Leeds United fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Brighton to end an impressive unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Leeds came to the AMEX looking to continue a fine run against a side still with some fears of a relegation battle heading towards the end of the season.
From start to finish though, the hosts had a control of the game that never looked like slipping.
An early penalty from Pascal Groß saw the Seagulls hit the front and they never really looked under threat from that moment.
Danny Welbeck added the polish with a fine turn and finish in the second half, making it a deserved 2-0 win for Brighton to ease their slight relegation fears.
Here, we deliver our player ratings from the AMEX as Leeds come away with nothing…
Illan Meslier – 5
Conceded twice but he couldn’t do anything about either, with both great finishes.
The second did come from a hopeless goal kick upfield, that was headed straight back unchallenged.
Luke Ayling – 5
Ayling wasn’t particularly poor in this game but he was as flat as everyone else in the final third.
He got into nice positions near the by-line but didn’t make anything of it.
Diego Llorente – 6
Relatively solid for the 80 minutes he was on and can’t really have any complaints with how he dealt with Maupay.
It was ironic that as soon as he went off, we immediately conceded a second.
Pascal Struijk – 5
Like Llorente, he dealt with his marking task of Trossard very well.
However, he won’t want to see the second goal back after Welbeck sold him a dream with that delightful first touch.
Gjanni Alioski – 3
45 minutes played and one of his worst of the season.
Had very little joy in possession and had a torrid time defending, with the opening goal coming from his baffling challenge on Welbeck.
What he was thinking grappling Welbeck’s thigh in the penalty area we’ll never know.
The cries for a natural left-back will grow after this.
Robin Koch – 5
Thrown in to replace Phillips and it’s clear he’s not on his level.
It’s not a slight on Koch’s defensive display at all, but the issue is the fact we lacked an outlet to transition from defence to midfield.
Stuart Dallas – 5
Not at his usual level but suffered like everyone else from how Leeds failed to build from the back and up the pitch.
As strange as it sounds (considering we bought Dallas as a winger), he didn’t look suited to being in those areas today.
Mateusz Klich – 4
That sort of performance won’t fill Bielsa with any confidence in his number 43.
Annoymous from Klich and it begs the question of whether Dallas is actually a better choice there.
Tyler Roberts – 4
Ineffectual despite being somewhat lively.
Found few gaps between Brighton’s midfield and defence.
Jack Harrison – 4
Harrison’s crossing was poor from start to finish and it’s Raphinha’s level of consistency that has set the bar very high.
Set-pieces and wide areas offered nothing for him today.
Patrick Bamford – 4
He barely touched the ball and was clearly frustrated by a water-tight Brighton defence.
Came off for Rodrigo and it was a switch-up that needed to be made.
Subs
Ian Poveda – 6
Lively as ever but didn’t actually cause Brighton too many problems.
He does embody the spirit of how Leeds endeavour to attack even at 2-0 down in added time.
Rodrigo – 4
Played up front rather surprisingly but had no joy at all against the giants of Brighton.
Pablo Hernandez – N/a
Had very little time to get anything going, and it’s the story of his season.