Albion came away as surprise victors in an up-and-down clash with Brentford.
As much of a surprise was how Brentford came and set up at the Amex this afternoon. Impressive in possession and controlling the game for a large portion of the first 70 minutes. Igor Thiago managed to add himself onto the scoresheet again after a poor challenge from Carlos Baleba led to a penalty.
What has happened to Baleba?
Ironically, I was only praising Baleba for his contributions in the first 10-15 minutes. Some well-timed challenges and good touches had enough to make me shout “well done, Carlos” for the first time in months. However, it all seemed to fall apart from that point onwards.
One thing that cannot be ignored this season is Baleba’s form. The Cameroonian has noticeably checked out of the mentality game down on the South Coast. The interest from Manchester United has proved seemingly too much. It’d be easy to sit here and say Baleba should be sold at the earliest opportunity for the best possible price, but something about the manner of the departure would feel too unlike the Brighton I know for me.
Time will tell, but I’d be shocked if the club find themselves bullied into a sale, and even more so, for the player’s own personal reasons. Leaving this soon would paint a bad picture of the Baleba fans thought they knew, and many will stand by the idea that the public media is more likely to have played with his mind as opposed to a flat-out ‘wanting to leave’ idea.
The game wasn’t all about Baleba. As mentioned, Brentford played well. Keith Andrews returning in the opposition dugout as a manager was certainly not on my bingo card for 2025, but he has certainly impressed me this season. Brentford were in control and could have seen their lead extended before half-time.
Changes had to be made
A small segment of boos and frustration rang around the Amex as the half-time whistle blew. Some outlets have already tried to make a bigger thing out of this than it actually was, possibly to belittle fans’ opinions. In all honesty, it wasn’t just some who believed that the first half was one of the poorest to grace the Amex for some time. Brighton were poor. The game was flat, and the atmosphere was an unfortunate reflection of that. Unfortunately, fans are not going to be jumping and singing when trailing 1-0 to Brentford, and proving to be somewhat outclassed inside the initial 45 minutes.
Regardless, I would never personally boo my own team, but the frustration was certainly apparent. There were very few positives to take away from that, as much as the Premier League full debutant, Olivier Boscagli. A difficult day for him, as reflected by the simple statistics: a yellow card, a half-time substitution
My two mentions of the first half summed up the feeling, and both of the players in question were rightfully substituted.
A different intensity and much more involvement from the fresh legs.
The addition of Lewis Dunk added a different feeling to the defence. Stability. Dunk had many underrated moments of brilliance when denying goalscoring opportunities. Most memorably, his diving interception, cleverly using his body strength to allow Bart Verbruggen to collect the loose ball, preventing any further damage from Igor Thiago.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 22: Danny Welbeck of Brighton & Hove Albion equalises during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford at Amex Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
From this point onwards, it felt like momentum shifted a touch. Still, few chances created. Danny Welbeck came closest when blazing over a chance inside the 18-yard box.
Much like other Brighton games in the past 18 months, the dullness of the game was turned on its head after a moment of sheer brilliance from both Yankuba Minteh and Danny Welbeck. Minteh disguised his body brilliantly and provided a perfectly weighted ball towards the evergreen Welbeck, who finished like a striker playing in their prime.
The best individual quality… ever?
Welbeck has had a fascinating career at Brighton and is turning into one of my favourites to ever wear the stripes. Arriving as an unknown quantity, susceptible to injuries and off the back of an unsuccessful stint at Watford. Everyone had him written off! Welbeck is now the top goalscorer in the Premier League for Albion, and seems to be getting better with each year that passes.
He has scored seven in his last seven Premier League games, but it is easier to analyse his overall play. Starting the game with the captain’s armband, there were times Welbeck dropped into centre-back, bringing the ball forward progressively and contributing across the pitch. Truly one of the best free transfers of all time, and dare we say… legend?
Jack Hinshelwood returned from injury and completed the comeback. His goal wasn’t quite as glamorous as Welbeck’s, but incredibly important. The feeling that this goal is a winner is always a sweet one when it’s scored by the local boy returning from injury. Hinshelwood started the move off with an incredible pass out wide to Minteh, who had an initial effort rebound back to the Worthing-born midfielder. Running back the clock to his first-ever senior goal for the club, a comeback winner against Brentford at home!
Minteh was at the heart of everything positive, again. For me, the best player of the season so far.
Just when it felt like the game was going to be over, Brentford attempted to apply some pressure. Thiago was still a threat, and when a seemingly harmless ball floated over the box, the referee pointed to the spot for a last-gasp penalty. Maxim De Cuyper was the player at fault for pulling his man down, and VAR stuck by the initial decision.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 22: Players of Brighton & Hove Albion celebrate victory following the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford at Amex Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
I mentioned earlier about common themes and moments happening out of nowhere. In the last few years, we have become accustomed to some of the best individuals that we have ever seen at the club. Whether that is Georginio running forward, Mitoma’s magical dribbling, Minteh creating chances out of nothing, or Welbeck scoring goals that most other Brighton strikers would’ve broken their leg attempting. The next one is for you, Bart Verburggen.
It would be easy to say in hindsight that the penalty was ‘poor’, like I have seen a lot. Let’s remember, a goalkeeper’s chances of saving a penalty are almost too small to worry about. Premier League strikers will, more often than not, score from the spot. Verbruggen guessed the right way, and that was half of the battle on this occasion. If he dives the opposite way, we all say it was a cool attempt, just like Thiago’s first-half goal.
Verbruggen, you won us that game. Amongst a hefty amount of criticism, it’s truly safe to say his confidence is up again. Vital saves and starting to appear far more imposing, our Dutch number one is becoming every bit of the goalkeeper that we hoped he’d be.
Up to fifth, but I cannot look at Europe yet. A tale of common themes. Individual brilliance, a dull 70 minutes, and some good substitutions. Consistently inconsistent. Brighton in 2025!
