Jan Paul van Hecke topped the Sunderland 0-1 Brighton player ratings for an excellent defensive display as the Albion won one-nil for only the second time under Fabian Hurzeler.
You have to go all the way back to October 2024 for the first. Ironically also in the north east of England, when Newcastle United were beaten 1-0 at St James’ Park.
Whilst there was a backs-to-the-wall element to that victory over the Toon, the success over Sunderland was more controlled and comfortable.
Bart Verbruggen had only a couple of pieces of work to complete all afternoon at the Stadium of Light thanks to the protection afforded by Van Hecke and Lewis Dunk.
Ahead of the backline, the experience of James Milner and Pascal Gross in midfield makes a massive difference to the Albion being more compact and harder to beat.
Something reflected in nine points from four matches and the sole defeat in that sequence being to a fortunate deflection against champions-elect Arsenal.
Here are your Sunderland 0-1 Brighton player ratings.
Bart Verbruggen – 7.29
Sprawling save late on kept the Black Cats out in the one moment when things almost went awry for Brighton defensively from a typically wild Yankuba Minteh clearance attempt.
Mats Wieffer – 7.14
Not really tested too much defensively. Decent going forward including when laying off to Diego Gomez for a good opportunity last seen flying somewhere over Edinburgh.
JAN PAUL VAN HECKE – 8.14
An absolute rock at the back dealing with Brian Brobbey, who has caused plenty of problems for Premier League defences this season. With Van Hecke unlikely to sign a new contract and his current dealing expiring in June 2027, Albion fans should probably make the most of performances like this before a potential summer sale.
Lewis Dunk – 7.57
Olivier Boscalgi topped the player ratings last time out against Arsenal in the absence of the injured Dunk. So, the Albion captain returning immediately in place of Boscagli could have been seen as a controversial decision before kick off. Dunk though was magnificent. The highlight being an unreal goal line block requiring quick footwork to adjust position befitting a Strictly Come Dancing professional. Not a 34-year-old centre back.
Ferdi Kadioglu – 7.71
Second place in the Sunderland 0-1 Brighton ratings went to Kadioglu for a display which summed up his season really. Defensively sound mixed with attacking flair.
James Milner – 7.29
Those days when Hurzeler was bringing Milner on for late cameos just to break the Premier League appearance record seem a long time ago now. Three successive victories since he returned to the starting XI at Brentford – which is not too much of a surprise when you watch him patrolling all the gaps in front of the back four.
Pascal Gross – 6.86
Like Milner, Gross has made a huge difference in the holding midfield role. Manages to still get forward too, as he showed when shaving the outside of the post.
Diego Gomez – 6.86
Worked hard as always and showed a few nice touches. But the one moment he needed a bit of quality saw him blaze over a good chance to make the game safe.
Jack Hinshelwood – 6.86
Squandered two good chances to overshadow a lot of otherwise good stuff. Sunderland goalkeeper Melker Ellborg deserves more credit for keeping the first out in fairness. The second, however, was very wasteful.
Yankubu Minteh – 7.29
Games are always more entertaining with Minteh involved. Sliced in the only goal when seeming to fall over his own leg and did superbly to set up Hinshelwood for a chance. Ended his afternoon by leathering a clearance straight into the air inside his own box. Then got booked for shoving a Black Cats player before wiping out another minutes later, only just avoiding a red card. Good management from Hurzeler to get him off before an inevitable sending off happened.
Danny Welbeck – 6.43
A nice reception from the Stadium of Light crowd, who remember his loan spell with Sunderland even if it was 16 years ago. No sight of goal to add to his impressive record of scoring against former clubs but he led the line well with a lot of unglamorous work.
Maxim De Cuyper – 5.86
Hurzeler was conservative with his substitutions, meaning only De Cuyper received significant minutes from the bench in place of Minteh. Helped Brighton see out the game which might not have happened if Minteh had stayed on in the midst of an interesting meltdown.
The WAB Player Ratings are formulated using marks out of 10 given by Brighton fans via social media. To have your scores included, follow We Are Brighton on Twitter or We Are Brighton on Bluesky and look out for the player rating thread after each game.
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