Brighton 3-1 Bournemouth: Magic Mitoma tops players ratings
Kaoru Mitoma needed just 15 seconds to put himself on his way to topping the Brighton 3-1 Plucky Little Bournemouth player ratings.
That was all it took following his introduction as a half time substitute for the Japanese Bullet Train to get on the scoresheet with the first goal of a brace which earned the Albion three points and moved them up to third in the Premier League table.
Roberto De Zerbi made nine changes from the Seagulls starting XI who faced AEK Athens on Thursday night. This though was not so much a selection process picked using a roulette wheel from National Casino as Glow Up Graham Potter used to be fond of, but a calculated gamble based on an intense fixture list.
A poor first half performance was reflective that the gamble did not pay off. All is well that ends well, however, and De Zerbi rectifying his mistakes with the introductions of Mitoma and Ansu Fati to inject a bit more pace turned the game in favour of the Seagulls.
Here are your Brighton 3-1 Bournemouth player ratings.
Bart Verbruggen – 5.92
Claimed a lovely assist for the Cherries goal when dallying in possession before giving the ball away, allowing Dominic Solanke to lob into an empty net. Stuff like that happening is always likely with the way Brighton play and Verbruggen did partly redeem himself with a couple of strong saves in the final 10 minutes.
Joel Veltman – 6.92
Another game which evidenced how much tighter the defence looks with him at right back. A steadying presence and one of the few players who actually seemed to want the ball from Verbruggen during the pedestrian first half.
Adam Webster – 6.42
A solid enough defensive performance on his first Premier League start since the West Ham debacle. Had a role to play in the equaliser with a blocked shot which eventually made its way to Billy Gilmour, whose cross was headed into his own goal by Milos Kerkez.
Lewis Dunk – 7.58
Refuted the audible frustrations of the crowd when the Albion were unable to draw the Bournemouth press. That showed exemplary leadership. Made one goal line clearance when the Cherries thought they were going to score with the rebound from an excellent one-handed Verbruggen stop.
Pervis Estupinan – 7.17
Showed his worth at both ends in the second half, delivering a peach or a cross for Mitoma to head home the third before making an absolutely outrageous sliding block as Bournemouth summoned the final chance of the match.
Mahmoud Dahoud – 6.33
Needs to better stamp his authority on games but there are always enough bright moments to showcase he has the talent to become an important player. The little flick which got Mitoma in for the second Brighton goal was sublime.
Billy Gilmour – 8.33
Would have deservedly topped the Brighton 3-1 Bournemouth ratings were it not for Mitoma’s magic. The whipped ball into the box which forced Kerkez into that fabulous own goal on the stroke of half time provided the platform for the Albion to launch their second half comeback.
Facundo Buonanotte – 5.00
Buonanotte being in the starting XI was the biggest surprise De Zerbi dropped. Failed to take the opportunity, making way at half time for Mitoma.
Danny Welbeck – 5.92
De Zerbi gave Welbeck at number 10 behind Ferguson another chance but yet again it did not really work. Better once moved up top in the second half, where he provided more of a focal point for the Albion to get the ball to and linked play nicely.
Simon Adingra – 6.92
Looked at times like he did not know what he was going to next which makes him dangerously unpredictable to defend against. One of the most notable improvers after the break.
Evan Ferguson – 5.08
Was a little off the pace in his first start since being sent home from international duty injured. Hauled at half time in a reminder that even the most talented of teenagers can and do suffer with inconsistency.
KAORU MITOMA – 8.58
One goal born from his speed and ability to ghost past defenders and the other via his aerial threat which remains a seriously underrated part of his game. A single-handed match winner.
Ansu Fati – 7.75
Set the tone for what was to come in the second half by chasing Bournemouth down to gain possession for the Albion straight from kick off. A live wire off the bench who like Mitoma made a real impact.
Joao Pedro – 7.50
Did his best to help Brighton hunt for further goals, finding some decent spaces from where he looked to make things happen.
Carlos Baleba – 8.00
A short but sweet cameo gave Albion fans their first glimpse of the £25 million replacement for Moises Caicedo. Baleba appears more of an Yves Bissouma on this evidence, powerfully winning the ball back twice in quick succession in the build up to the third goal.
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.
