Brighton 1-1 Man City: Wonder goal jumps Julio to top of ratings
One of the cleanest, best strikes of a football you will ever see from Julio Enciso earned Brighton a 1-1 draw with champions Man City and took the 19-year-old from Paraguay to the top of the player ratings.
They say a picture is worth one thousand words and in this case, that is very much true. Watch Enciso’s goal back via the camera capturing the moment from behind and you see the reactions of City fans in the South Stand.
These range from one bloke who starts clapping before the ball has even hit the back of the net, to another who actually celebrates it going in. Mouths are wide open agog, hands are on heads in disbelief… hang it in the Louvre.
The visiting support were not the only ones impressed with Enciso. Pep Guardiola delayed his post-match press conference so he could watch the goal back, before embarking on more gushing praise of the Albion and Roberto De Zerbi.
And De Zerbi and his players deserved all those kind words and more. They went toe-to-toe with the best team in the world, outplaying them at times in one of the most entertaining 90 minutes of football you will ever see.
Needless to say, that means some pretty high player ratings from Brighton 1-1 Man City – not just for Enciso, but everyone in blue and white.
Jason Steele – 8.00
Timed a one-on-one intervention with Erling Haaland to perfection, saving bravely at the feet of the record breaking striker. Made some other important saves, whilst his passing range got more of a showcasing than normal as Guardiola pressed high and marked the two centre backs whenever Steele had the ball at his feet.
Pascal Gross – 7.78
Der Kapitan in the absence of Lewis Dunk. Phil Foden gave him a defensive test in the first half and no doubt Gross was relieved to see the England international depart shortly after the break. Despite this, he still managed to throw in at least three Gross Turns to the very obvious delight of everyone inside the Amex.
Jan Paul van Hecke – 8.44
Has struggled in the Premier League this season, so this felt like a coming-of-age performance as he coped superbly with Haaland. There was one outrageously cheeky drag back under pressure in his own box which has since gone viral. Will clearly get more playing time next season because of the Albion’s Europa League commitments, making it interesting to see what happens with him this summer.
Levi Colwill – 8.11
Spent most of the first half tracking Kevin De Bruyne, just as he had when following Martin Odegaard around as Brighton won 3-0 at Arsenal. Had no qualms in getting pulled a long way out of defence by De Bruyne, even using his more advanced position as a reason to join in attacks. It was his pass which set up Enciso for that screamer.
Pervis Estupinan – 8.22
Riyad Mahrez is normally good for a goal whenever Brighton play Man City, yet he did not score in this 1-1 draw and that is reflected with Estupinan achieving the third highest score in the player ratings. Another swashbuckling display at left back bettered by only Enciso and Van Hecke.
Moises Caicedo – 7.78
De Zerbi opted for Gross at right back and Caicedo in midfield on this occasion to give the Albion more speed against City’s playmakers. His task in trying to keep tabs with De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva meant he was not as prominent as normal but this was still a fine display.
Billy Gilmour – 7.89
Another really impressive display, the sort of which we are surely going to see more of next season if Alexis Mac Allister and/or Caicedo depart. Neat, tidy and tested Stefan Ortega with a drive from distance.
Facundo Buonanotte – 7.89
His best game in a Brighton shirt so far. Glided around effortlessly with the ball, including one jinking run which took him past three City players for a shot well saved by Ortega. He seems to thrive against less physical sides currently, which is to be expected for an 18-year-old new to the rough-and-tumble of English football.
JULIO ENCISO – 9.00
Enciso. 30 yards out. Top corner postage stamp. Nothing more needs to be said.
Kaoru Mitoma – 7.78
Came up against a rare right back who could match him for pace in Kyle Walker. Mitoma had the wherewithal to realise he was not going to do Walker for speed and this meant a measured, intelligent performance in which he looked to move the ball on rather than run at the City defence.
Danny Welbeck – 7.78
Worked his socks off up top, linking the play brilliantly as an integral part to why Brighton were able to cut through City in a way no other team normally manages. Deserved a goal and he almost had one with a 25 yard free kick curled beautifully over the wall which Ortega was grateful to see cannon against the crossbar.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7.00
A run out from the bench for the World Cup winner on what might have been his finally appearance in a Brighton shirt at the Amex with Liverpool and City considering a summer bid for his services. Helped the Albion dominate the closing stages and was afforded a good reception from the home crowd at full time.
Evan Ferguson – 7.00
Almost scored with his first touch via a snapshot from a tight angle which required Ortega to make his best save of the evening. Not as effective as Welbeck leading the line but still gave a decent account of himself.
Joel Veltman – 7.00
City substitute Cole Palmer became increasingly influential following Veltman’s introduction at right back with Gross pushed into midfield. The dependable Dutchman put himself in some good attacking positions up the line.
Deniz Undav – 6.67
Struggled to make much impact after a few weeks of much improved performances. No shame in that as he was only on the pitch a short time and playing against the champions. Expect more to come from a happier Undav next season. Depending on what Brighton do striker-wise in the summer transfer window, of course.
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.
