Leicester 2-2 Brighton: The Computer scores and tops the player ratings

For the second game running, a substitute sits at the top of the WAB tree. Following in the footsteps of Tariq Lamptey against Manchester City, Enock Mwepu headed the player ratings for 45 minutes work as Brighton exited the League Cup on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Leicester City.

Mwepu was introduced at half time for the injured Dan Burn and not even missing the decisive spot kick in the shoot out could prevent The Computer claiming the mantle of Albion man-of-the-match.

Danny Ward may have kept out Mwepu’s penalty, but the Leicester goalkeeper could do nothing when Zambian international met a Marc Cucurella cross with a clever header to score his first goal in Brighton colours.

It was the least Mwepu deserved for a performance full of ambition and positivity against a decent Foxes line up selected by Brendan Rodgers.

Graham Potter too gave plenty of his senior squad minutes. Others to impress were Alexis Mac Allister and Shane Duffy whilst young Jeremy Sarmiento looked exciting bar one pretty glaring mistake which he will surely learn from and become a better player.

Here are your full Leicester 2-2 Brighton player ratings. Needless to say, we have not rated the penalties. Too painful.

Jason Steele – 5.38
Made a couple of decent saves but had one of his “Sunday League goalkeeper playing at the end of a 36 hour Stella and MDMA bender” moments when gifting Harvey Barnes the Leicester opener inside of six minutes. Dived to the right for every single Foxes penalty and as a result, failed to save one.

Adam Webster – 6.25
Past experience tells us that he takes a few games to shake the ring rust when returning from injury, so it was good to get an hour under his belt in a game which Potter would have viewed as a free hit. Reacted quickest to turn home Shane Duffy’s downwards header for the first equaliser and threaded a number of fine balls out of defence.

Shane Duffy – 7.63
The highest scoring starter in the Leicester 2-2 Brighton player ratings. Two huge blocks denied James Maddison and Patson Daka and his aerial ability presented Webster with the chance to score. Potter may have concerns about how he copes against better sides who press aggressively, but as the Albion’s most in-form defender, he has to start against Liverpool.

Haydon Roberts – 6.38
Did not look out of his depth playing against Premier League quality players which was promising – even when used out-of-position at left back in the second half after Dan Burn went off injured and Potter changed shape.

Joel Veltman – 6.38
A solid enough shift at right wing back, a role which many Brighton fans expected Tariq Lamptey to fulfil in his quest for more minutes after 10 months add. Would it be a case of putting four and four together and getting nine to suggest that means Lamptey starts at Anfield?

Pascal Gross – 6.63
Der Kapitan was his normal tidy self in possession and always a threat from set pieces. It was his pinpoint corner which landed on Duffy’s head to set up Webster. Dropped in at right back late on.

Alexis Mac Allister – 7.13
Thrived in a deeper, more traditional midfield position than the number 10 role he normally occupies, allowing him to get on the ball more. He played a part in Mwepu’s equaliser and it was his pass that would have put Aaron Connolly clean through – if Connolly had not inexplicably decided to shoot from 30 yards when he had a clear run at Ward in the Leicester goal.

Dan Burn – 5.88
Lots of hard work to get up and down the left flank, including a couple of crucial blocks defensively. His evening came to an early conclusion with a nasty looking fall towards the end of the first half which resulted in his withdrawal at the interval.

Jeremy Sarmiento – 6.88
Summed up perfectly by one Brighton fan on Twitter: “Excellent apart from dreadful error”. That error was the blind pass backwards which put Ademola Lookman in on goal for Leicester’s second. Sarmiento’s excellence meanwhile stemmed from a willingness to run at opponents in a way that few other Brighton players do. A big talent and one to keep an eye on.

Aaron Connolly – 5.63
After his two goals in the previous round against Swansea, he struggled against Premier League opponents, doing little to dissuade the opinion that he is a Championship quality striker. As well as that ridiculous moment when he could have gone one-on-one with Ward but opted to hopelessly go for goal from distance, he also managed to stop mid-run with the ball to appeal for a free kick before continuing to run. Strange.

Jurgen Locadia – 5.75
DJ Jurgen took time out from his music career and posing for Instagram photos in his kitchen to play a rare game of football. Tidy in possession and made a few decent runs but he looked short of match fitness. Hardly a surprise given he has spent the past few months launching his own clothes label. There are only so many hours in a day, don’t you know?

ENOCK MWEPU – 8.00
Ladies and gentlemen, The Computer has arrived. It was always likely to take the Zambian midfielder some time to adapt to English football. Based on him topping the player ratings for Leicester 2-2 Brighton and his cameo from the bench against Manchester City four days earlier, he is now fully acclimatised. Looks at home in an advanced midfield role and capped off a promising 45 minutes with a well-taken headed goal for the second Albion equaliser. Yes, he missed the deciding penalty but there was more than enough credit in the bank before that.

Lewis Dunk – 6.13
A rare substitute appearance for the Brighton captain, probably pre-planned once Webster had done 60 minutes. Helped organise and assure the defence as Brighton pushed forward in the final half hour.

Yves Bissouma – 6.63
His knee was heavily strapped on his return from injury. His arrival led to the Albion’s most dominant phase and he hardly wasted a pass, despite the Brighton fans shouting “SHOOOOOOOOOOOT” whenever he had the ball – even when he was in his own half.

Marc Cucurella – 7.25
An instant impact as within 120 seconds of coming on, Mac Allister and Maupay had contrived to release him down the left and his resulting cross was headed in by Mwepu. Leicester looked startled whenever he had the ball.

Neal Maupay – 5.88
His evening will be defined by failing to even hit the target with Brighton’s second penalty of the shoot out. As a confidence player, the hope has to be that missing from 12 yards does not derail what has been an excellent start to the season. Better to remember his role in the second Albion 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.