Brighton frustrated by Brentford as winless run continues

Brighton & Hove Albion were left frustrated by Brentford after failing to score from an incredible 24 shots as their winless run extended to six matches in a goalless draw at the Amex Stadium.

Indeed, Brighton's Julio Enciso attempted eight shots alone in the first half - the most by a player in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match since Luis Suarez in Liverpool's 2-1 win at Aston Villa in March 2013 (also eight).

It was Brentford, however, who went closest to a winner as Yoane Wissa had a 14th-minute strike disallowed for offside following a VAR review, amid a flurry of first-half chances at both ends.

Neither team's attackers were at their best in a low-key second half in which Brentford dug deep to repel long spells of Brighton pressure.

While Thomas Frank's side earned only their second away point of the season - and their first since November - Brighton have now not won in the Premier League since 23 November.

The draw keeps Brighton 10th in the table, while Brentford climb above Tottenham Hotspur to go 11th, just two points behind the Seagulls.

How the match unfolded

Both sides flew out of the blocks at the Amex in an entertaining first half, with Brentford going closest when Wissa was denied by a VAR check for offside.

The Bees forward broke in behind to finish emphatically into the top-left corner, only for a VAR check to show that the striker was offside by a knee, causing the on-field decision to award the goal to be overturned.

That opening came on the back of Brighton missing two big chances inside the first 10 minutes, with Enciso striking the post and Mark Flekken smartly thwarting Carlos Baleba.

Flekken then made another flying stop to keep out Matt O'Riley after 25 minutes, but the Dutch goalkeeper was forced off injured shortly before the break.

His replacement Hakon Valdimarsson initially enjoyed a quiet outing on his Premier League debut, though he was called upon to make one crucial save in the 80th minute.

He preserved a point for Brentford by denying Brighton substitute Simon Adingra, with midfielder Yasin Ayari only able to lash the rebound off target.

Out-of-sorts Brighton fire a blank

Brighton failed to mark their final home outing of the calendar year with a victory after being frustrated by Brentford's dogged defending, and - perhaps worryingly for Fabian Hurzeler - that is becoming something of a theme.

This draw means they end 2024 with just 13 goals scored in their last nine league games at the Amex Stadium.

After enjoying a strong start to 2024/25, Brighton have hit something of a wall of late, only scoring twice while taking two points from their last three home matches. One of those goals - in a 3-1 loss to rivals Crystal Palace – was a Marc Guehi own goal.

Players such as Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro, Enciso, Georginio Rutter and Adingra were all frustrated by Brentford, who become only the second visiting team to keep a clean sheet at the Amex this season, after Ipswich Town.

Brighton's sudden loss of cutting edge is something that must be addressed if they are to push for Europe in the new year.

The Seagulls did receive one major boost, however, when Solly March returned to action following an injury lay-off lasting over a year. They will hope the winger can hit the ground running when he hits peak match fitness in the coming weeks. 

Brentford prove their mettle on the road

Brentford's Premier League away form has been in sharp contrast to their home returns this season. The Bees' tally of 22 points won on their own turf is the joint-highest in the division, level with leaders Liverpool.

However, they headed to Brighton with the lowest number of away points, with just one point secured on their travels, via a 0-0 draw at Everton in November.

Frank has admitted to being concerned about their lack of durability on the road, but they stood up to the challenge posed by Brighton and can now match Southampton's total of two away points collected this season.

Brentford relied on their defenders in the closing stages, with Ben Mee and Nathan Collins marshalling the backline against a Seagulls attack which peppered their goal with 24 shots, though only seven hit the target.

They even overcame losing Flekken to injury, with Premier League debutant Valdimarsson playing his part as a replacement, giving Brentford a confidence boost ahead of their New Year's Day meeting with Arsenal.

Club reports

Brighton report | Brentford report

What the managers said

Fabian Hurzeler: "It's a disappointing feeling. In the locker room it's not a great atmosphere. But in the end it's our responsibility, we have to learn to win these games.

"It's about sticking together and staying positive. It's important to see the positive things. There was a clean sheet today and we created chances. It's about getting the game luck back, and the consistency was not perfect. We had good spells in the game.

"In the end it's a business where you need to get results, we need to learn how to win these games."

Thomas Frank: "It was very positive with the clean sheet. I think all game we defended very well. I think it was a game of two halves. In the first half, I thought Brighton were on top. In the second half, I thought we were better and at times they couldn't get out.

"But we just lacked the final pass, the cross, to create enough big chances to say we could claim the win. It was a fair result. I never want to settle for the draw but I thought today was a good point on the road, also taking into consideration the injuries. We get another two big ones. Ben Mee's going to be out and Mark Flekken, the 'keeper. We now have four centre-backs out."

Next PL fixturesKey facts

Brentford haven’t won any of their nine away matches in the Premier League this season, which is now the joint-most games they’ve played in a top-flight campaign while still looking for their first away victory (also nine in 1938/39, they won their 10th that season).

Brajan Gruda created five chances from open play for Brighton, with the German being one of only two players aged under 21 to create as many in a Premier League match this season (also five by Manchester City’s Savinho against Southampton).

Both league meetings between Brighton and Brentford in 2024 ended 0-0; it's the first time both sides have had multiple goalless draws against an opponent in the same year in the Premier League.

Brentford’s Mark Flekken made six saves before having to be substituted on 36 minutes with an injury. Of goalkeepers to play 45 minutes or fewer, this is the most saves made on record (since 2003/04) in a Premier League match.