Brighton Player Ratings December 2023
With seven games crammed into the busiest month of the season so far, December 2023 was always going to be about consistency for Brighton – making the identity of the best Albion player based on player ratings no surprise.
Pascal Gross rarely has a bad game. He was at his consistent best through December, making six starts and one substitute appearance. Gross returned four assists and one goal whilst playing in four different positions. What a phenomenal footballer.
The only game Gross was rested for was the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea which opened the month. Brighton then gave Tony Bloom an early Christmas present by taking three points from his arch rival Matthew Benham and Brentford.
A 1-1 home draw with Burnley was disappointing, although the Clarets owed their point to a fine display of goalkeeping from James Trafford.
Marseille were beaten 1-0 at the Amex as the Albion secured top spot in Europa League Group B. A 2-0 defeat at Arsenal was followed by a 1-1 draw away against Crystal Palace and a brilliant 4-2 victory over Spurs.
Gross was not the only one to impress. It was close at the top of the December 2023 player ratings, with seven Seagulls out of 22 register a score above seven to round off a special calendar year for Brighton.
Pascal Gross – 7.45
Goal versus Brentford. Assist versus Brentford. Assist versus Burnley. Assist versus Marseille. Assist versus Palace. Right back. Left back. Holding midfielder. Number 10. Captain when Dunk was suspended. What else can you say about one of the finest players in Albion history?
Jan Paul van Hecke – 7.40
Started all seven matches through December 2023 and follows up top spot in November’s Brighton player ratings with second this time around. Not only has he established himself as Dunk’s partner, but he has become a leader of the defence in the skipper’s absence.
Lewis Dunk – 7.38
Scored low marks in the Spurs victory for picking up a stupid yellow card late on, ruling him out of the trip to West Ham United which kicked off 2024. Having missed the Chelsea and Brentford matches suspended after calling referee Anthony Taylor a bald prick, the Brighton captain has therefore managed to finish third in the December 2023 player ratings from just four high-class performances.
Jack Hinshelwood – 7.25
Voted WAB Player of the Month, Hinshelwood looked anything but an 18-year-old with just a couple of Premier League matches under his belt in December. Provided two goals, a series of dynamic displays from full back and regular excuses to mention the time his dad Adam scored an own goal from 30 yards against Colchester United on Boxing Day 2008. Long may it continue.
Billy Gilmour – 7.23
Carlos Baleba and Mahmoud Dahoud seemed to lose the trust of Roberto De Zerbi in December. That meant more game time and responsibility on Gilmour, who rose the occasion spectacularly – especially when running the show as the Albion saw off Marseille to make it four consecutive wins in the Europa League.
Igor Julio – 7.18
Igor! Igor! Igor! The centre back built like the proverbial brick shithouse found himself moonlighting as a fleet-footed left wing back with the grace and balance of a ballerina as Brighton’s injury crisis deepened.
Joao Pedro – 7.10
No way Pedro! Showcased his underrated aerial prowess when powering a header past Robert Sanchez in defeat at Stamford Bridge. Predictably proved the man for the big Europa League moment again with an 88th minute winner against Marseille and then maintained his perfect penalty taking record with two successfully converted spot kicks against Spurs.
Facundo Buonanotte – 6.83
Struggles for form had led to him being heavily criticised by some Albion fans earlier in the season. December 2023 though went some of the way towards silencing the doubters as he topped the player ratings in both defeat at Chelsea and the draw against Palace.
Kaoru Mitoma – 6.70
The exertions of the past 12 months in which he burst onto the scene with Brighton and played his part as one of the most exciting players in a Japan side who thrilled at the 2022 World Cup appear to have caught up with him. Just the one assist in the Brentford game and now facing time on the sidelines after getting injured at Palace.
James Milner – 6.63
Having found life at full back a bit of a struggle since his summer move from Liverpool, Milner rolled back the years to his 1974 peak when played in midfield by De Zerbi towards the end of the month – culminating in easily his best display in an Albion shirt against Spurs.
Jason Steele – 6.37
The Brighton goalkeeper rotation policy went on in December with Steele starting four games and Bart Verbruggen three. The star of Sunderland Till I Die season one was the better of the two, recording the Albion’s only clean sheet of the month in the Marseille game.
Carlos Baleba – 6.14
A mixed month for the 19-year-old. Decent at Chelsea and good against Brentford before delivering a disappointing performance in the draw with Burnley. Made only one substitute appearance after that, playing the final 30 minutes of the Spurs win.
Evan Ferguson – 6.03
No goals for Ferguson in November as he sought a 12th in the Premier League of 2023 which would have given him the outright record for most scored in a calendar year. Has not stopped the January rumours swirling, linking Chelsea (who else?!) with a British-record transfer bid.
Simon Adingra – 5.23
Could just copy and paste what was said about Mitoma to describe Adingra in December. Scored the equaliser against Burnley but otherwise looked tired and jaded before picking up an injury at Palace.
Joel Veltman – 5.14
The normally-dependable Dutch defender struggled to stay fit, adding to the sense of crisis over the fast dwindling number of full backs available to De Zerbi. Veltman’s December 2023 Brighton player ratings score was additionally hampered by two of his three appearances coming against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Bart Verbruggen – 5.05
What is it about Albion goalkeepers making costly errors at Selhurst Park? Sanchez last season, Verbruggen this season. Gifting a goal to the Eagles four days after needlessly conceding a corner from which Arsenal scored their second past Brighton overshadowed a number of impressive saves from his three matches.
Adam Lallana – 4.24
Shone from the bench in the Marseille game. It was his guile and creativity which opened up the space needed for Pedro to find the later winner. Struggled to make much impression in any of his starts.
Jakub Moder – 4.01
What Moder scored in the December 2023 Brighton player ratings is an irrelevant. Just good to see him on the pitch again, getting minutes under his belts and with no setbacks so far returning from such a lengthy injury.
Danny Welbeck – 3.66
Great to have him back after two months out – especially when he powered a superb header into the very top corner for a late equaliser at Palace. Welbz is Dat Guy.
Benicio Baker-Boaitey – 3.50
With seven games to play and a squad approaching breaking point, it seemed likely De Zerbi would need to turn to the development squad. Hinshelwood aside, the only Under 21s player who received first team minutes in December was Baker-Boaitey in lively cameos against Chelsea and Brentford.
Pervis Estupinan – 2.84
Played for 45 minutes in December. But what a 45 minutes they were, including a 30 yard rocket which peaked at over 60mph on its way to hitting the back of the Spurs net.
Mahmoud Dahoud – 1.61
Barely seen after the ridiculous red card against Sheffield United in November, the German midfielder only appeared in the Burnley draw and looked lost. Plenty of questions now surrounding his Albion future with De Zerbi recently saying he expected more from Dahoud.
The November Brighton Player Ratings have been formulated through our matchday player scores. To play your part, make sure to follow us on Twitter and leave your post game player ratings in the relevant thread.
