Forest 2-3 Brighton: Valiant Van Hecke tops player ratings
Jan Paul van Hecke, future Albion captain? The young Dutch defender looked every bit a leader as he topped the Nottingham Forest 2-3 Brighton player ratings after helping nurse the 10 men Seagulls to a first Premier League win in seven.
Van Hecke was exceptional enough through the first 73 minutes. But once Lewis Dunk was sent off, he stepped up another level with a mature display which guided a makeshift back four featuring Pascal Gross, Joel Veltman and Jack Hinshelwood through to the final whistle.
Joining Van Hecke in scoring higher than eight was Joao Pedro, whose two goals from the bench ensured the Albion’s longest run without a victory of the De Zerbi era came to an end.
Here are your Nottingham Forest 2-3 Brighton player ratings.
Bart Verbruggen – 7.14
Ronald Koeman crowned Verbruggen as his Netherlands number one in the international break. Made a strong case that he should have the same status at Brighton rather than De Zerbi rotating his goalkeepers with a fine stop in the final minutes from Ryan Yates which secured the three points.
Joel Veltman – 7.00
Lost Anthony Elanga for the Forest opener with only three minutes played but did well after that. The role he played when moved to centre back alongside Van Hecke probably deserves more credit than it has received.
JAN PAUL VAN HECKKE – 8.86
Such a cool and calm performance in the midst of a game which was otherwise total chaos. Watch him and you would think he has over 300 Premier League appearances to his name, rather than this being just his 16th top flight match. His presence will be much needed with Dunk now suspended.
Lewis Dunk – 5.57
Before the 73rd minute, Dunk would have been on course to top the Forest 2-3 Brighton ratings. Then he called referee Anthony Taylor either a bald prick or a bellend, picking up a straight red card and putting his side in a ridiculously difficult position. Had the Albion ended up drawing or losing, it would have been totally on Dunk.
Tariq Lamptey – 5.14
Yes, there was a paucity of left back options. But to throw a bloke with Lamptey’s injury record into the starting XI more than seven weeks after he last kicked a ball in a competitive game was always asking for trouble. Lasted 35 minutes before limping off and managed in that time to be caught miles up the pitch when Morgan Gibbs-White crossed for the first Forest goal.
Pascal Gross – 7.57
Gross was one alternative to fill the left back role both from the start and then when Lamptey was withdrawn. De Zerbi’s decision to keep Der Kaiser in midfield was justified though as he claimed two assists. Probably deserves a better score than 7.57 in the Forest 2-3 Brighton ratings.
Billy Gilmour – 6.00
The way Forest lined up meant Gilmour and Gross could have been overrun in the middle. An intelligent, disciplined display helped ensure the Albion were able to dominate possession once that nightmare start was out of the way.
Simon Adingra – 6.29
A different 90 minutes of work compared to some of his recent eye catching attacking performances. Adingra did his fair share of defending, showcasing why he was used as a left wing back on occasions by Union Saint-Gilloise last season. Could he fill the left back role with every other possible option injured?
Adam Lallana – 5.43
Hauling Lallana at half time was a sensible move by De Zerbi as he almost certainly would have joined the lengthy injury list had he tried to go beyond an hour. A quiet yet effective 45 minutes.
Ansu Fati – 5.14
Given a rare opportunity to play in the left wing role he has spent most of his time at Barcelona fulfilling. Went off injured just past the 20 minute work having had little chance to make an impression.
Evan Ferguson – 7.29
A trademark clinical finish to draw Brighton level with his only shot on target. Aside from the goal, he did everything else you want from a striker in terms of holding the ball up and linking the play.
Joao Pedro – 8.29
Fati going off so early in the game worked out well for Brighton as it meant Pedro entering proceedings. One bullet header and a successfully converted penalty helped win the day for Brighton.
Jack Hinshelwood – 5.14
Looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights when he was first introduced out-of-position at left back. Grew into the role as the game went on, especially after Dunk saw red.
Facundo Buonanotte – 5.86
According to the statistics, Buonanotte touched the ball just 16 times after taking over from Lallana. Nobody could fault his work rate, however, as he put in a real shift in the last 20 minutes.
Carlos Baleba – 5.29
Added some much needed energy into a tiring team when coming into midfield as part of the tactical rejig forced upon De Zerbi by Dunk getting sent off.
Jakub Moder – 6.00
Who gives a shit what Moder scored in the player ratings? Just fantastic to see him back on the pitch again after 19 months out and two ACL surgeries.
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.
