Brighton 1-0 Spurs: Gross on cloud nine in awesome Albion player ratings
Scores of nine and above in our WAB Player Ratings are rarer than hen’s teeth – before Brighton beat Spurs 1-0 at the Amex to end their 14 game winless home run, there had been just one nine recorded all season.
That went to the outstanding Tariq Lamptey in the 3-0 win over Newcastle United back in September. Lamptey notched up 9.33 that day for one of the best individual performances that any Brighton player has given for some time, so it says much about how good Pascal Gross was against Tottenham that he came close to Lamptey with a rating of 9.18.
Gross was not the only player to shine, of course. This was Brighton’s best performance of the season – although interestingly the average score of 7.67 was actually below the 7.85 achieved by the side who hammered Newcastle – as Spurs and Jose Mourinho could find no answer to the football played by the Albion.
Three players behind Gross – Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Trossard and Robert Sanchez – scored eight or above. Nobody in the starting XI scored lower than 7.46.
It was a night when everything came together for Graham Potter and the Albion, at long last. Here are how the Seagulls scored in our Brighton 1-0 Spurs player ratings:
Robert Sanchez – 8.00
He would probably have expected to be a little busier than making just three saves as even without Harry Kane, Spurs could still name Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale in their starting XI. One of those saves proved to be match winning when he reacted superbly to turn Carlos Vinícius’ snapshot around the post at full stretch.
Ben White – 7.79
Solid defensively. Embarked on a few rampages forward which nearly proved fruitful, playing a part in the third minute move which ended with Gross hitting the post and then being denied a first goal in Brighton colours by a smart Hugo Lloris save in the second half.
Lewis Dunk – 7.79
Not many of his trademark blocks or flying tackles which normally are needed against the big six. Instead, his main contribution was exemplary organisation of the back line. Came close to scoring when he met a Gross corner with a bullet header which Bale blocked on the line.
Adam Webster – 7.89
Currently in the midst of his best run of form as a Brighton player. Carried the ball from defence deep into Spurs territory on a couple of occasions, made a few vital interventions and was the major contributor to ensuring that Bale was kept so quiet that Mourinho hauled him after an hour.
Joel Veltman – 7.46
A typically solid if unspectacular performance down the right. His energy up and down the line was important in helping White keep Son quiet at one end and in helping to drive Spurs back at the other.
Yves Bissouma – 7.79
The midfielder gave a performance of his normal quality, breaking up play and using possession well. His defensive work allowed Gross alongside him to concentrate on creating and the fact that he almost passed unnoticed at times highlights just how well his teammates played.
PASCAL GROSS – 9.18
Forget football, this was 90 minutes of pure art from the German playmaker which should finally silence those who deride him for being a sEt pIeCE meRcHAnt. He was the beating heart of everything the Albion did, charging into the box to produce the perfect pull back for Leandro Trossard to score and spending Spurs dizzy with his beautiful Cruyff Turn Gross Turn on numerous occasions
Solly March – 7.86
Like Bissouma, his typically impressive contribution was less noticeable because of the way the rest of the team upped their game. Should have had an assist when his wonderfully teasing second half cross was headed wide by Neal Maupay.
Alexis Mac Allister – 8.79
On any other day, his score of 8.79 for Brighton 1-0 Spurs would have been enough to top the player ratings. Played his part in the goal with a perfectly weighted through ball to Gross which sliced open the Tottenham backline. The Albion have handled him carefully in his first year at the club and that is now paying off handsomely as he looks to be the real deal.
Leandro Trossard – 8.43
The Belgian is at his best when he runs at people and teases them rather than being a sideways passing machine in a possession obsessed team. Brighton’s recent change in approach of having less of the ball but doing more with it is paying dividends for him as he gave his best performance since September, scoring the only goal by doing something completely radical in carefully placing a shot into the bottom corner.
Neal Maupay – 7.50
Bit surprised that the French striker scored so low to be honest. There was that glaring headed miss from March’s cross but he was a real menace all night, using his strength and hold up ability to bring Mac Allister, Gross and Trossard into play as they joined the Albion’s frequent attacks.
Dan Burn – 6.61
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Potter embarked on a game of positional musical chairs with half an hour still to play as Veltman was substituted, White moved to right wing back, Webster switched to right sided centre back and Dan Burn came on to the left of Dunk. The upheaval coincided with Spurs’ best two chances of the game but after that Burn played his role in preserving the clean sheet.
Adam Lallana – 6.64
Brought on for the control he offers to try and help the Albion see out the final 10 minutes by making better use of possession. Made one important block and got barged over on the halfway line which he got up from rather gingerly. Good to see him back from injury.
Aaron Connolly – 5.68
His new bleached hair and fade looked sharp, which is more than could be said from his finishing with that late chance to wrap things up. Yes, it was an excellent block from Toby Alderweireld but Connolly was far too casual with his effort. A striker simply has to score that opportunity.
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.
