Brighton 3-2 Spurs: Magic Mitoma leads comeback to top ratings

Brighton 3-2 Spurs was the ultimate game of two halves, meaning we have some hugely contrasting player ratings from a famous Albion comeback win.

Those heavily involved in the woeful first half scored low. Chiefly, Bart Verbruggen for the poor piece of goalkeeping which gifted Tottenham their second goal and Ferdi Kadigolu, who was hauled at half time in favour of Pervis Estupinan.

Then you have those who played a significant part in the turnaround. Kaoru Mitoma led the way, setting up two of the three goals whilst also being the main Brighton danger during that brief period when the Albion remembered how to play football in the opening 45 minutes.

He is joined towards the top of the standings by Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck. Both netted during the blistering 18 minute spell in which the Seagull scored three times to leave Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou shell shocked.

It all makes for a very interesting set of Brighton 3-2 Spurs player ratings.

Bart Verbruggen – 4.77

This score does seem a little harsh on the Dutch number one. Yes, he should have done much better when James Maddison’s shot went straight through him. But he redeemed himself with a smart save late on to preserve the Albion’s lead.

Joel Veltman – 6.23

Fabian Hurzeler is clearly a fan judging by the fact Veltman was returned straight to the starting XI after missing the Chelsea defeat with illness. His best moment came when acting like a pantomime villain after pretending to be severely hurt when Maddison pushed him during the first half. It was so comical that referee David Coote booked neither Maddison nor Veltman for their theatrics.

Adam Webster – 5.00

Hurzeler kept faith with Webster following his terrible error at Stamford Bridge. Webster started well enough here but any hopes he had of redeeming himself were cut short after only nine minutes when he limped off with a thigh problem.

Lewis Dunk – 6.23

Shaky in the first half but better in the second. The enforced frequent change of his defensive partner from Jan Paul van Hecke to Webster and now Igor Julio cannot be helping his below-par form so far this season.

Ferdi Kadioglu – 5.15

Left back is supposedly his strongest position. Never really looked like it here as he struggled to match Brennan Johnson both football-wise and physically. Put in a couple of decent deliveries although that was not enough to prevent him being the sacrificial lamb withdrawn at the break.

Jack Hinshelwood – 5.69

Brighton looked a little naïve in midfield during a first half in which the game seemed to totally bypass Hinshelwood. Better in the second. Maybe should have done better when leaping high to head a Mitoma cross off target.

Carlos Baleba – 6.85

Managed to get through 90 minutes without having a brain fade and conceding a needless penalty. Cutting errors like that out of his game will help him live up to the scary amount of potential he has. A good showing on an at-times difficult afternoon.

Yankubu Minteh – 7.23

Best competitive performance in a Brighton shirt so far. Dangerous going forward and capped a good attacking display off with a clinical close range finish to kick start the comeback. One criticism is he could have done more to help Veltman defensively up against Timo Werner. That side of his game though will develop with experience.

Georginio Rutter 8.08

The £40 million man from 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United is getting better every week. Great strength to set himself up for the second Albion goal and assisted the third via a clever sliding tackle turned into a cross. Would have topped the Brighton 3-2 Spurs ratings had Mitoma not been in one of those moods which makes him unplayable.

KAORU MITOMA – 8.23

Simply brilliant. This was the Mitoma of 2022-23, who you always felt capable of making something happen every time he got the ball. Forced Guglielmo Vicario into the only real save the Spurs goalkeeper had to make in the first half and crossed on a plate for Welbeck to put a glorious chance wide. Into the second half and he assisted Minteh and Rutter’s goals.

Danny Welbeck – 7.31

Welbz is Dat Guy. Loves a goal against Spurs and this time it ended up being the winner. If he stays fit and carries on scoring at his current rate, 2024-25 is easily going to be the most prolific season of his long and esteemed football career.

Igor Julio – 6.62

Igor! Igor! Igor! You never know quite what you are going to get with the Brazilian, which naturally makes him a big favourite here at WAB. An early booking after replacing Webster could have caused issues but he saw out the game easily and will now expect a run of matches with Van Hecke and Webster likely to be out for a while.

Pervis Estupinan – 7.38

Brighton were much improved once Estupinan took to the pitch at left back. Provided better support for Mitoma than Kadioglu had and played a part in the second goal.

Julio Enciso – 5.38

Led a couple of breaks to relief pressure on the Albion defence as Spurs pushed for a late equaliser. He did, however, lose the ball in one dangerous position. Decision making remains a real problem.

Mats Wieffer – 5.85

Quite a few people were concerned when Baleba was taken off and Wieffer came on. The midfielder was solid enough, helping Brighton see out the victory.

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.