Middlesbrough 1-5 Brighton: Mac Allister tops ratings in 45 minutes
It does not matter whether it is the World Cup final in Qatar or the much more glamorous occasion of Middlesbrough 1-5 Brighton in the FA Cup – Alexis Mac Allister is in the form of his life with his latest masterclass seeing him top the player ratings at the Riverside Stadium.
The Albion looked comfortable enough against their Championship hosts going into half time, leading 2-1. Mac Allister entering the fray turned what probably would have been a routine victory into a rout.
He scored twice as Brighton booked their place in the fourth round of the competition. With nine Premier League teams already guaranteed to be out of the FA Cup at the end of the third round – and the prospect of that number rising to 10 if The Leeds United lose their replay to Cardiff City – there is a reasonable chance that Brighton could go far.
For Mac Allister, that would mean the prospect of becoming the first player to win the FA Cup and World Cup in the same season since Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit did the double with Arsenal and France in 1998.
Whilst Mac Allister may have been the star of the show, there were other impressive performances too. Here are your player ratings from Middlesbrough 1-5 Brighton.
Jason Steele – 6.78
Maybe should have done better with the Middlesbrough goal when former Albion striker Chuba Akpom’s header crept over the line. Redeemed himself with an important stop when Boro were on top and enjoying their best period, pushing a Riley McGree shot over the bar with a strong hand.
Tariq Lamptey – 7.00
Involved in two second half goals and showed the less-seen defensive side of his game, making several perfectly timed tackles on Middlesbrough players to retrieve possession.
Jan Paul van Hecke – 7.78
Made the most of his first start under Roberto De Zerbi by being the highest scoring defender in the Middlesbrough 1-5 Brighton player ratings. Solid at the back and good in possession, his performance should give De Zerbi confidence that he has four capable central defenders vying for two spots in the team.
Levi Colwill – 6.89
Not his best game but he is young and will make mistakes – and it is better for them to happen in an easy FA Cup victory than against Liverpool next week. Twice culpable for the Middlesbrough goal, giving the ball away and then being beaten in the air by Akpom.
Pervis Estupinan – 7.78
One of those afternoons where he absolutely flourished as an attacking force. That was best summed up by him being the man who delivered the low cross for Mac Allister to score his utterly outrageous back heel flick.
Pascal Gross – 8.44
Der Kapitan for the day was excellent in midfield with a performance second only to Mac Allister. His cool finish gave the Albion the lead for his seventh of the season, already tying the current campaign as the most prolific of his Brighton career alongside 2017-18. He also claimed yet another assist for the fourth.
Moises Caicedo – 7.33
Others took the headlines and were more eye catching, but Caicedo was still essential to the big margin of victory by constantly ticking things over in midfield.
Solly March – 7.33
Enjoying the best form of his Brighton career and it shows no sign of abating. Involved in three of the goals with everything he did being precise, measured and thought out.
Adam Lallana – 6.67
Given the first 45 minutes as he shared number 10 duties with Mac Allister. Put himself in the right place at the right time to head in the Albion’s second, making it three goals in four months with De Zerbi at the helm having scored once in two seasons under Glow Up Graham Potter.
Kaoru Mitoma – 7.44
Hugged the touchline for much of the match, giving Middlesbrough a torrid time down the left. His volley driven into the ground to bounce over the head of Boro goalkeeper Zack Steffen presented Lallana with the easiest goal of the season.
Evan Ferguson – 6.67
The intelligence he shows in build up is phenomenal for a teenager. Played the pass which set March in one-on-one with Steffen, leading to the opening goal for Gross. And it was Ferguson’s clever backwards touch to Estupinan which paved the way for the third.
ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER – 8.78
De Zerbi introduced Mac Allister in the more advanced position he fulfilled at the World Cup with Argentina rather than the holding role he has largely played for Brighton this season. The result? That sublime finish for his first goal followed by meeting Gross’ cross with a clinical effort for his second. Denied a hat-trick when his free kick shaved the post.
Julio Enciso – 5.67
A few dangerous moments on the left side of the attack, although his performance lacked the determination and quality seen when he came on against Arsenal on New Year’s Eve.
Danny Welbeck – 5.78
Good to see Dat Guy back from injury. His movement and willingness to drift wide dragged the Boro defence out of shape and created space for his teammates to utilise, most notably Mac Allister.
Deniz Undav – 6.22
An emotional goal for the German striker who has not enjoyed an easy time of it since his summer arrival from Union Saint-Gilloise. It was a good finish too, taken early to catch both a Middlesbrough defender and Steffen by surprise with the ball arrowing into the far bottom corner.
Adam Webster – 5.78
It always takes Webster weeks to rediscover his best after an injury layoff, so getting minutes into him in a game already won was a big bonus for the Albion.
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.
