Spurs 2-1 Brighton: Lamptey leads the way again in Albion player ratings
If you had have said to us at 4pm on Sunday afternoon that the Brighton player ratings for the trip to Spurs would include the name Robert Sanchez and have no Neal Maupay or Aaron Connolly, we would have thought you were insane – and we certainly would not have predicted a narrow 2-1 defeat for the Albion.
Graham Potter though likes to spring surprises and boy did he do that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Maty Ryan dropped for the first time in his Brighton career, Maupay and Connolly’s exclusion for apparent ‘tactical reasons’ and no recognised centre forward in the starting line up was extraordinary even by Potter’s high standards.
Judging by your ratings, some of those decisions worked and others did not. Sanchez impressed to be the second highest scoring Albion player after the outstanding Tariq Lamptey. Trossard meanwhile struggled out-of-position as a lone striker with his score of 5.50 the lowest of the XI.
Here is how you rated the Albion players for Spurs 2-1 Brighton.
Robert Sanchez – 6.67
Not even Mystic Meg would have predicted that Maty Ryan would be benched in favour of the 22-year-old fourth-choice goalkeeper. Sanchez’s score of 6.67 made him the joint-second highest Brighton player in the ratings for the 2-1 defeat at Spurs, vindicating Potter’s decision with the highlight of his debut being a superb reaction save from a Joel Veltman own goal attempt.
Adam Webster – 6.00
Strode out of defence well with the ball but there were serious question marks over his role in the Spurs winner when he allowed Gareth Bale a completely free header from Sergio Reguilon’s cross.
Joel Veltman – 6.67
Looks much more comfortable as a central defender than he does at right wing back, making some vital interceptions and organising the back three well. We particularly enjoyed his reaction to Son Heung-min’s scandalous dive as he screamed at the Spurs forward to get up.
Dan Burn – 6.00
Struggled when the defence were under a lot of pressure in the first 10 minutes. With Veltman’s emergence, he will surely be the defender who makes way for Lewis Dunk when the Albion skipper returns from suspension.
TARIQ LAMPTEY – 7.67
Another game, another place at the top of the player ratings for the young right wing back. His positivity helped pin Spurs back after their blistering start and the finish he produced for his first senior goal was that of a veteran striker rather than a rookie defender.
Ben White – 6.50
Provided an added layer of protection for the back four which meant that Spurs’ only successful routes to goal were through a dodgy penalty and from out wide. A sensible selection decision from Potter, although the debate will continue to rage about whether a centre back should be starting in midfield in must-win home games such as against rock bottom Burnley on Friday night.
Yves Bissouma – 6.17
Gave a reminder that he is not yet the finished article by failing to effectively clear his lines in the build up to the Spurs penalty. Other than that, he used the ball well and did his best to drive the Albion on.
Solly March – 6.50
With rumours of an England call up for this month’s internationals swirling, this suddenly became a big game for the left wing back. He responded with a performance typical of his season so far; solid defensively and with some bright attacking moments. He even put in a tackle (which was almost certainly a foul) to play his part in Lamptey’s goal.
Adam Lallana – 6.33
Completed 90 minutes in an Albion shirt for the first time. Was fortunate not to break his neck in the penalty incident with Harry Kane, making Graham Scott’s decision to award a spot kick the worst piece of officiating we have seen all season – and there is plenty of competition for that.
Pascal Gross – 6.00
Sanchez’s selection rather overshadowed the fact that the Germany playmaker was making his first league start of the season. No surprise that he marked it with an assist, his 16th in the top flight meaning that he has now set up double the amount of assists of any other Brighton player in the Premier League.
Leandro Trossard – 5.50
Many of you were keen to state when giving your player ratings for Spurs 2-1 Brighton that Trossard was being scored so low through no fault of his own – rather, because Potter had played him out-of-position as a lone striker. A curious selection from the Albion boss and one which predictably did not work.
Bernardo – 5.00
Forced into action when March took a nasty whack midway through the second half. He was unable to make any sort of impact on the game.
Danny Welbeck – 5.17
Potter finally decided to put a striker on the pitch with 16 minutes remaining. Spurs had weathered the storm by that point, making it hard for Dat Guy Welbz to get into things. We should learn more about what he can bring to the party against Burnley – presuming he is selected.
The WAB Player Ratings are formulated using marks out of 10 given by Brighton fans via Twitter. To have your scores included, follow We Are Brighton on Twitter and look out for the player rating thread after each game.
