Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Brentford: Brighton Come from Behind to Win in Premier League

Jack Hinshelwood scored on his return from injury as Brighton came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 at a wet Amex Stadium and move fifth in the Premier League.

Hinshelwood came off the bench after missing Brighton’s past seven games with an ankle ligament injury to bundle home an 84th-minute winner.

Igor Thiago gave Brentford a first-half lead from the penalty spot against the run of play, his ninth Premier League goal of the season and his seventh in seven games.

Brighton were frustrated until the 71st minute when Welbeck escaped his markers to cushion home a volley from Yankuba Minteh’s teasing cross.

Brighton looked the better side in the opening stages and were beginning to find joy attacking Brentford through the middle, only for Carlos Baleba to gift the visitors a penalty in the 29th minute which Thiago coolly converted.

Thiago did superbly to hold up the ball on the right before finding the onrushing Dango Ouattara with a backheel, who baited Baleba into bringing him down in the box with a mistimed challenge.

Georginio Rutter was the best of an average bunch in the first half for Brighton, and he thought he deserved a penalty when Yehor Yarmoliuk appeared to catch the back of his foot shortly after the break.

The video assistant referee (VAR) did not get involved, but minutes later the in-form Welbeck wasted a glorious chance when he blazed over from 10 yards.

Brighton cranked up the pressure with Minteh forcing Caoimhin Kelleher into a smart save at his near post, before Welbeck pounced for his seventh goal in seven league matches.

Brentford were handed a chance to equalise deep into stoppage time when Kevin Schade was brought down in the box while trying to reach a cross, but Thiago saw his second penalty of the day saved by Bart Verbruggen.

Brighton analysis: Two moments of quality extend unbeaten run

Fabian Hurzeler – watching from the stands after picking up his third booking of the season – made history becoming the youngest manager to reach 50 Premier League games (32 years and 269 days).

His side certainly did not produce a first-half performance to match that feat – a couple of comfortable saves for Kelleher were the closest they came.

Baleba attracted plenty of transfer interest in the summer after a superb 2024-25 campaign, but the avoidable penalty he conceded summed up his struggles this term. He was hooked at half-time.

Brighton did not look much better in the second half, until a moment of true quality from Minteh picked out the run of Welbeck who did what he does best.

A small section of the home support booed when Diego Gomez was replaced by Hinshelwood with 20 minutes left, but Hurzeler’s decision was justified when the 20-year-old found the bottom corner with a sweet strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Fellow substitute Maxim de Cuyper nearly threw the points away by bringing down Schade in the box, but goalkeeper Verbruggen made himself the hero by reading Thiago’s stuttering run-up and landing on the tamely hit penalty.

It has been a mixed season so far for Brighton, but the fight and spirit they showed extended their unbeaten home Premier League run to 10 games.

They have come back to win each of their past three league home games when trailing at half-time, the others being against Liverpool and Manchester City.

Brentford analysis: Bees work hard but don’t do enough to win

Brentford fought hard and looked good value for the three points, but that late penalty save condemned Keith Andrews’ side to a fifth defeat in six away league games this season.

That was not the only curse to continue – the Bees are winless in all five of their Premier League games at Brighton (drawn two and lost three), with their last victory there coming in the Championship in September 2016.

Despite the disappointment of losing from a winning position, there were positives for Andrews to take.

Thiago continued his impressive goalscoring form – his nine strikes this term bettered only by Erling Haaland’s 14.

Jordan Henderson continued to justify his return to English football with another assured performance in midfield, while Ouattara posed a threat on the break.

But once Brentford’s defence was breached, it became clear they had not done enough to secure victory. They registered four shots on target, but two of those were from the penalty spot.

Incidentally, 22% of Brentford’s league goals this season have been scored from penalties (four of 18), the second-highest share by a team in a Premier League campaign after Crystal Palace in 2004-05 (27%, 11 of 41).

Thiago has been the story of Brentford’s season after missing most of the last through injury, but on this occasion he could not provide the finishing touch when his side really needed it.

Source: BBC