Spurs 2-1 Brighton: Dunk tops ratings on milestone appearance
One of the best comments delivered alongside the player ratings for Spurs 2-1 Brighton was “The Albion could have all scored 11/10 and we still wouldn’t win because of the officials.”
The anger amongst Brighton fans, players and seemingly extending up to boardroom level at the latest incompetent display of refereeing shows no sign of abating.
And rightly so; three apologies from PGMOL for costing the Albion goals and points is unacceptable when it has denied Roberto De Zerbi and his players the opportunity to fight for a Champions League spot.
Whilst the debate about conspiracies and VAR has raged, there has been little talk about the performance Brighton put in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was certainly good enough to win the game, although the Albion’s defending for both Spurs goals was questionable.
Had they been a little tighter in dealing with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the officials would have found it more difficult to ensure Brighton came away with nothing.
Lewis Dunk was the one Seagull in the back line immune from criticism. He marked his 200th Premier League appearance – the first Albion player to reach such a milestone – with a towering headed goal and some vital interventions at the back.
Dunk deservedly sits at the top of the Spurs 2-1 Brighton player ratings as a result. Here is how the rest of his teammates scored.
Jason Steele – 7.00
A good save from Ivan Perisic. Not much he could do about the two goals as they came via fine strikes from Son and Kane which should have been defended better in the build up.
Joel Veltman – 6.83
Gave Son too much space which the South Korean international duly punished with a sublime finish. Made one class tackle on Kane.
Lewis Dunk – 7.83
His header was so perfect that none of referee, assistant referee or VAR could find the feeblest of excuses to rule it out. Kept Kane quiet for the most part whilst there was one particularly important challenge as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg lined up a shot.
Levi Colwill – 6.50
Decent in possession but he did not deliver the high level defensive performance we have come to expect. With Colwill unable to play against parent club Chelsea next week, Adam Webster will have the opportunity to stake his claim to partner Dunk going forward.
Pervis Estupinan – 6.67
His pace up and down the left was vital in helping to stifle Spurs playing on the break. Got into some good positions going forward which Brighton did not really take advantage of.
Pascal Gross – 6.83
A quiet afternoon on which he was outshone by Moises Caicedo in midfield.
Moises Caicedo – 7.67
Brilliant again with his Spurs 2-1 Brighton player ratings score second only to Dunk. He turned over possession in the Albion defensive third and managed to pose a threat at the other end, most notably when striking the post.
Solly March – 5.67
Added another assist to his growing collection with a corner delivered straight onto the head of Dunk.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6.33
His Spurs 2-1 Brighton ratings score of 6.33 seems a little harsh. A lovely pass which put in Kaoru Mitoma for the first disallowed goal. He was then unfortunate to be ruled to have handled Danny Welbeck’s shot for the second disallowed goal.
Kaoru Mitoma – 7.00
Mixed afternoon for the Japanese Bullet Train. Had his opener been allowed to stand or he been awarded the penalty he deserved when being trod on in the box, he would undoubtedly have scored higher. Instead, his major contribution was to lose possession a little too easily prior to Kane’s winner.
Danny Welbeck – 6.00
Was his usual busy self in holding the ball, stretching play and creating space for others. A good turn and decent shot was worthy of a goal until it struck Mac Allister on its way through.
Adam Webster – 6.17
Took over from Colwill and made a few important interventions.
Evan Ferguson – 6.17
Introduced for the final 30 minutes as De Zerbi sensibly rotates his two centre forwards. Saw a fair bit of the ball but had no opportunity to score.
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.
