Aston Villa 1-2 Brighton: Player ratings as Albion make history at Villa Park
The record books were rewritten in the Second City as a final score of Aston Villa 1-2 Brighton gave the Albion the first ever win at Villa Park, making these 12 men featuring in our WAB Player Ratings history makers.
All played their parts in a rip-roaring contest that had it all. There were two quality goals scored by Danny Welbeck and Solly March, a red card for Tariq Lamptey, some impressive Oscar-winning theatrics from Jack Grealish and Trezequet and a last minute penalty given to Villa and then overturned by VAR.
If we did referee ratings, Michael Oliver would deserve a 10 for having the balls to watch back his 90th minute decision and admit he got it wrong.
Dean Smith was livid which made the whole incident even better; if you cannot enjoy an overweight Brummie crying because things have not gone his way, what can you enjoy?
But what of the Albion players? How did they fare when becoming the first ever Brighton side to leave Villa with all three points? Here are your player ratings for Aston Villa 1-2 Brighton.
Maty Ryan – 7.50
Graham Potter’s decision to drop him for the trip to Spurs three weeks ago was controversial at the time, but it appears to be paying off swimmingly now as his score of 7.50 for Aston Villa 1-2 Brighton was his highest player ratings of the season so far. Three excellent first half saves kept the Albion in it, providing a platform from which to go on and win the game.
Adam Webster – 6.38
A number of Brighton fans pinned the blame on him for Villa’s equaliser as the Albion again conceded from a set piece. It was a mixed afternoon in general; a couple of good blocks being undone by a funny five minutes in which he seemed to forget which team he was playing for as every pass went to a Claret shirt.
Lewis Dunk – 6.44
Looked a little rusty after sitting out the previous three games, especially when his error presented Trezeguet with a chance which Webster thankfully blocked. It still feels like we are yet to see him play anywhere near as well as he can in 2020-21 with his score of 6.44 giving him the second lowest mark of a Brighton player at Villa.
Ben White – 7.63
Defended brilliantly and his last ditch tackle on Ollie Watkins would be playing on a 24 hour loop on Sky Sports News had Virgil van Dijk made it. A big reason why Brighton were victorious.
Tariq Lamptey – 7.94
Add Villa to the list of opponents who have been unable to cope with him this season. The right wing back was everywhere, defending well one minute and causing problems up the other end the next. He will be sorely missed against Liverpool next weekend after picking up two bookings, becoming the shortest ever player to be sent off in Premier League history in the process.
Yves Bissouma – 7.63
His willingness to sit in and fulfil the ‘water carrier’ role allowed midfield partner Adam Lallana to get on the ball and make things happen. If he keeps delivering disciplined performances like this, it surely won’t be long until the big boys come sniffing.
Adam Lallana – 7.31
The pass to send Danny Welbeck through for Brighton’s opener was a thing of a beauty. Withdrawn at half time with a groin problem which Potter will be hoping does not rule him out for too long as he is becoming more influential by the week.
Solly March – 8.00
Who knew Solly March had a right foot? And who knew he possessed the ability to score a stunning effort curled into the top corner with it? He is in the form of his life at the minute and although people scoffed at the idea of Solly March for England during the November international break, if he keeps going like this there will be far less doubters by the time the next Three Lions squad is announced.
Pascal Gross – 7.81
After being out of favour at the start of the campaign, the German playmaker seems to have found himself a role in Potter’s 3-5-2 – which is good news for both player and club. His assist for March’s winner took him past Glenn Murray as the Brighton player with most goal involvements in the Premier League. It was the least he deserved for a midfield masterclass in which he hardly wasted a pass.
DANNY WELBECK – 8.63
No other player in this Brighton squad could have raced clear from halfway and delivered such a cool chipped finish as he did for the opener. It was our first glimpse at the sort of quality that he brings but this was a performance about much more than just a goal. He worked hard, held the ball up and created chances for his teammates. If he stays fit and keeps playing like this, then the Albion might have made one of the signings of the season.
Neal Maupay – 6.67
One comment on Twitter read that “Maupay is in danger of turning into the French Craig Mackail-Smith.” And although harsh, you could kind of see the point. Did not stop running but really should have scored when teed up by Welbeck, instead adding another glaring miss to his already impressive collection for the season.
Joel Veltman – 6.94
A few eyebrows were raised when Potter reacted to Lallana’s injury by putting on the Dutch defender and moving White into midfield. Had Potter learnt nothing from last season, when an unnecessary raft of positional changes turned Villa’s visit to the Amex from a game the Albion looked to have in the bag into a 1-1 draw? History looked like it was going to repeat itself when Villa equalised within two minutes but Veltman was not at fault for that and he showed everyone his qualities with another solid-if-unspectacular 45 minutes of defending.
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.
