Brighton 0-0 Norwich: Mac Allister tops ratings in scoreless show
Another game without so much as a goal – let alone a win – might lead you to suspect that we would be in for another set of low player ratings from Brighton 0-0 Norwich City.
The Albion’s failure to beat the Premier League’s bottom club was indeed a disappointment. Most Seagulls supporters agreed that the Canaries were the worst side who have visited the Amex in Brighton’s current spell as a top flight club, and yet still Graham Potter could not mastermind a victory.
Performance-wise though, it was not a terrible afternoon. Brighton racked up 31 shots in a dominant display. The problem being that only four of those were on target and only one seriously worked ex-Albion goalkeeper Tim Krul in the Norwich goal.
With a clinical striker, Brighton would have won. They would have also won if Potter had remembered that Neal Maupay is not very good at penalties and therefore nominated a more suitable taker, instead of allowing the Frenchman to send his first half spot kick hurtling towards the International Space Station.
Maupay finishes bottom of the player ratings as a result. At the other end of the scale, Alexis Mac Allister and Joel Veltman impressed, whilst there was an enjoyable cameo off the bench from Jeremy Sarmiento. We had almost forgotten what pace and a willingness to run with the ball looked like.
Here are your full player ratings from Brighton 0-0 Norwich City.
Robert Sanchez – 6.36
Norwich setting their stall out to defend until the final 10 minutes when they became a little more adventurous meant he had very little to do. One commanding and confident collection of a corner in the second half was a world way from an utter flap at a routine cross in the first.
Tariq Lamptey – 6.27
More of an attacking force than he has been in recent weeks despite Potter’s insistence on continuing with a back four. Still not the threat he was in the first half of the campaign and it is hard to see that changing until the Albion revert to a back three with wing backs.
Joel Veltman – 7.45
That a centre back had Brighton’s best chance against a Norwich side who have leaked 63 goals this season says everything about where the problem lies. Veltman’s fellow Dutchman Krul denied him a goal via an outrageous save. At the other end, he made an important first half intervention from a rare Canaries attack.
Lewis Dunk – 7.09
Got himself in a spot of bother when Temmu Pukki teed up Milot Rashica for the visitors’ only chance of note. Other than that it was a solid enough display with more minutes now under his belt to help shake the rust after that long injury layoff.
Marc Cucurella – 6.91
Like Lamptey down the other flank, he was able to take advantage of Norwich’s complete lack of ambition to get forward on a number of occasions. His best game for a while.
Pascal Gross – 6.55
No surprise that Brighton found themselves creating so many chances when they were able to get Gross on the ball frequently. His cross earned the penalty and he kept possession well whilst often looking for a forward pass. That is something of a rarity in this Albion team currently.
ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER – 7.64
Thank the Lord that the knee injury he picked up during March international duty was not as serious as first feared. An industrious presence in terms of winning the ball back as well as getting into some promising positions to shoot. Only one of his countless efforts hit the target, but at least he was willing to have a go.
Leandro Trossard – 6.00
A score of only six seems a little harsh on The Vampire of Genk. He set up two good opportunities for Maupay and caused Norwich more than a few headaches with his trickery and ability to pop up in pockets of space, despite the Canaries’ deep sitting defence.
Solly March – 5.55
Again, not quite sure how he has scored so low. Willing to take opponents on to get into decent crossing positions. He was also happy to sit back when Cucurella fancied a charge up the pitch in what was a promising partnership between the two down the left.
Danny Welbeck – 5.27
His hold up play was decent but when the Albion record 31 shots, you want Dat Guy to be chipping in with a decent percentage of them as one of the few players Brighton have who can finish. That he barely had a sniff of goal was troubling.
Neal Maupay – 5.00
Oh, Neal! He finishes bottom of the Brighton 0-0 Norwich player ratings because of that terrible penalty miss. Potter deserves to take most of the blame however, having put Maupay on taker duties when his record is questionable at best and Trossard and Mac Allister both scored their most recent spot kicks.
Enock Mwepu – 5.36
His first touch was a heavy one and he struggled to make much impact if truth be told. Not ideal when Potter had decided to substitute his top scorer to get The Computer on the pitch when the Albion were in desperate need of a goal.
Jeremy Sarmiento – 7.09
A fearless cameo gives the teenager the joint-third highest score in the Brighton 0-0 Norwich ratings. Did radical things like running at opponents and playing at pace. Make the most of it; Potter will coach that sort of thing out of him before too long.
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.
