Brighton & Hove Albion earned a deserved point courtesy of a late header from substitute Danny Welbeck as the Seagulls drew 1-1 against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.
After their spectacular collapse against Tottenham in midweek saw them throw away victory in added time, there were no lessons learnt for the Foxes as a Danny Welbeck header eight minutes from time meant they could only get a single point against Brighton & Hove Albion. The final whistle elicited groans and dissatisfaction among the home crowd concerned about their side sinking in mid-table mediocrity.
It was a blistering start to the game at the King Power Stadium, with both teams driving forward in pursuit of the first goal. After a series of chances at both ends, Leicester broke the deadlock in the 46th minute when Patson Daka pounced on the rebound after Brighton ‘keeper Robert Sanchez saved an effort from Harvey Barnes.
The Seagulls also spurned multiple chances to level the proceedings. However, substitute Welbeck saved the day for Brighton, as the former Manchester United striker leapt over Leicester’s James Justin and connected with Neal Maupay’s deep cross with a thumping header to grab an 82nd-minute equaliser.
Brighton were brimming in confidence after the equaliser and rallied late in the game. They looked extremely dangerous and had chances to grasp a late winner. Dan Burn’s goal-bound header was cleared off the line by Youri Tielemans before Foxes’ keeper Kasper Schmeichel produced a fantastic stop to deny Leandro Trossard.
More points dropped after going 1-0 up. Very frustrating performance. Not good enough today. Thoughts? #LCFC
— ComeOnLeicester.com (@Come0nLeicester) January 23, 2022
Brighton’s undefeated record in all competitions now stands at seven games, with the south coast club remaining ninth in the league with 30 points after 22 games, while the hosts are sitting just a place behind Brighton on 26 points from 20 games. After an entertaining match at the King Power Stadium, The Hard Tackle will now run the rule over Brendan Rodgers’ men.
Kasper Schmeichel: 6/10
Schmeichel was barely called into action until the final 20 minutes when he made a superb stop to tip Trossard’s goal-bound attempt around the post while also denying Welbeck as Brighton pressed for a winner. His distribution was also a touch shaky at the start of the second half. He could not have done much for the Welbeck goal.
James Justin: 7/10
Justin seemed to be in good shape and was defensively very solid and front-footed from the outset. His presence gave confidence to Leicester’s backline while he also got forward well enough in the second half. He was mostly terrific when shifted to a back three, but he lost Welbeck for his headed goal. He completed a joint match-high 7 clearances.
Caglar Soyuncu: 7/10
A much-improved display from Soyuncu than in recent weeks. He looked very composed in the opening period, passed well, dictated the tempo from the centre brilliantly and was shutting down the Seagulls passing lanes expertly, showing good positioning. He was much clumsier in the second period and made wild clearances, while he was always a suspect with balls in behind.
Daniel Amartey: 6/10
Amartey had a very decent afternoon on his return to the starting XI. He made some vital interventions, tackles and blocks. He was surprisingly good on the ball and sought to pass through the lines whenever possible. He dealt with the threats in Neal Maupay and Trossard quite well up until the final 10 minutes when the whole structure collapsed.
Luke Thomas: 5/10
Thomas was sloppy on the ball early on, but he defended tenaciously, winning most of his back-post headers and clearing his lines under Brighton’s press. He combined well with Barnes and Dewsbury-Hall in closed spaces. Having said that, he struggled to deal with the threat of Tariq Lamptey and was run ragged by the youngster.
Youri Tielemans: 8/10
It was an all-action midfield performance by Tielemans, who looked the best player on the pitch for the Foxes by some distance. His quick and precise passes helped the team retain possession and kept things ticking in the centre of the pitch. He also made some valuable defensive contributions and completed 4 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 blocks. Though, he was one of the main culprits in throwing away possession cheaply in the second half to keep his side under sustained pressure.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 5/10
Dewsbury-Hall had a pretty ordinary game with one decent chance in between, which he wasted. It was a rough day for him in the engine room when not much ticked for him, but he kept plugging away and crucially supported the attack and defence diligently.
James Maddison: 6/10
Maddison was bright in the No. 10 role and had his moments in the first half. Perhaps, he should have scored inside the opening five minutes when he made a sneaky run into the box. There were some nice flicks and interplays in and around the Brighton box, while he also contributed to the goal. Clearly, his performance levels dipped in the second half with losing possession and making reckless passes as he completely faded out by the end of the game.
Ademola Lookman: 6.5/10
Lookman, combined with Patson Daka very well, was a constant menace for Brighton’s defence. His close control and dribbling were astonishing at times as he added thrust to several of Foxes’ attacks. His shots looked lethal but lacked precision and were not clinical at all. He missed a great chance in the first half, while he lacked that bit of quality in his final pass.
Patson Daka: 7/10
Patson Daka has now scored in each of his last four games at the King Power:
⚽️ vs Legia
⚽️ vs Newcastle
⚽️ vs Tottenham
⚽️ vs BrightonFeeling right at home. ? pic.twitter.com/mh7hBNosCy
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 23, 2022
It was a Jamie Vardy-Esque display from Patson Daka, who had very little involvement in general play but still had his name registered on the scoresheet. He simply understands what positions to take up in the box to capitalise on loose balls, and it is a knack only good strikers possess.
His attacking prowess was there to see, while his deft runs created space for his teammates. He scored the goal with a precise finish and caused havoc with his runs in behind. The goal was the Zambian’s eight-goal involvement in his last eight Premier League outings.
Harvey Barnes: 6/10
Barnes pressed hard but was very ineffective on the day. He lost the ball cheaply a fair few times, and his dribbles at the Brighton defenders lacked menace. Even though he was involved in some of the Foxes’ best-attacking plays, notably setting up for Lookman’s goalscoring opportunity in the first half, he also forced Sanchez into the save that led to Daka’s score.
Substitutes
Marc Albrighton: 5/10
He made some great interventions and showed some quick feet in the attack shortly after coming in, but he battled after a heavy blow to his back. He was switched off at the back post and was partly to blame for Welbeck’s goal.
Boubakary Soumare: 5/10
Soumare made good use of his strength at times but otherwise had little influence on the game’s flow.
Ayoze Perez: NA/10
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Leicester have the makings of a good team but as we all no the defence is struggling and therefore the midfield ends up constantly helping them out so when they gain possession there is no out ball.In my opinion the worst culprit in defence is Soyuncu.He appears to lack confidence and when put under pressure makes mistakes.If I can see it I’m sure other teams can.The squad has some cracking young players and with the defence sorted they could be a great team.