Brighton 2-1 Man City: Baleba tops ratings from the bench

Fabian Hurzeler got his substitutions spot on as Brighton came from behind to beat Man City 2-1, meaning it is no surprise to see the top three spots in our WAB Player Ratings occupied by individuals who started the evening on the bench.

Carlos Baleba was absolutely magnificent following his half time introduction. He helped the Albion establish a foothold in midfield to become the dominant side. It was some turnaround from the opening 30 minutes in which Brighton mustered only around 20 percent possession.

Joao Pedro returned from injury to net the equaliser and then set up Matt O’Riley for the winner. Pedro had come on just a few minutes earlier than O’Riley, who enjoyed some Premier League debut scoring against the four-in-a-row champions of England.

Here are your Brighton 2-1 Man City player ratings.

Bart Verbruggen – 8.39

Three important first saves without which Manchester City could have been out of sight before the break. Those interventions provided the foundations for the Albion to come from behind and shock the sportswashers.

Joel Veltman – 7.33

The experience and nous of Veltman is always so important in games against the European Super League Elite Six. Shackled Matheus Nunes well.

Jan Paul van Hecke – 8.39

It was when marking Erling Haaland out of the game during Brighton 1-1 City at the Amex in May 2023 that Van Hecke made an important breakthrough in his Albion career. Enjoyed another fascinating battle with the Norwegian international here. You know a player has had a good game when he is singled out by Pep Guardiola afterwards, as happened when the bald City boss and Van Hecke were involved in a lengthy and heated exchange on the pitch.

Igor Julio – 8.44

Igor! Igor! Igor! The Brazilian defender has gone from being derided as “a Roberto De Zerbi signing” by some fans and journalists to playing so well over the past month that Lewis Dunk might not get his place back when he returns from injury.

Pervis Estupinan – 7.56

A game of two halves for Estupinan. Somebody opted to score Estupinan a 2 for his first 45 minutes and a 10 for his second. A vibrant attacking threat after the break who caused plenty of problems, particularly when his pinpoint cross was headed too close to Ederson by Jack Hinshelwood.

Jack Hinshelwood – 6.78

Should have done better with that header but otherwise gave a composed display. He has probably been marked down slightly due to the impact Baleba and O’Riley made as a new-look midfield partnership in the second half.

Yasin Ayari – 5.83

Went from sublime at Anfield last week to struggling here, meaning he picked up the lowest score in the Brighton 2-1 Man City ratings. Booked for wrestling Foden after only 18 minutes which left him treading a tightrope for the remainder of the half before he was replaced by Baleba at the break.

Simon Adingra – 6.22

Injury to Ferdi Kadoioglu gave Adingra a starting opportunity on the right. Made no impact as the Albion tended to direct their attacks through Mitoma down the other flank.

Georginio Rutter – 6.78

A quiet game compared to his recent performances. Mateo Kovacic did a fine job in keeping Rutter quiet, suggesting Guardiola had singled out Brighton’s record buy for special attention.

Kauro Mitoma – 7.94

Not often you see Kyle Walker struggling to keep pace or cope with the trickery of a left winger. Mitoma grew into the contest to give the England international a right headache. Showed great tenacity to cross at the second attempt in the build up to Pedro’s equaliser.

Danny Welbeck – 7.50

Welbz is Dat Guy. Managed to do enough to prevent any of three City defenders clearing that Mitoma cross, allowing Pedro to pick up the pieces and smash home. In terms of chances of his own, one first half effort was blocked and he bent a free kick into the side netting for the second week running.

CARLOS BALEBA – 9.50

Changed the game by turning over possession in midfield and getting the Albion onto the front foot. A powerhouse performance which mixed the best qualities of Yves Bissouma and Moises Caicedo.

Matt O’Riley – 8.72

A Premier League debut which was a total contrast to his Brighton debut. Having lasted less than 10 minutes against Crawley Rugby Club thanks to a horror tackle requiring ankle surgery, O’Riley made up for lost time by scoring his first Albion goal on his first league appearance. He has worked hard to get back so quickly and this was a deserved reward.

Joao Pedro – 8.94

Looked a little rusty initially when bursting through and putting a one-on-one off target. But that was soon forgotten with a powerful poacher’s finish for the equaliser. Followed up by slipping in O’Riley for the winner. Goal and an assist on your first appearance in nearly two months is good going.

Brajan Gruda – 6.56

Offered a little more than Adingra when he came on at right wing. Baleba though had already become so dominant in midfield that the Albion were by now starting to play through City, giving even more reason to ignore the right flank.

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.