, makes the right decisions, excels in stationary situations, and also contributes greatly on offense. I would not be surprised if Premier League teams try to sign him, but we will do everything To keep it, "said the famous Finn.

Hofia himself was soon left, but Dunk remained - and since then he could not be taken out of the squad.

Chris Houghton, who built the home front around him, trusted him with his eyes closed, and together they soared to whole new heights.

In 2016, Brighton missed it because of a goal difference.

By 2017, she had already come up with an excellent defensive balance, and has since survived in the top mostly thanks to the home side, in which Dunk collaborated with Irish Shane Duffy.

The first Brighton player on the England squad since 1982. Lewis Dunk (Photo: Reuters)

4 own goals per season

That’s not to say everything was smooth, and in his Premier League debut season again Dunk made the headlines mostly because of own goals.

In a 5: 1 defeat by Liverpool, he was written on the board when a ball from Filippa Coutinho hit him on his way to the net, and by the end of the season he equaled the record of Martin Cartel (here's another connection to Liverpool) with four own goals in one season.

On social media, they joked at his expense that he was "the first player to score for Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool that season".

Well, it can happen, and a dunk is mentally loud enough not to ignore the background noise.

For him, the positive reviews of the commentators were much more important, and not only the interest from the top groups proved that he is on the right track.

National coach Gareth Southgate also invited him to the roster in late 2018.

"It's amazing. I just recently saw the World Cup on TV, and now I'm playing with these guys," said the brakeman, who became the first Brighton player to wear the England uniform since 1982. The debut took place in a friendly match against the United States at Wembley, and Dunk helped not absorb the victory 0: 3.

In 2019 there was a fundamental change in Brighton's style of play following the arrival of manager Graham Potter, and he was even more suited to the dunk, who still does not like to throw balls to the stands.

"I saw Lewis in action before I signed, but I must say I did not appreciate him properly. Only when you work with him on a daily basis can you understand how excellent he is. He is not only a solid brake and leader, but also builds the game from behind, and has great long dedications. "I do not think there are many brakes like him in the league," Potter claims.

He, too, adores Dunk.

Pep Guardiola (Photo: GettyImages)

On the way to Euro 2020?

Pep Guardiola agrees with him.

After a tough 0-1 win in mid-January, the Manchester City coach praised: "Brighton are a great team with fantastic brakes. I would be happy to be a part of it if I were a player."

And the goal scored then by Phil Foden remains the last to be absorbed by the Seagulls in the Premier League.

Since then, Dunk and his teammates have kept a clean sheet in four consecutive games to get away from the red line.

They paralyzed Leeds' creative attack with 0: 1 away, Dunk saved from the line in the final minute to keep 0: 0 against Fulham, then came 0: 1 over Jose Mourinho's Tottenham whom he has been a fan of Dunk since his first term at Chelsea His beloved, and yesterday came the icing on the cake - 0: 1 away against Liverpool.

The champion was limited to just one kick per frame, and that says it all.

So even Pep can be pleased that Dunk's balance sheet against Liverpool is changing.

Last season, he scored against the Reds for the right net when he released a quick and surprising free-kick, but Brighton lost.

This season, he collected the first point of his life against Liverpool in a dramatic home 1-1 draw in November, and now the first victory has also arrived.

And after that, with that ability, it makes sense that Southgate would bring him back to the squad for Euro 2020.

"I'm waiting for that to happen," said Dunk, who is aiming to record more than one international appearance.

Had he played for a luxury team, his PR would have been better than Harry Maguire's, but for the Brighton stopper it's going a little harder.

Not bad - perseverance pays off in the end, and so does loyalty.

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