Brentford 0-1 Brighton: Blondie Trossard tops Albion player ratings
When Leandro Trossard has one of his good days, he is a match winner who can decide a Premier League game of football against any opponent. Matthew Benham and his Bees found that out to their cost as the Belgian Blondie topped the player ratings for Brentford 0-1 Brighton.
Brentford dominated much of the contest at their new Community Stadium but – and this will sound very familiar to Albion fans – they were unable to take their chances.
Having gone off at a frantic pace, the Bees then ran out of steam in the final 20 minutes. Brighton finished on top and Trossard picked the opportune moment to score the only goal as the game ticked into stoppage time.
The sports betting stats showed the Bees racking up seven shots, only one of which was on target. The Albion meanwhile had four efforts all afternoon, two of which went in the vague direction of the goal.
Welcome to the Premier League, Brentford, where if you do not take your chances, you get punished. Brighton fans know that better than anyone after last season’s xG nightmare.
Trossard aside, there were several other good performers wearing mint green in West London. Yves Bissouma was his normal busy self, Shane Duffy continued his fine start to the season and Robert Sanchez gave his most confident display of the season so far.
Here are your player ratings for Brentford 0-1 Brighton.
Robert Sanchez – 7.00
Having made his Spain debut during the international break, he returned to Premier League action with his best game of 2021-22. Made some important claims from high balls into the box and his only save of note was a vital one, keeping out Vitaly Jenelt’s effort in time added on at the end of the first half.
Adam Webster – 6.13
Lasted a little over 30 minutes before his hamstring pinged. Bad news for Brighton, not just because it looked bad enough to rule him out for several weeks, but also because we know he is one of those players who once fit again then takes a number of games to shake off the rust and get back up to speed.
Shane Duffy – 7.00
Has his apparent inability to play a pass been overstated? He is no Ben White or Lewis Dunk in that regard, granted. He did though keep possession well and won most of his battles against the dangerous Ivan Toney on his way to being the top Albion defender in the Brentford 0-1 Brighton ratings.
Lewis Dunk – 6.75
Struggled a little in the first half when the Bees were on top, probably not helped by the disruption in the back line caused by Webster’s forced withdrawal. Improved in the second as Brentford began to tire.
Joel Veltman – 6.50
Covered three positions on his first start of the season following a close Covid contact. Began at right wing back, dropped in as part of the back three when Webster departed and then quickly assumed a role as an orthodox right back when Graham Potter sensibly switched from 3-4-1-2 to 4-4-2 to better accommodate Jakub Moder.
Yves Bissouma – 7.50
It is fair to say that Brighton would not have won this without Bissouma. His reading of the game allowed him to break up numerous Brentford attacks from his defensive midfield role and every pass he made once he had gained possession was thought-out and calculated. An absolute joy to watch. Keeping Bissouma was a better piece of summer business than signing a new striker.
Adam Lallana – 6.25
An unusually quiet afternoon for the midfielder which contributed to Brentford being so on top as Brighton had to do without the control he normally brings to proceedings.
Marc Cucurella – 6.38
A solid debut for the £15 million capture from Getafe. The home side’s dominance meant he did not get to show much of what he can do in an attacking sense. Defensively, you could see that Brighton had a much better balance with his natural width in their side, as opposed to the Everton game when Potter used Pascal Gross and Moder as square-pegs-in-round-hole wing backs.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 7.75
The goal was a moment of class as he glided across the edge of the Brentford box, waiting for a window of opportunity to get his shot off. As much as it was a spectacular strike, it was an intelligent one too. It should not be forgotten that he was responsible for Brighton’s best moment in the first half when playing in Danny Welbeck.
Danny Welbeck – 5.75
Looked short of match sharpness on his first start of the season following injury. When he is at his best, the chance which David Raya kept out is normally clinically despatched. Will be better for getting the minutes under his belt.
Neal Maupay – 6.13
Those of us expecting the Frenchman to be fired up against his former club were left a little disappointed. He ended up in a couple of arguments with Brentford players and worked hard throughout, even as he struggled to make many inroads.
Jakub Moder – 6.25
Fresh from giving England the run around in Warsaw on Wednesday night, he played a part in the winner by cleverly feeding the ball into the path of Alexis Mac Allister despite lying on the ground at the time.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6.25
Carving out a niche for himself as a game changer from the bench. Added to his goal in the 2-1 win at Burnley on the opening day with an assist when finding Trossard for the winner. Also came close to scoring himself in a lively 20 minutes on the pitch.
Solly March – 5.38
Replaced Cucurella for the last 10 as Brighton sought to introduce a different threat. He worried Brentford with a couple of runs and the goal eventually arrived from down his side of the pitch.
