Brighton 2-0 Watford: Ratings show how much Bissouma is worth to Albion
How Yves Bissouma is still a Brighton player is a genuine mystery but he surely cannot remain one for much longer if he keeps turning in performances like the one delivered in the Albion’s 2-0 win over Watford which saw him top the player ratings.
Every man in blue and white was excellent and nobody in the starting XI walked away with a rating lower than a seven. And yet in such a good team display, Bissouma still managed to look head and shoulders above anyone else. That takes some doing.
His role in the Albion’s second goal was Bissouma at his very best. He pressed and dispossessed Tom Cleverley before playing a perfect through ball to release Neal Maupay who doubled the advantage.
In seconds, Bissouma had turned defence into attack with devastating consequences. How many other players in the Premier League can do that?
Not many is the answer and that is why it makes no sense that a Liverpool, an Arsenal, a Manchester City or a Manchester United have not blown Tony Bloom’s mind with an offer that he cannot ignore.
Anyway, you do not need telling how good Bissouma is so let us crack on with your Brighton 2-0 Watford player ratings.
Robert Sanchez – 6.52
Dealt well enough with the only save he had to make in the second half. One misplaced pass nearly caused a problem in the first half and he has not looked as assured in the opening two games of the campaign as he did last season. Still kept a clean sheet, mind.
Adam Webster – 8.14
Showed that he can play on the right after last week’s first half debacle at Burnley. Excellent reading of the game defensively allowed him to make a couple of key blocks and he strode forward with purpose when he had the ball at his feet.
Shane Duffy – 8.24
The renaissance continues. In most weeks, a score of 8.24 would be enough to top the player ratings but the presence of Bissouma means that King Shane has to settle for second spot – although he can console himself with winning the less-prestigious sponsor’s man-of-the-match award. Scored a towering header at one end and defended like his life depended on it at the other. Get that man a Guinness.
Lewis Dunk – 7.48
It says much about how brilliant Webster and Duffy were that they outshone a player as good as Dunk. His highlight was the second half chest back to Sanchez which is fast becoming his trademark move.
Solly March – 7.86
This actually seems like a harsh score given that he was playing as an orthodox left back and had to deal with Ismaïla Sarr, who had caused Matt Targett so many problems in Watford’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa the previous week that the left back had to be hauled at half time. March was rumoured to be in contention for an England spot before injury last season and more performances like this will surely have him in Gareth Southgate’s thinking again.
Pascal Gross – 7.86
Another assist for Gross as his corner in was headed home by Duffy. A personal highlight of fans being back in stadiums was hearing a loud HOORAYYYYYYYYY every time we bore witness to a Gross Turn, which was on more than one occasion.
YVES BISSOUMA – 9.14
A club like Brighton having a genuinely world class player happens rarely. Enjoy him whilst you can, because he is going to go right to the very top of the game.
Adam Lallana – 7.62
What has undoubtedly helped Bissouma’s astonishing development over the past year has been the presence of Adam Lallana at Brighton. The former Liverpool midfielder linked play together, found spaces others could not and looked like a real leader on the pitch in his first appearance in front of a full(ish) Amex.
Leandro Trossard – 7.10
Began the game like a bull in a china shop and might have even scored inside of 10 seconds. Faded after that bright start but it did not matter as his teammates got the job done, unlike last season when the general rule of thumb was that Trossard had to play well for Brighton to play well.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7.57
He may be a creative number 10 but he is not afraid to help out defensively, something which was important when Watford enjoyed a spell of domination in the second half. Produced one lovely flick back into the area after a Gross shot was saved, only for no Albion player to be in the box to get on the end of it.
Neal Maupay – 8.10
An absolute nightmare for Watford to deal with. His goal was richly deserved and came from the sort of opportunity he would have sent flying towards the Rampian Wind Farm last season rather than the top corner. Hopefully, the shoulder injury which forced him off at half time is not too serious as he is in fine form.
Aaron Connolly – 5.86
Played the second half following Maupay’s withdrawal. Bottom of the Brighton 2-0 Watford player ratings, probably as a result of a typically poor miss as he hit the stanchion when front and centre of the goal with only Daniel Bachmann to beat. He did okay other than that, especially as he is not exactly the type of player you associate as being suitable for a lone striker role.
Enock Mwepu – 5.86
He looks to have an impressive engine on him as he covered a lot of ground, working box-to-box in his 20 minutes on the pitch. Hard to judge though, so fingers crossed he gets a run out at Cardiff City in the Camila Cabello Cup on Tuesday night so we can see what he is all about.
Jakub Moder – 5.90
Not quite sure how he has managed to finish higher in the Brighton 2-0 Watford ratings for 10 minutes work than Connolly and Mwepu for but such is life.
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.
