Brentford Vs Brighton — brentford vs brighton: Brighton beat Brentford to ease Hurzeler pressure
Brighton ended a six-game winless run in the brentford vs brighton fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium, taking a 2-0 half-time lead and recording their first league victory since 3 January to ease pressure on manager Fabian Hurzeler. Diego Gomez opened the scoring and Danny Welbeck added a second—Welbeck's 10th goal of the season—after a defensive error by Nathan Collins.
Brentford Vs Brighton match report
Brighton were the better side over the 90 minutes and deservedly led by two goals at the break. The opening goal arrived when Ferdi Kadioglu's long-range effort struck the crossbar and fell to Diego Gomez, who calmly converted from the rebound. The second came shortly afterwards when Nathan Collins, who had just replaced an injured teammate, failed to clear a low cross from Jack Hinshelwood; Danny Welbeck was left with a close-range finish.
Brentford created a handful of openings—Igor Thiago sent a half-volley over the crossbar and Vitaly Janelt narrowly missed with a left-footed strike from outside the area—but they were not at their best. A second-half scramble nearly brought Brentford back into the game when Joel Veltman inadvertently steered a cross toward his own net from Dango Ouattara's delivery, but Brighton's goalkeeper produced a fine save to keep the scoreline intact.
brentford vs brighton key moments and records
The victory halted a run of matches without a win and ended Brighton's recent goal drought—the side had not scored since a 1-1 draw on 31 January. Welbeck's strike was his 10th across all competitions this season. On a notable afternoon for Brighton, veteran midfielder James Milner made his 654th Premier League appearance, surpassing the previous all-time top-flight appearance mark.
The result had immediate table implications: the win lifted Brighton clear of the relegation zone by a margin cited in match coverage, while Brentford missed the opportunity to move into the top six. The two-goal margin at half-time was described in match coverage as an accurate reflection of Brighton's superiority during the opening 45 minutes.
Solly March and team news
Solly March returned to full training this week and was placed back in contention for selection for the trip to Brentford; the head coach noted that March "might be in the squad" after making a strong impression in training. March had been absent for an extended period with knee injuries and a lengthy lay-off prior to returning to full training. Shoulder damage continued to rule out Swedish midfielder Yasin Ayari.
Predicted line-ups and Fantasy Premier League team news were circulated ahead of the game, which had been scheduled to kick off at 10: 00 ET on Saturday 21 February at the Gtech Community Stadium. The pre-match analysis noted that the shown line-ups could change following final team announcements.
Analysis and forward look: the win provides immediate breathing room for Hurzeler and restores some confidence in Brighton's attacking play after several goal-shy weeks. If Brighton can sustain clearer finishing and the defensive solidity shown in this match, the team is positioned to consolidate the points gap from the relegation places. For Brentford, missed chances and the defensive error that preceded the second goal underline areas to address if they are to pursue a top-six push in upcoming fixtures.
