Brighton Neal Maupay endured a forgettable first-half during his side’s clash with Premier League champions Liverpool in the lunchtime kick-off.
Maupay is a polarising character, with his goals and combative performances earning him admirers within the Brighton borders, but his sharp and often short-tempered personality leaving him with few fans at rival clubs.
Let’s just say he will have had few sympathisers across the country as he missed a penalty and later left the field injured during Brighton’s opening 45 minutes against Liverpool.
MORE: Video: Embarrassment or knock? These fans convinced furious Neal Maupay ‘faked’ injury after penalty miss for Brighton vs Liverpool
He could scarcely have imagined a worst opening period to the game when he woke up this morning. It’s so bad, in fact, that it hasn’t even been done in the top flight for 22 years.
As OptaJoe took to Twitter to reveal…
1998 – Neal Maupay is the first player to start a Premier League game, miss a penalty, and be subbed off before half-time since Dennis Bergkamp against Derby in April 1998. Unfortunate. #BHALIV pic.twitter.com/DZklmT86Ja
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 28, 2020
Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp is one of the greatest ever to grace the Premier League game, so that stat might often some comfort to Maupay, but let’s be honest, neither of them wanted to find themselves in this exclusive club.
You can be certain that a fair few water bottles, and the rest, were thrown when Maupay stormed back into the home dressing room at the Amex.