Brighton 3-3 Wolves: Propper good performance sees Davy top the ratings
If you are looking for a clue as to how Brighton & Hove Albion somehow turned around a 3-1 deficit to draw 3-3 with Wolves, then perhaps our playing ratings can help.
Top of the charts for the first time this season was a certain David Petrus Wenceslaus Henri Propper. The Dutch international had been a half time introduction and with him on the pitch, the Albion exerted almost total control over proceedings thanks to a midfield masterclass.
Propper has struggled with injury and illness so far this season as well as Graham Potter curiously deciding to overlook him. This was a reminder that when fit, Propper is Brighton’s second best central midfielder after Yves Bissouma. He is certainly a miles better option than playing Ben White there.
Ah yes, Potter was up to his normal selection tricks again. This time, the roulette wheel landed on starting five centre backs with White and Joel Veltman the lucky men who were chosen to play out-of-position.
It was another central defender in Dan Burn who had the toughest evening of all. An own goal and a penalty given away helped him towards a score of 2.60, the lowest player rating we have had so far in the 2020-21 season. To eclipse the score recorded by Neal Maupay when he missed a penalty and subbed himself off injured against Liverpool is some achievement.
As for the rest, well here are your player ratings for Brighton 3-3 Wolves.
Robert Sanchez – 5.50
Wolves had four shots on target and three of them went in. The young goalkeeper could not do much about the first goal or the penalty, but his parrying of Pedro Neto’s shot back into the danger area caused it to hit Burn and bounce in for an own goal. A more experienced number one ensures the ball does not end up in harm’s way from his save and that is probably why Sanchez was the second lowest rated Albion player after Burn.
Adam Webster – 7.45
Continued his recent good form with another fine performance on the right side of the back three. Played a part in Aaron Connolly’s opener when stepping out of defence with possession and was unlucky not score himself with a second half header which rattled the crossbar.
Lewis Dunk – 7.65
After being quite a way below his best in the opening months of the season, the Brighton captain has really stepped things up a notch since Christmas. He was solid at the back and popped up with a captain’s goal for the equaliser, showing real willingness to meet Leandro Trossard’s corner with a bullet header to haul his side level.
Dan Burn – 2.60
One of those games that we will be talking about for years, ala Colin Hawkins against Stockport County in 2009. Scored an own goal from a corner he had needlessly given away and then conceded a penalty, leaving him just a red card away from the Grand Slam. In fairness to Burn, you do have to question Potter’s part in at all after the Brighton boss moved Solly March to the right wing, Trossard to the left and stuck Burn at left back to defend one-on-one against Adama Traore. A mental piece of management.
Joel Veltman – 5.70
The Netherlands international is never going to offer the threat of Tariq Lamptey down the right. He delivered some decent crosses and gave a hardworking performance, but is clearly much better suited to playing as part of a back four.
Ben White – 6.20
As Burn struggled to cope, the misery was made all the worse by the fact that Potter was choosing to play one of the highest rated young centre backs in the country in central midfield. White then ended the game by playing at left back for the final 20 minutes as he notched up his 19th different position of the season. The short sleeves and gloves look was however a real triumph.
Yves Bissouma – 5.65
Brighton 3-3 Wolves saw the Malian international score under 6 in the player ratings for only the second time this season after the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion in October. An early booking hamstrung him somewhat and means he misses the trip to Manchester City through suspension. With his effectiveness blunted by that yellow, Potter sensibly hauled him at the break for Propper.
Solly March – 6.15
Had a couple of probing runs but he could never really get into his rhythm once Potter began tinkering with things. Why he was initially moved to the right wing when his defensive skills could have really helped Burn in dealing with Traore is a question than only Potter can answer.
Leandro Trossard – 6.40
His best game for some time was probably deserving of a higher rating. Set up Connolly’s opener and Dunk’s equaliser and were it not for a ridiculously soft foul being awarded against him in the build up to a rasping drive which beat Rui Patricio, we would be sat here describing him as the Albion’s match winner.
Aaron Connolly – 6.65
Notched his first goal at the Amex since October 2019 when getting to Trossard’s cross ahead of Patricio and would have sewn up Goal of the Season had his overhead kick not been straight at the Wolves goalkeeper. Limped off at half time with a hamstring problem which will probably rule him out for a couple of weeks, another badly timed injury given his performance.
Neal Maupay – 6.75
We know he is a confidence player and after a troubling spell through October and November, he looks to have some of that old verve back. Won the penalty and then had the testicular fortitude to take it himself, striking the ball straight down the middle for his sixth of the season.
DAVY PROPPER – 7.80
An excellent 45 minutes once introduced as he topped the player ratings and helped turn the scoreline from Brighton 1-3 Wolves at half time to Brighton 3-3 Wolves at the final whistle. Kept the ball moving, constantly looked to get Brighton on the front foot and did his fair share of defending too to recover possession. Potter has to start him from now on.
Andi Zeqiri – 5.75
The important thing to remember about Zeqiri is he is a 21-year-old centre forward who has arrived from the Swiss second tier. He was never going to come straight in and start scoring goals, although you might expect him to not clear the bar when two yards out. Still, he put himself about and used his physique to win a few headers, instantly marking himself out as something different to Brighton’s roster of hobbit-sized strikers.
Adam Lallana – 6.05
Several nice touches as he was introduced for the final 20 minutes with the Albion hunting down a win. As a midfield pairing, him and Propper oozed class. Potter could do a lot worse than deploy them in tandem with Bissouma just behind in the second half of the season.
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.
