Palace 1-1 Brighton: Half time subs change game and top ratings
It was the subs wot won it. Or in this case, drew it. Facundo Buonanotte and Danny Welbeck entered proceedings at Selhurst Park at half time, helping to salvage a 1-1 draw for Brighton against Crystal Palace and securing the top two spots in the player ratings by a considerable distance.
Buonanotte scored 8.25 with Welbeck on 7.88. The only other Albion player to get remotely close to the game changing substitutes was Pascal Gross, who provided the cross from which Welbeck headed home his 82nd minute equaliser.
The impact of Buonanotte and Welbeck was made particularly pleasing as they have been two of the most heavily criticised players by Brighton fans so far this season.
Writing off Buonanotte when he is 18-years-old and adapting to life in a foreign country always seemed like a total overreaction.
This 45 minutes proved that the teenager from Argentina has talent; he just needs time and patience to develop consistency and make the most of it.
Welbeck’s towering header to level the game meanwhile showed why he is worth having around even if he misses large chunks of the season through injury.
No other player in this Brighton squad could have provided a finish like that when it was so desperately needed. Welbz is Dat Guy.
And what of the rest who played at Selhurst? Here are your Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton player ratings.
Bart Verbruggen – 4.50
What is it about Albion goalkeepers making goal-costing errors away against Palace? Last year it was Robert Sanchez dropping a simple catch, this year Verbruggen getting in a mess (again) trying to play out from the back and passing straight to Michael Olise.
Jack Hinshelwood – 6.75
Brighton dominating the second half allowed Hinshelwood to spend most of his time attacking up the right flank. Got in some good positions, only to squander a couple of decent opportunities.
Jan Paul van Hecke – 7.13
Another big performance from the Dutch defender. Made a vital block from a Eberechi Eze shot which had looked certain to give Palace a second goal. Almost scored at the other end with a shot of his own blocked during a goalmouth scramble.
Lewis Dunk – 7.00
Totally unfazed by the typically friendly welcome from the Croydon locals who require a lesson in how the British justice system works. One header back to Verbruggen in second half injury time was calmness personified.
Igor Julio – 6.75
Igor! Igor! Igor! Dealt well by-and-large with the threat posed by the dangerous Olise. Further enhanced his status as the cult hero of this Brighton side by taking a foul throw. When that happens at Sunday League level, my team make the culprit neck a dirty pint in the pub afterwards. Hopefully, Igor suffered the same fate.
Carlos Baleba – 5.25
When Roberto De Zerbi talked in his post match interview about the policy of Brighton being to sign young players who you therefore have to expect to make mistakes, the mind flashed to Baleba’s 45 minutes before being replaced by Buonanotte. For all the potential and promise Baleba has displayed so far, he looked very much like a 19-year-old who had started just six Ligue 1 games before moving to the Amex in the summer.
Billy Gilmour – 6.50
With Baleba so lost through the first half, Gilmour effectively found himself trying to do the job of two players. Understandably, he had a much better time once Gross dropped in alongside him after the break – including when drawing a good save from Dean Henderson.
Simon Adingra – 5.25
Another whose performance was covered by De Zerbi’s young players comments. The 21-year-old struggled to get into the game at all before being replaced at the break by Welbeck.
Pascal Gross – 7.38
Rolled back the years to 2018 by starting the game in the number 10 role. His pinpoint cross was perfect for Welbeck to head in the leveller and he would have had another assist had Dunk got an earlier header on target.
Kaoru Mitoma – 5.00
Despite the struggles of Baleba and Adingra to have much impact, it is actually Mitoma who is the lowest scoring outfield player in the Palace 1-1 Brighton ratings. Looked like he needs an extended rest – one he might now get after leaving Selhurst on crutches wearing a protective boot having limped off with an ankle injury.
Joao Pedro – 5.88
Mr Thursday Night could not bring his Europa League form on the fourth day of the working week into the Premier League. Seemed to spend a lot of time on the ground. The closest he came to scoring was a distance drive sent miles over the bar.
Danny Welbeck – 7.88
Welbz is Dat Guy. The looping header placed with a scary amount of accuracy into the top corner of the goal beyond the reach of Henderson was the obvious highlight. But his link up play and movement were a major reason why Brighton were so much better in the second half.
FACUNDO BUONANOTTE – 8.25
With Palace seemingly focussed on snuffing out the Albion’s wingers, Buonanotte running with the ball through the middle provided a threat the Eagles had not been coached to cope with. Won several fouls, caused Tyrick Mitchell to be booked and was just a general livewire.
Adam Lallana – 6.25
Introduced in the hope that his intelligence could help unlock a Palace defence sitting ever deeper and becoming more desperate to hold onto their lead. Felt like he completed 100 percent of his passes.
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.
