Brighton 2-0 Swansea: Corner turned for player ratings topper Connolly?
It was the question everyone was asking. Was the match winning performance of Aaron Connolly in Brighton 2-0 Swansea City – which saw him top our WAB Player Ratings – the start of a corner being turned by the striker or a sign he had found his level?
To some Albion supporters, there is the hope that Connolly’s first two goals since January 2nd will give him the confidence boost he needs to start delivering on his potential. Presuming he can stay out of nightclubs and gossip pages.
For others, the fact that he looked good against Championship opposition was indicative of the fact he is a Championship striker, not a Premier League quality forward.
What nobody could doubt is that Connolly enjoyed an excellent evening in a game which was not as comfortable as Graham Potter would have liked.
Swansea were reminiscent of the Albion last year, creating good opportunities but unable to cash in on them. That was in stark contrast to Brighton – and Connolly – who continued their surprisingly clinical start to the 2021-22 season.
Here are your Brighton 2-0 Swansea player ratings.
Jason Steele – 6.67
A typically entertaining evening from the Albion Carabao Cup captain. Made a couple of fine saves as well as getting in a complete mess when trying to pass out to Steve Alzate. That should have resulted in a Swansea goal, but somehow the visitors contrived to hit the bar from 10 yards out.
Tariq Lamptey – 6.83
The reception he received when he strode onto the pitch said everyone about how much Brighton fans were looking forward to seeing him back. Kept the ball well and got through 45 minutes unscathed before a pre-planned substitution.
Ed Turns – 7.83
What do they feed academy defenders at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre? Ben White, Haydon Roberts, Antef Tsoungui and now Ed Turns. Second place in the Brighton 2-0 Swansea player ratings tells you what a fine debut the Sussex-born defender had, giving a performance that had a touch of the Whites about it.
Haydon Roberts – 6.67
Only 19 but had the job of being the more experienced leader out of the two centre backs. Although not quite as good as in the previous round at Cardiff, his partnership with Turns offered a glimpse into the future when the Albion could field a Brighton born-and-bred defence.
Dan Burn – 6.67
Minutes in the tank after missing the first five games of the season injured were why Big Dan Burn found himself roped into Carabao Cup duty. Came barrelling forward from left back a couple of times, including when listening to the urges of the crowd to shoot. Having seen the resulting effort, he probably wishes he hadn’t.
Steve Alzate – 6.50
There was one wonderful moment of skill when a shimmy took him away from three Swansea players in one go, opening up the space for him to clip a ball into the box. A couple of sloppy mistakes explain why he has not had the full trust of Graham Potter to start regularly in the Premier League so far this season.
Marc Leonard – 7.17
This would have been an impressive performance on its own; it becomes even more so when you consider that he only found out he would be starting 15 minutes before the game when Enock Mwepu was injured in the warm up. Mixed a no-nonsense approach with technical ability and showed his versatility by playing one half in the middle of the park and the other at right back.
Taylor Richards – 6.83
Showed that he can offer something different to Brighton’s other number 10 options with his liking for running at defences. Was not far away when Brighton had a rare sight of goal in the second half.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6.83
May not have been as involved as Brighton fans would have expected and that probably explains a score of under 7. He did exactly what he is paid for though, playing two perfectly weighted through balls to claim two assists when sending Connolly clear for both goals.
Jakub Moder – 6.50
Covered a lot of ground but unusually for him, he gave the ball away a couple of times. Found himself being used as a central striker when Connolly departed which did not seem to suit.
AARON CONNOLLY – 8.00
Sometimes, a striker just needs a bit of luck to get out of a barren run of form. Connolly got that with a heavily deflected second goal of 2021, nine months after the first. He had to wait less than five minutes for goal number three of the year, an emphatic finish when cutting in from the left – something that he does so well.
Pascal Gross – 6.00
Back from isolation and given 45 minutes after replacing Lamptey. Looked a little rusty but still managed to show his worth from set pieces when putting a free kick against the Swansea bar in the final few minutes.
Jeremy Sarmiento – 6.83
What have we here then? A debut for the exciting teenager signed for considerable expense from Benfica in the summer. Every time he got the ball, he looked to run at Swansea and their only answer seemed to be to foul him, including for that late Gross free kick. One to keep an intriguing eye on over the coming months.
DJ Jurgen Locadia – 5.50
Introduced on the left for the final 20 minutes, the cheers upon his return nearly lifted the roof of the stadium. Displayed a couple of nice touches and picked up a lot of potential Instagram content during his time on the pitch.
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.
