Norwich 2-0 Brighton Player Ratings: Brilliant Bennett?

A hapless day for Stockdale – bbc.co.uk

Two freakish own goals from Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale saw the Seagulls miss out on securing the Championship title, in a 2-0 defeat at Norwich – but how did players on both teams rate?

Norwich City

John Ruddy – a couple of stops from Hunemeier and Murray but there was nothing to stretch him greatly. 6

Ivo Pinto – got forward well and worked in tandem with Naismith on all sides of the game. 7
Russell Martin – solid on his 300th appearance for the Canaries. 7
Ryan Bennett – his pre-match criticism was defied with an impressive performance, in which he beat Murray in the air and timed his challenges intelligently. May not be enough to save his place. 9
Mitchell Dijks – has been more influential going forward in other games, but perhaps his brief was restricted to keeping Knockaert quiet, which he did successfully. 7

Jonny Howson – buzzed around the pitch with freedom. 7
Graham Dorrans – a little more disciplined than Howson, but could have given away a penalty just before the second goal. 6

Steven Naismith – worked hard at tracking back and combined well with Pinto going forward. Made a case to stay at the club next season. 8
Josh Pritchard – Norwich’s main creative outlet in a performance that made one question why he was not used earlier in the season. 9
Josh Murphy – looked lively but sometimes ran into traffic. 5

Nelson Oliveira – not as influential in build-up play as Jerome. Got into good positions but lacked his usual finishing touch. 5

Wes Hoolahan (on 86)
James Maddison (on 88)

Brighton & Hove Albion

David Stockdale – a little unfortunate with both own goals, when the ball rebounded quickly into the wrong areas. Conceding twice from no Norwich shots on target does not shed him in the best light though. 3

Bruno – one of Brighton’s more combative performers in the first half, when he made some good runs to support Knockaert early on. Began to misplace passes in the second half though and sometimes beaten for pace. 5
Uwe Humemeier – two dangerous first half headers, one of which forcing a good save from Ruddy. Not at fault for either goal. 8
Lewis Dunk – Composed on the ball in a typically commanding display. 7
Sebastien Pocognoli – An erratic display compounded by a woefully misplaced 60th minute free-kick. 3

Steve Sidwell – known to be a combative midfielder but did not engage with the ball early enough. 2
Oliver Norwood – good delivery for Hunemeier’s header and the occasional tidy ball, but otherwise too passive. 4

Anthony Knockaert – involved early on and saw a shot deflected wide but waned in influence and was shackled by Dijks. 4
Jamie Murphy – a few bright moments early on but did not look at home in central areas. He’s no Sam Baldock. 4
Solly March – too often tried to move inside and create, rather than attack on the outside. 3

Glenn Murray – looked a little fatigued. Could not hold onto the ball long enough for Brighton’s midfield to get up the pitch. 2

Tomer Hemed (on 63) – Without Skalak or Knockaert on the pitch, Hemed did not have the quality service he wanted. 5
Dale Stephens (on 63) – his most enjoyable moment was fans singing for him to stay at Brighton, amid rumours of a move to Burnley for family reasons. 5
Chuba Akpom (on 83)