Kullberg gives Brighton new dynamic after stunning hat-trick

Emma Kullberg does not usually grab the headlines at Brighton.

The defender has not scored all season in the Women's Super League — but the FA Cup is a different story.

Remarkably, the Swede netted an eight-minute hat-trick in the closing stages of the Seagulls' 4-1 win at Wolves last weekend.

Ahead of this afternoon's clash with Liverpool, we look at whether Kullberg could become Brighton's new attacking weapon.

Fox in the box

Kullberg's hat-trick was made more impressive by the fact that none of her goals came from set-pieces.

She made the kind of impact that would be expected of a seasoned striker, coming off the bench before making a devastating impact.

Given more freedom than usual to push forward, the 12-cap international latched on to some excellent crosses and repeatedly found herself in the right place at the right time.

It was almost the perfect hat-trick, with the first bundled over the line with her thigh, the second placed into the bottom corner with her left foot and the third headed home at the back post.

Kullberg's performance may have given interim Brighton boss Mikey Harris some food for thought.

The Seagulls have scored just 13 goals in 13 WSL games, relying heavily on prolific striker Elisabeth Terland.

She has nine league goals to her name — but no one else has contributed regularly.

That is highlighted by the fact Kullberg, with her hat-trick, moved level with Veatriki Sarri, Katie Robinson and Tatiana Pinto as Brighton's second-highest scorer this season.

Getting the plaudits

Harris will certainly be pleased with Kullberg's unexpected emergence as a goal threat.

Though Brighton are five points clear of bottom side Bristol City in the WSL, any support for Terland could be crucial as they look to secure safety.

After the Wolves game, Harris said: "She [Kullberg] is absolutely buzzing. As she returned to the changing room there was some Abba playing, she was dancing and everybody was bouncing off the walls.

"I am over the moon for her and the team because we have worked hard this week on the sort of goals we want to score and the sort of chances we want to create and she scored three of them in eight minutes."

Kullberg added: "I can't really believe what happened but I'm very happy.

"It was good crosses, a good cutback and I really believed in myself in those moments.

"During the whole game it felt like we were really close a few times."

More to come

Kullberg's hat-trick could well be a one-off — and her primary job is still to keep the ball out of the net at the other end.

It should also be noted that Wolves are a third-tier side and Brighton have consistently struggled to create chances against WSL opposition.

However, Kullberg's late runs into the box in that game certainly suggested she could give the team a different dynamic when required.

Her focus will be back on defending as Brighton take on Liverpool.

But in a game that could be low on chances between two sides that struggle to score freely, perhaps Kullberg could pop up with another crucial goal.