Brighton and Hove Albion played out a frustrating goalless draw with Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.
The Seagulls dominated possession from the outset and played some lovely football, completely outclassing their recently promoted opponents.
Despite 21 attempts on goal, and 1.81 xG (expected goals), Albion's attack failed to break down a disciplined Ipswich defence.
Ipswich's clean sheet was driven largely by a formidable goalkeeping display by their goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
The Kosovan made six saves in a player-of-the-match performance, giving his side a valuable point in their bid to survive in the Premier League.
Outside of their failure to score, it was another dominant and convincing performance for Fabian Hürzeler's unbeaten side.
Though it could be overlooked as a poor performance on paper, this draw was anything but.
VAVEL takes a look at how Brighton's players performed individually here.
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Brighton Player Ratings
Bart Verbruggen - 6
It is always hard to rate goalkeepers in games like this.
Verbruggen had little to do, with Ipswich posing minimal threat until a late Liam Delap effort that struck the post.
His distribution was solid as always, but he was not called upon to make any game-changing saves, so it is hard to give him any higher.
Joël Veltman - 8
Veltman is Mr Reliable.
Always a seven or eight-out-of-ten player, week in, week out, Veltman was very steady at right-back, providing width and supporting attacks.
He managed to keep Wes Burns extremely quiet on the left wing, breaking down and intercepting nearly every attacking opportunity that came his way.
Jan Paul van Hecke - 7
Van Hecke is really turning into a defensive leader at the back this season.
The Dutchman was composed throughout the match and read the game well. He barely lost a challenge, and his distribution from the back helped maintain Albion's dominance in possession.
Lewis Dunk - 6
Dunk was solid defensively.
He looks a bit sluggish this season compared to what fans are used to, but his partnership with van Hecke is becoming extremely solid.
Another clean sheet and his free-kick attempt in a promising position left a lot to be desired, as it went straight into the wall.
He played a significant role in keeping Ipswich quiet, though.
Jack Hinshelwood - 8
Very similar to Veltman, Hinshelwood was great.
It is hard to think of a player of his age who can offer a squad such reliable and assured versatility.
Hinshelwood started in an unfamiliar left-back position and kept a dangerous Omari Hutchinson very quiet.
His interceptions were great and he linked up well with Kaoru Mitoma, releasing him very effectively on the left-hand side.
Carlos Baleba - 9
Baleba is really growing into one of the first names on the team sheet this season.
In a very similar role to the one Moisés Caicedo played for the Albion, Baleba was imperious in the centre of the park.
He tested Muric with a powerful volley in the first half.
The Cameroonian won the ball back countless amounts of times, controlled the tempo of the game, was reliable on the ball and kept Brighton's midfield ticking.
Yasin Ayari - 7
This was a first full-length glimpse of Ayari in his first start this season.
He looked incredibly sharp and composed on the ball and had some bright moments in midfield, showing his ability to link play, but was not decisive in the final third.
He was unable to provide any real cutting edge needed to unlock the Ipswich defence. With time, though, he could be a great asset for the Seagulls.
Georginio Rutter - 7
Rutter played in the 'João Pedro' role and offered a very similar attacking contribution to that of the Brazilian.
Considering it was his debut, he looked very comfortable on the ball and promising in attacking areas.
He was unlucky not to score due to Muric's heroics. He was slightly heavy with his touches but looks a good signing for Brighton.
Kaoru Mitoma - 5
Perhaps it was due to the high expectations now on him, but this was about as bad as Mitoma has played in blue and white stripes.
He missed a glorious chance in the first half when he had an open goal but failed to convert, allowing Muric to make a superb recovery save.
His usual sharpness was missing, he gave the ball away a lot and despite a slightly better second half, he failed to really create anything.
Yankuba Minteh - 7
Always a bright spark.
He showed his usual pace, sharpness and desire to beat a man and certainly gave Brighton a good attacking outlet.
He created a good chance for Rutter in the first half, but it was not his best display.
Danny Welbeck - 6
Welbeck came closest to scoring for Brighton with a free kick that curled just wide.
He was also unlucky with a near post header in the first half.
Welbeck had a hard role when the wingers around him struggled to create lots of chances, resulting in him going missing for periods in the game.
He worked hard to link up play but found it difficult to penetrate Ipswich's well-organised defence.
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Substitutes
Julio Enciso - 5
Offered very little after coming on and failed to break down Ipswich, who were trying to close out the game.
Simon Adingra - 5
Also looked quite lacklustre in attack. Adingra has usually been very impactful off the bench but was unable to create anything of value here.
Ferdi Kadioglu - 7
Came on for his debut and was probably the liveliest of all of the substitutes.
Linked up with Mitoma well and other than a misplaced first-touch from a corner, he looked very quick, sharp and dynamic going forward.
Evan Ferguson - 6
Ferguson added energy and dragged a couple of shots wide. Overall, it was great to see him back in action.




