Arsenal 1-2 Brighton: Goal and assist puts magic Mwepu top of ratings
Did we receive a glimpse into the future of the Albion midfield at the Emirates Stadium? Enock Mwepu and Moises Caicedo started a game together for the first time and finished first and second in the WAB Player Ratings for Arsenal 1-2 Brighton.
They were not the only central midfielders on show, of course. Potter crammed five into his starting XI and despite that initially appearing to be a very unbalanced way of going about ending a run of seven games without a win, the decision of the Seagulls boss proved to be spot on.
Pascal Gross, Yves Bissouma and Alexis Mac Allister also started. The performances of Mwepu and Caicedo took the headlines, however.
The Computer assisted Leandro Trossard for the Brighton opener before scoring the second himself from a Caicedo cross.
Goals and assists from midfield have been in short supply throughout the Albion’s stay in the Premier League. All of a sudden, Potter looks like he may have the necessary tools to address that.
There were plenty of other good performances in the win. Robert Sanchez made some vital saves and Leandro Trossard thrived after Potter decided to use him in a wider role than normal.
The Albion needed a bit of luck, VAR ruling out a Gunners effort for a tight offside. The hosts also hit the bar twice in quick succession.
After such a dismal sequence in which little has gone right, the Seagulls were perhaps due a little fortune. Here are your player ratings from Arsenal 1-2 Brighton.
Robert Sanchez – 8.00
Questions have been asked about his performances during the recent losing run. This was a reminder of the talent he possesses, a commanding performance topped off with an outrageous match winning save right at the death when a header from Eddie Nketiah looked destined for the back of the net.
Joel Veltman – 7.78
With Pascal Gross deployed at right wing back, the Albion needed Veltman to be at his best as there was a danger he would not have much help defensively from the Germany playmaker positioned in front of him. Thankfully, the Dutchman continued where he had left off from the 0-0 draw against Norwich with another strong performance.
Lewis Dunk – 7.78
This was the Brighton captain looking somewhere close to his best following a few months of struggles since his return from injury. Made a couple of outstanding blocks and it was his long ball out of defence towards the right channel that turned defence into attack when Trossard opened the scoring.
Marc Cucurella – 7.89
Potter sprang a surprise by using Trossard at left wing back, a role he plays for Belgium but rarely for the Albion. That it was such a success was because of the excellent defensive job done by Cucurella. He still managed to contribute in an attacking sense too, most notably when getting involved with the brilliant passing move that led to the second.
Pascal Gross – 7.11
The lowest scoring Albion player in the Arsenal 1-2 Brighton ratings. That seemed harsh as it did not reflect the fact he was playing out-of-position, where he gave a disciplined performance with some sensible use of possession.
Yves Bissouma – 7.22
His sitting in front of the back three doing the ugly work allowed Mwepu and Caicedo to shine. The trio could form one of the most dynamic midfieldes in the Premier League, so it is a bit of a shame that they will probably only play together over the remaining seven matches before Bissouma is sold in the summer.
Moises Caicedo – 8.22
How about that for a Premier League debut then? Looked like he had been playing at this level for years. The cross from the by-line into a dangerous area to tee up Mwepu for his goal was the sort of early pass to cause problems that the Albion have been sorely missing over recent weeks.
ENOCK MWEPU – 9.00
A fine piece of control followed by a visionary pass to Trossard set up the opening goal. Mwepu then timed his run to perfection to meet Caicedo’s cross with a first time volley clinically despatched past Aaron Ramsdale. He looks like the man to offer goals and assists which have been sorely missing from midfield ever since Brighton reached the Premier League – with the honourable exception of Gross.
Leandro Trossard – 8.00
He has thrived on the left in international football, which makes you wonder why it has taken this long for Potter to stick him out wide. It meant he could drift in almost unnoticed to positions on the edge of the box, which is where his goal came from. A deft little backheel played an underrated part in the second goal too.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7.44
Played a more advanced role in support of Welbeck. That meant he was less influential than normal in terms of getting on the ball and making things happen. Still, he worked hard to ensure that Ben White and co did not have a moment of peace.
Danny Welbeck – 7.11
No chance for him to score on his return to the Emirates Stadium in front of an Arsenal crowd who still clearly hold him in high regard for his five seasons spent with the Gunners. His hold up play was good, exactly what was needed from a lone strike away from home against one of the European Super League Elite Six.
Adam Lallana – 5.89
Potter clearly wanted him on the pitch to take the sting out of the game by slowing things down and being sensible on the ball. Unusually, the control he normally brings was missing.
Tariq Lamptey – 6.00
Introduced initially on the right and then switched to the left after Adam Webster joined the party. His pace might have been useful on the break but Arsenal were well on top during his time on the pitch and so it never really worked like that.
Adam Webster – 5.78
He is back. A late substitute as Brighton went to a back four to try and hold onto the lead. Did some important marking from set pieces at the death when Ramsdale came forward with the aim of sowing chaos and confusion amongst the Albion defence.
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.
