Graham Potter praised Yves Bissouma's performance as Brighton battled to secure a 0-0 draw against a lacklustre Everton at the Amex Stadium on Monday night.
The Seagulls enjoyed the majority of possession and chances, with Bissouma earning the man-of-the-match award, while Everton had just one shot on target during the game.
Potter said: "I thought he was really good, grew into the game second half, I thought he really drove the game, I thought him and Adam (Lallana) were really positive together, really pleased for him, good performance."
The 24-year-old Mali midfielder signed for Brighton on a five-year deal in the summer of 2018, and has featured 32 times for the Seagulls this season, with Potter saying his contribution was down to several factors.
Potter added: "I think it's lots of things. I think he's tried very hard to understand what we're trying to do as a team. I think he's been playing in the role often so he understands what he has to do.
"I think Adam Lallana plays an important role alongside him as well as Pascal (Gross) and Lewis Dunk behind him, so they help him.
"He's just, I think taken his game forward. Everyone knew the quality that he had in terms of his very highest actions are just so high it's just about getting that consistency and maybe the lowest of his actions higher up if that makes sense."
Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping for an injury boost after Everton's disappointing performance on the south coast, which saw them drop points in the race for a European place.
The Italian said he is hoping to have Jordan Pickford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Allan, Andre Gomes and Joshua King available when his side host Tottenham on Friday, but Yerry Mina was forced off in the 58th minute against Brighton with an abductor problem and is expected to be ruled out for a few weeks.
Ancelotti talked up Brighton after the game.
He said: "I think that it is a team that likes to play football, they play I think quite efficient, they have a good position on the pitch, player strategy, and they try to play between lines, to do short passes. I think that you can see the hand of the manager when Brighton plays."
