Leicester City fought back from a goal down to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night, with Daniel Amartey proving to be the unlikely hero for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The Seagulls broke the deadlock on 10 minutes, when Neal Maupay muscled his way through the Leicester defence and slipped a clever pass into Adam Lallana, who finished without a second’s hesitation.
The Foxes came close to an equaliser through Sidnei Tavares, but his half-volley was acrobatically tipped around the post by Robert Sanchez. Lallana then had a great chance to double the hosts’ advantage, but his header rebounded off the post.
Leicester improved in the second half, and they got their reward on 62 minutes, when Kelechi Iheanacho dinked a beautiful finish into the top corner, after being played clean through on goal.
And the visitors completed their dramatic turnaround on 88 minutes, when Sanchez came and flapped at a corner, and Daniel Amartey was on hand to stoop and head home the winning goal, sinking Brighton to another gut-wrenching defeat.
Right, let’s get on with the player ratings.
Robert Sanchez (GK) – 4/10 – Showed tonnes of bravery to throw himself at Pereira’s feet to stop his burst into the box. Did brilliantly to tip Tavares’ blistering strike around the post. Threw it all away by making the all-decisive mistake for the winner, completely flapping at a straight-forward corner. Shocking and costly.
Joel Veltman (RB) – 6/10 – Struggled against the determination of persistent attacking movement of Castagne. Pinned back in the second half as the Seagulls dug deep.
Ben White (CB) – 7/10 – Defended in an exemplary manner in the first half, marshalling Vardy intelligently and never getting caught out of position by the wily striker. Unfortunate to be on the losing side.
Lewis Dunk (CB) – 5/10 – Took a couple of hefty whacks as he put his body on the line. Completely lost Iheanacho for the equaliser though, allowing the forward to peel off and clip the ball home. Poor.
Dan Burn (LB) – 6/10 – Started off strong, but began to get run ragged as Leicester poured forward. Never a left-back, and his lack of pace was an issue. Not his fault, really.
Yves Bissouma (CM) – 7/10 – The metronome in the midfield. Moved the ball quickly and never dallied in possession. Constantly made the right decisions. Invaluable to Brighton’s play. Made an insane recovery challenge to deny Tavares when through on goal. Deserves better.
Pascal Gross (CM) – 6/10 – Whipped in a lovely free-kick which Lallana could only turn onto the post. A busy presence in the midfield, but lost control of the game in the second half as the visitors flooded forward.
Adam Lallana (AM) – 8/10 – Brighton needed a man on the pitch to put the ball away, and that’s exactly what Lallana did. Great run in behind the defence and an equally confident finish to match. Almost doubled the lead with a neat header, but was denied by the woodwork.
Leandro Trossard (RW) – 6/10 – Relentlessly peeled off his marker and ran in behind to take on the backline. Just couldn’t quite get his team over the line.
Neal Maupay (ST) – 7/10 – Showed freakish strength and composure to bully the Leicester backline and then slip a pass through to Lallana. Thankfully this buildup went rewarded. Had a smart clipped finish ruled out for offside just before half-time. Faded in the second half.
Alexis Mac Allister (LW) – 6/10 – A talented player who, in flashes, looks seriously impressive. Just needs to become a little bit more consistent.
Steven Alzate (CM) – 5/10
Danny Welbeck (ST) – 6/10
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (CM) – N/A
Kasper Schmeichel (GK) – 6/10 – No chance in stopping Lallana’s neat finish, having been left completely exposed by his defence. Not too much else to do in terms of shot-stopping, but stayed calm throughout.
Wesley Fofana (CB) – 7/10 – Almost turned the ball into his own net with a sliding interception, but just missed the post. Another generally impressive display from the young defender. One of the best in the league.
Caglar Soyuncu (CB) – 6/10 – Nutmegged for Brighton’s opener, allowing Maupay’s pass to filter straight through him. Doesn’t seem to be able to hit the heights he managed last year.
Daniel Amartey (CB) – 8/10 – Solid, uncompromising display. An important utility player for Rodgers, and a dominant figure in both boxes. Popped up with the winner right at the end. Man of the hour.
Ricardo Pereira (RWB) – 8/10 – A top display. Stopped Brighton from attacking down his flank, while supporting his offensive teammates with precision and dangerous intent.
Wilfred Ndidi (CM) – 7/10 – There was a gripping battle between him and Bissouma. Both looked to take the game by the scruff of its neck and put their team on top. A dynamic and elegant player.
Youri Tielemans (CM) – 7/10 – Completely muscled off the ball by Maupay for the opening goal. Not the ideal defensive cover there. Made up for it by slipping a mad no-look ball through to Iheanacho, who did the rest.
Sidnei Tavares (CM) – 6/10 – Thought he’d equalised with a superb strike, but Sanchez somehow kept it out. Great technique. Almost burst in on goal, but was stopped expertly before he could get a shot away.
Timothy Castagne (LWB) – 6/10 – Always looked to whip in some crosses or overlap for his forward players. The ideal wing-back for his team.
Jamie Vardy (ST) – 6/10 – Lovely knockdown to supply Tavares. Couldn’t get much joy against Brighton’s combination of pace and strength at the heart of the defence.
Kelechi Iheanacho (ST) – 7/10 – Flashed a powerful first-time strike into the side netting. Such a frustrating, hot and cold player. Showed his real quality with a stunning finish to level the scores.
Marc Albrighton (RW) – 6/10
Hamza Choudhury (CM) – N/A