Chelsea 0-0 Brighton: Super Dunk tops ratings v Super League Blues
Chelsea might have thought they were the ones joining the European Super League, but our player ratings for Blues 0-0 Brighton show that the super player on show at Stamford Bridge was wearing yellow – Lewis Dunk.
This was a strange evening of football. What happened on the pitch became a sideshow to what happened beforehand and what was going on in the wider sporting world, which goes part of the way towards explaining why this was not the most entertaining of 90 minutes.
Not that any of that mattered to Dunk and the Albion. Whilst Chelsea fans protested outside, all six English clubs resigned from the ESL, Liverpool players took aim at their owners and Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward paid for the failed coup with his job, Graham Potter’s men simply got on with becoming the first Seagulls side to earn a point at Stamford Bridge.
An historic night then for football fans and the Albion. Here are your player ratings for Chelsea 0-0 Brighton.
Robert Sanchez – 7.00
A couple of routine stops but the Spanish goalkeeper had a much quieter night than he would have been expecting. We have said that an awful lot in recent months, which just goes to show how well the defence in front of him is performing.
Ben White – 7.91
He and Dunk were miles clear of anyone else in the Chelsea 0-0 Brighton player ratings. Made some crucial interventions and showed intelligence to realise that he had to sacrifice himself with seconds left, deliberately fouling Callum Hudson-Odoi to prevent a dangerous Blues break and pick up a second yellow.
LEWIS DUNK – 8.00
Had the European Super League gone ahead and the greedy six seen their players banned from international football, Gareth Southgate could surely not have ignored Dunk any longer. With performances like this, he probably should not be ignoring him anyway. Colossus at the back.
Adam Webster – 6.27
Made his first start since the 1-1 draw with Burnley at the beginning of February. Looked like a man who had not played competitively for over 10 weeks in a rusty performance in which he was Chelsea’s most dangerous player during a funny first half period when he constantly gave the ball away.
Joel Veltman – 7.18
Webster’s return meant he reverted to right wing back. Enjoyed the opportunity to get forward and use possession well, especially when teeing up Yves Bissouma for a rare Albion first half chance.
Yves Bissouma – 7.27
Not quite the tour-de-force he was in his last outing against Everton which had Gary Lineker and Jamie Carragher purring. He still kept Brighton ticking off, winning back possession and coming close to a goal when his deflected effort looped onto the bar.
Pascal Gross – 6.82
Back in central midfield after a few weeks spent in the unusual position of right wing back. He covered every blade of grass and produced one of his best Gross Turns yet, taking out no less than three Chelsea players to escape what looked a very tight situation in the middle of the park.
Dan Burn – 6.73
Some Brighton fans seemed more angered by his return to the starting XI than they did the prospect of European football being broken apart. They need not have been so worked up – just as at Liverpool, Burn gave a decent performance against an attack whom many thought he would be torn apart by.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6.45
Made a bright start to proceedings but faded quite quickly after that. He may well be one of those players who needs a run of games to feel his way in as this was his first start since March.
Leandro Trossard – 5.91
Played higher up the pitch, alongside Danny Welbeck rather than joining the front three from deep as he has done with such impact in recent weeks. Struggled to get into the game from this more advanced role, as we have seen a few times this season. Potter needs to be playing him as a number 10.
Danny Welbeck – 6.91
Came closest of anyone to breaking the deadlock when his curling effort from the left rattled the post late on. When he drifts into those wider positions, you sense he can always make something happen. New contract please, Brighton.
Adam Lallana – 6.55
Having spent recent games looking like a man who is far too good for Brighton, his finishing made him look every bit a mere mortal Albion player. Should have put one glorious second half chance on target at the very least and then made things a little too easy for Kepa Arrizabalaga with an effort immediately after Welbeck hit the woodwork.
Neal Maupay – 6.36
His low rating is a little bit mystifying. With him on the pitch, Brighton suddenly looked a much more dangerous attacking threat. Teed up Lallana for the off-target shot, caused problems for the Chelsea defence with his work rate and linked the play nicely.
Jakub Moder – 6.27
A late introduction, despite which Martin Tyler still managed to mention in-between strange bouts of complaining about the traffic in Brighton that Moder had scored for Poland against England at Wembley.
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.
