Leicester 1-1 Brighton: More late drama puts Welbeck top of the ratings
Imagine if Danny Welbeck was never injured? Actually, don’t – because as his latest impressive player ratings score from Leicester City 1-1 Brighton shows, he would be playing for a bigger and better club than the Albion.
Welbeck entered proceedings for the final 30 minutes at the King Power Stadium as he continues to work his way back to fitness.
In that time, he did enough to take all the plaudits as Brighton’s best player by scoring another late header to rescue a point, just as he had at Chelsea three weeks earlier.
Every goal Dat Guy plunders is the sort of finish no other Seagulls player could provide. He is a genuine gamechanger, a clinical striker who the Albion should do everything they can to tie down to a third year at the Amex before his contract expires at the end of the season.
Welbeck was not the only bloke to impress off the bench, of course. Tariq Lamptey scored the second highest rating for his cameo having been introduced as part of a double change alongside Dat Guy by Swedish rock star Bjon Hamberg, leading the Albion in the absence of the Covid-19 hit Graham Potter and Billy Reid.
With Welbeck and Lamptey on the pitch, Brighton recovered from a sloppy opening hour in which they were second best to finish much the stronger side.
This therefore was one of those games of two halves… kind of. Here are your full Leicester 1-1 Brighton player ratings.
Robert Sanchez – 7.67
That he was the second best goalkeeper on show was only because of the brilliance of Kasper Schmeichel in keeping out Leandro Trossard late on. A couple of big first half saves meant Leicester were not already out of sight before Welbeck and Lamptey arrived to turn the game around.
Joel Veltman – 6.83
Brighton were utterly destroyed in wide areas on their last Premier League visit to the King Power 13 months ago as Leicester ran riot, scoring three times in the first half. That the Foxes had nowhere near as much joy explains why Brighton took a point this time with Veltman doing a seriously underrated job in keeping Harvey Barnes relatively quiet.
Adam Webster – 6.67
His poor ball forward turned possession over to Leicester, leading to the Foxes opening the scoring inside 60 seconds of the second half. A decent enough showing otherwise.
Dan Burn – 7.67
Brighton’s best defender once again. No nonsense at the back and was unlucky not to score in the second half when his header from an Alexis Mac Allister corner was cleared off the line.
Marc Cucurella – 7.00
Leicester had his card marked for the first hour and he struggled to make much impact. It was a different story once Lamptey entered proceedings however, the Foxes suddenly finding themselves stretched in trying to nullify threats down both flanks. That left more space for the wing backs to exploit, something Cucurella did well.
Steve Alzate – 7.50
Has seamlessly stepped into the defensive midfield role left vacant by Yves Bissouma and Adam Lallana. Another strong showing, suggesting that this is the position where his long term future lies after several years of rattling through almost every role on the pitch.
Pascal Gross – 6.83
Got through a lot of unseen work which maybe explains the low rating. Produced one of the best Gross Turns of the season to completely bamboozle the Leicester defence and open up a pocket of space in a dangerous area.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7.00
A busy presence but should have done better in front of goal, especially in light of the fact that he has shown the world how clinical his finishing can be in the 3-2 win at Everton at the beginning of the month.
Jakub Moder – 7.33
Will he ever score a Premier League goal? Fired wastefully over the bar when in a really good position, meaning that he is still yet to break his duck. A typically decent showing otherwise in response to the couple of Poland flags which popped up in the away end.
Leandro Trossard – 7.33
Unlucky not to win it for Brighton late on when his effort was somehow kept out by Schmeichel. Caused Leicester numerous problems and whilst all the attention in terms of players being out of contract is focussing on Bissouma, his deal expiring in the same summer of 2023 must be a slight concern – especially with Barcelona rumoured to be interested.
Neal Maupay – 7.50
Unusually, he never had a clear sight of goal. That did not stop him making a mark on the game however, it being his beautiful right wing cross that was headed in by Welbeck.
Tariq Lamptey – 8.33
His reputation proceeds him. Leicester looked panicked the moment he stepped onto the pitch, highlighting the psychological impact he can still have even when deemed only fit enough to bench. The Foxes’ fear was of course well placed.
DANNY WELBECK . 8.50
The goal we have already covered in the introduction to these Leicester 1-1 Brighton ratings. His half hour was about much more than just the equaliser though, a prominent showing in which he was earlier denied by Schmeichel and asked numerous questions of the tiring home defence.
Solly March – 7.00
It is little wonder Brighton are reluctant to start him when he keeps having such a big impact off the bench. Added to the threat already being posed by Lamptey and Cucurella out wide, including when playing a part in creating those late chances for Burn and Trossard.
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.
