Chelsea 1-0 Brighton: Lamptey leads ratings on return to the Bridge
Brighton were distinctly average in their 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea and that leads to set of distinctly average player ratings… apart from Tariq Lamptey.
The starman playing on the right marked his return to Stamford Bridge with a fine performance, showcasing both his defensive and attacking abilities.
Whisper it quietly and touch a lot of wood at the same time, but Lamptey appears to be getting back to his best before all those injury problems.
His was the one score above a seven whilst Jan Paul van Hecke and substitutes Billy Gilmour and Jack Hinshelwood were the only other players to get above a six.
Here are your Chelsea 1-0 Brighton players ratings.
Bart Verbruggen – 5.67
No repeat of the cock up which gifted Plucky Little Bournemouth a goal at the Amex on Saturday. Verbruggen looked super composed with the ball at his feet, making it even more hilarious that every kick Robert Sanchez took in the first half seemed to fly out of play. Went onto make an excellent save from Nicolas Jackson after the break.
TARIQ LAMPTEY – 7.00
One sliding tackle on Mykhaylo Mudryk prevented what probably would have been a goal for the Ukrainian winger. Lamptey should have had an assist up the other end, delivering the cross into the box late on which Joao Pedro volleyed wastefully over the bar from close range.
Jan Paul van Hecke – 6.67
Made some important interventions on Jackson in particular, earning him second spot in the Chelsea 1-0 Brighton ratings after Lamptey. The Albion needed leadership in defence with no Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Joel Veltman or James Milner and he duly provided it.
Igor Julio – 5.33
One who obviously needs time to adjust to the unique demands of DeZerbiBall, although he looked much more convincing than last week when AEK Athens scored three times at the Amex.
Pervis Estupinan – 5.33
Became the first Ecuadorian to captain Brighton when entrusted with the armband. Chelsea had done their homework and managed to keep him more quiet than most opponents so far this season.
Mahmoud Dahoud – 5.00
Put a couple of hard challenges on Moises Caicedo which obviously delighted the 4,300 strong away end. A spectacular air kick when in a very good shooting position early in the second half summed up the Albion’s evening nicely.
Carlos Baleba – 5.33
Covered plenty of ground on his full Brighton debut and clearly reads the game well. His best moment came when he dispossessed Caciedo, leading to a glorious chance badly squandered by Ansu Fati.
Facundo Buonanotte – 4.00
The first half against Bournemouth suggested he is not a right winger and the opening 45 minutes here backed that up. Better when moved centrally and certainly not deserving of the heavy criticism coming his way. Remember how poor Julio Enciso looked at times when first arriving in England before it all came together in April?
Ansu Fati – 4.33
Hauled at half time in a pre-planned substitution. When Brighton announced the signing of Barcelona’s number 10, nobody could have imagined him producing the sort of miss whilst in the stripes which would make Billy Paynter blush.
Kaoru Mitoma – 5.67
Started brightly only to fade as the second half wore on. With bigger fish to fry than the Carabao Cup, it was not a shock when Mitoma was take off on 64 minutes. The only surprise was that Roberto De Zerbi did not opt for a like-for-like change with Simon Adingra.
Joao Pedro – 5.33
A lot of fun to watch… but when you pay £30 million for a forward, you kind of expect them to be able to score the first half chance he missed when Sanchez was caught out to leave the goal gaping.
Solly March – 5.00
His half time introduction in place of Fati allowed Buonanotte to become marginally more effective through the middle. Denied an equaliser when his diving header was kept out by Sanchez, although March was probably secretly relieved as it meant the game did not go to penalties.
Billy Gilmour – 6.00
Had a point to prove against the club who allowed him to join Brighton for a knock down fee of £9 million last summer. Busy in midfield and tried to get things moving with limited success.
Danny Welbeck – 5.33
Scored off the bench on his last two visits to Stamford Bridge, helping Brighton to four points. There was no repeat of those heroics on this occasion.
Jack Hinshelwood – 6.00
A lot to like about him and not just because his dad scored the greatest own goal in Albion history on Boxing Day 2008 when Colchester United came to Withdean.
Adam Lallana – 5.67
Did not offer much once he came on.
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.
