Brighton cruised into the third round of the Carabao Cup last night with a 4-0 thrashing of Portsmouth at the Amex Stadium.
While the League One side gave a good account of themselves in the first half, Alexis Mac Allister’s goal shortly before the interval ensured that Albion led at the break. Quickfire goals from Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Bernardo early in the second half ended the game as a contest and Viktor Gyokeres rounded off the scoring with 20 minutes to go. [via Sky Sports]
Graham Potter changed his entire starting line-up from Monday’s defeat to Chelsea, giving the likes of Gyokeres and Jason Steele a rare outing in the first XI, with Davy Propper also among those to come in.
The Dutch midfielder was back in the fold after missing the Seagulls’ pre-season programme with an Achilles injury but, on a hugely satisfying night for Brighton, he looked like a man who had never been away.
The 29-year-old completed 57 of his 64 passes against Pompey, the second-highest figure of any Seagulls player, for an 89% success rate – only two of Potter’s starting line-up had a higher accuracy percentage. Propper also won five of his seven duels against Kenny Jackett’s side and made four successful tackles, the joint-most in Brighton’s line-up, along with one block, one interception and one clearance as he beavered away diligently in the middle of the park. [via Sofascore]
Despite his busy performance, some of his post-match ratings were modest. Jonty Colman of Sussex Live gave him a six and wrote that he “looked steady in midfield and combined well with Stephens and Gross”.
For Brighton & Hove Independent, Derren Howard also awarded Propper a six as he “eased his way back into competitive action following an Achilles problem” and looked “comfortable on the ball and controlled the midfield alongside Stephens”.
The Dutchman was a favourite of Potter’s last season, making 32 Premier League starts, and he could well have played his way into the starting line-up for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle based on his encouraging return to the fold against Portsmouth.
Brighton fans, were you happy with Propper’s performance on his return from injury? Have your say by commenting below!
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