Albion were beaten 4-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, but there were still a number of positives to take from the game.
1. A memorable week for Connolly
Aaron Connolly followed his first senior goal against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night by coming off the bench to make his Premier League debut against Manchester City.
Introduced in the 66th minute, the Irishman received some words of encouragement from fellow substitute Glenn Murray before entering the field.
The Irishman got involved in the thick of the action straight away by going into a challenge with Oleksandr Zinchenko, typifying the young Irishman’s fearless attitude.
It could have got even better for the 19-year-old following some link-up play with Pascal Gross on the edge of the box, but the German’s return pass was just too short to play the frontman through on goal.
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2. Webster’s Premier League debut
Adam Webster, alongside Connolly, was one of two Premier League debutants involved at the Etihad, and the former centre-back would come away from the game with plenty of credit after a tough introduction to top-flight football.
The 24-year-old epitomised Albion’s courageous approach to the game, summed up with a marauding run from defence into midfield which ended in a collision with Aymeric Laporte.
The Seagulls centre-back will not face many tougher tests than the one on Saturday, and gives boss Graham Potter plenty of options at the back.
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3. Stat’s impressive
Despite the 4-0 scoreline, several of the statistics from the game would make for some very encouraging reading for Albion fans.
Not many teams could lay claim to having 45.9% of possession at the Etihad or almost match City’s total number of passes during the game, which equated to 508 as opposed to 593 for the hosts.
Also among the impressive numbers was an 86.4% passing accuracy as opposed to 89.4% for City, as well as registering six shots compared to 15 for City.
4. Dan Burn’s brilliant touch
The former Wigan defender produced another assured display on the left side of a three-man defence, and gave City plenty to think about with a number of runs down that same flank.
The Seagulls centre-back clearly looks at home playing against some of the very best players, appearing to draw praise from Sergio Aguero during the game.
Burn was running back towards his own goal and expertly brought the ball down with his first touch, before firing a long-range pass up field. It clearly impressed City’s Argentine striker, who seemed to show his appreciation for the defender’s skill.
5. Guardiola’s praise for Potter
Graham Potter spoke of his admiration for Pep Guardiola before Saturday’s game, and the feeling is clearly mutual from the City boss, who praised his counterpart for the bravery Albion showed at the Etihad.
The Spaniard explained that Albion created a number of different problems for his side, as opposed to the defensive tactics which many sides deploy at the Etihad.
In his post-match press conference, Guardiola said, “Few teams come to play here with this courage. People like Graham Potter are good for football - really good.”