Brighton & Hove Albion

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist at the Amex Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

It was all set up for a fairy-tale moment.

Solly March, back on the pitch for the first time in 14 months after a serious knee injury, picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area and struck goalwards for what could have been a 94th-minute winner.

But, sadly for Brighton fans, the ball flew over the top as their side had to settle for a 0-0 draw with a Brentford team that picked up only their second away point of the season.

However, March's return was a bright spot on a cold and misty December Friday night at the Amex. He had not played since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 2-1 loss at Manchester City in October 2023, but received a great reception when his name was announced, again when he started warming up and a standing ovation when he came on as a late substitute.

"It has been a tough 14 months, a long road and there's still a way to go to get my match fitness where it needs to be," said March. "It's different in training, one or two runs and I was blowing. The more minutes I get, the better I will get and hopefully I'll get back to where I was.

"It has been tough. It's my third serious injury now. Every time you do it then it will take longer but I've had great support behind me."

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Brighton winger Solly March spoke to Amazon Prime after returning to action against Brentford after over a year out with injury: "It has been a long time coming. It has been a tough 14 months or so, a long road and there's still a way to go to get my match fitness where it needs to be.

"It's different in training, one or two runs and I was blowing. The more minutes I get the better I will get and hopefully I'll get back to where I was."

On almost marking his return with a goal: "A bit too much time and a bit too much thinking. I just changed my mind a few times too many. I should have just gone with first instinct across goal but if I get another one in a few weeks hopefully I'll take it."

On how tough the recovery process has been: "It has been tough. It's my third serious injury now. Every time you do it then it will take longer but I've had great support behind me. I want to be playing every week and scoring goals."

On start under new manager: "It has been good, lots of positives. The league is tight, we've gone five or six without a win now but one or two wins and your back up towards fifth or sixth place again."

Image source, PA Media

Fabian Hurzeler spoke to Amazon Prime after Brighton's draw with Brentford: "No, I don't think [It's a good point]. 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.

"When you look at the last five or six games all of them we have said we have this same feeling in the locker room.

"It's very important that we focus on us and try and win games like this. In the Premier League you need to push your limits and always be at the highest level. Maybe we missed this one sprint in the box to finish the attack. But we've got to stay positive and keep the energy and positivity we had today, and then the results will come."

On Solly March's return: "It's very good that he's back, he worked so hard to be back on the pitch."

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton's Julio Enciso attempted eight shots in the first half against Brentford; the most by a player in the opening half of a Premier League match since Luis Suárez against Aston Villa in March 2013 (also eight).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back to this page on Saturday to find a selection of your replies

There are two matches in the Premier League on Friday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Brentford (19:30)

• Arsenal v Ipswich (20:15)

Kick-off times GMT

Follow all the action and reaction

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

This week, he takes on Eats Everything, aka DJ and producer Daniel Pearce.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Brighton have been patchy of late but they should have beaten West Ham on Saturday and I don't feel like they have dropped off quite as much as their run of five games without a win suggests.

There will be goals in this game, because the Seagulls are leaking them and Brentford always look dangerous, but I am going for a narrow home win.

Eats Everything's prediction: 1-1

Brentford have been terrible away and unreal at home - at least until they lost to Nottingham Forest on Saturday anyway. I was going to give this to Brighton but they have been so hit and miss that I am actually going to go for a draw.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Fabian Hurzeler says Mats Wieffer can become one of the best players in the Premier League.

The Dutch midfielder, a summer arrival from PSV, scored his first goal for the club last weekend in the 1-1 draw at West Ham.

"Nowadays you call it the holding six and I think that this is one of the most important positions in our team," Hurzeler said.

"He is very good in possession, has good passing and a good understanding of the game. Out of possession, he is very athletic.

"He is a fast and tall, so he has the whole package to be a top, top player in the Premier League.

"He needed a little bit of time to adapt to the intensity and to the speed of everything as it is different to the league he played before, but he was always there in training and he always tried to improve."

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Brentford boss Thomas Frank was in full praise of Brighton before Friday's Premier League game between the teams at Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls have not won since 23 November, but the Bees remain without a league victory on the road this season and Frank is expecting a competitive match.

"They have so many threats going forward so I expect a difficult game," Frank said.

"Every away game is a chance to turn the away form. We go there with belief that we can win. That said, Brighton are a strong team.

"Fabian Hurzeler has done a good job, They've got a very good squad, a more or less fully firing squad, available.

"[Kaoru] Mitoma is finding his form again. [Joao] Pedro we know is a top player.

"[Carlos] Baleba is an excellent midfielder. He will go to one of the bigger clubs in the future, for sure."

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Brighton's head of commercial, Russell Wood, spoke to BBC Radio Sussex about part of the club's stadium development plans to generate a greater atmosphere:

"We're going to put a new tier on the North Stand, which will be a new hospitality concept. The concept is deliberately designed to help drive atmosphere; it will be home fans only and wearing football shirts will be encouraged. The North Stand is an area that generates a lot of atmosphere and we want it to be complimentary to that.

"The away fans behind the goal look quite prominent at the moment. The perception could be that they are 25% of the stadium, when the reality is that they are less than 10%.

"We want to move them from behind the goal into the south west corner and spread them across two tiers. We think there will be a small competitive advantage [for Brighton], whether that is a slightly broken atmosphere in the away end or allowing our home fans to be more prominent and loud.

"The players have commented on taking penalties in front of the away fans, [they would] prefer to be in front of the home fans. Past and present managers have said it's not ideal.

"It will be ready for the 2027-28 season."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

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For me, wherever I played, I'd always see where the first game was, where the last game was, and where we were at Christmas.

There is such a big difference between being at home on Boxing Day versus being away because, depending on what your manager is like, if you've got an away game there is a chance you're training on Christmas Day.

Some of the toughest times I had was when we had away games on Boxing Day and we had to come in to train at four or five on Christmas. That's when everything is just starting at home and everyone is really enjoying themselves and you have to leave.

If you lose you are sat in the hotel having walked away from friends and family all for no points. It's not the best feeling and as a consequence you bring home some of that disappointment with you.

But, in reality, you just know it is the busiest time of the year. The floodlights are always on for the games, the conditions get that little bit tougher, you've got games it feels like every three or four days.

I think it's an exciting part of the season because you can gain real, significant momentum but ultimately it comes down to are you winning games.

I think the Christmas period itself can be tough if you have got family but in reality it always feels nicer when you get that win on Boxing Day. The atmosphere in the stadiums is a little bit different, the atmosphere among the players is a bit different.

You're very thankful to get the chance to do what you do, but if you end up losing on Boxing Day or around that spell it is rubbish because it almost feels like it was a waste of time with all the efforts you put in.

But, I get it. The fans love it, there is a lot of clamour around it. You lose track of days just like everyone else does after Christmas and before New Year but it is great to play in front of those types of crowds and it just does feel different playing during that week or two.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

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It has been a weird 2024 for Brighton. The year began with Albion fans wondering where Roberto de Zerbi might lead the club in Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League. A first major piece of silverware did not seem out of the question. De Zerbi dared us to dream.

But then it all went sour. Tony Bloom divorced De Zerbi. Bloom soon got over it by spending £193m in a single transfer window. All those shiny new toys were given to a 31-year-old from Germany, who used them to defeat Manchester United, Spurs and Manchester City but failed to beat Ipswich, Wolves, Southampton, Leicester and Crystal Palace.

And it is Palace who provide my Brighton highlight of 2024 from their visit to the Amex back in February which, admittedly, now feels like a lifetime ago.

Albion fans had long been saying that Seagulls were light years ahead of Eagles in every department - stadium, training ground, vision, manager, owner and ultimately reaching Europe before Palace. Have you ever seen the Palace in the 'Dam? No you have not.

To really prove it though, Brighton needed to beat their rivals convincingly on the pitch. De Zerbi delivered with a thumping 4-1 victory, the biggest the Albion have managed over their rivals in my lifetime.

The game was done inside 45 minutes. Brighton led 3-0 going into the break, sparking the glorious scene of Palace fans walking out to leave a half-empty away end with another half of football still to be played.

Those Eagles who remained until the bitter end then got in a heated argument with their players at full time while Albion fans partied. Some way to celebrate Dry January being over, let me tell you.

It was the perfect day. Just don't mention the fact Palace ended the season above us. Or what happened the other week on their return to the Amex.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Brentford (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Adam Webster and Solly March could be part of the matchday squad on Friday.

• Hurzeler hopes Mats Wieffer's leg injury "is not too serious", while all the other players came through Saturday's game unscathed.

• Jan Paul van Hecke, who was accidentally kicked in the head by team-mate Carlos Baleba, "has some swelling but will be fine".

• Hurzeler said "we try to improve the players with every training session" as he referenced having different coaches for the defence and attack. On not winning in five games, he added: "We train a lot, we continue to train a lot. It is not a case of because we are not scoring a lot we train more."

• More from Hurzeler on recent form: "We see this [the game against Brentford] as an opportunity to get out of this circle of bad experiences. We need to try to play with more intensity and give the supporters a present."

• On Brentford: "They are really intense. They focus on things they can influence. For example, kick-off is a chance to score. A set-piece is a big chance to score. They really take care of small details."

• He said they "have to prepare for both" a back four or five as Thomas Frank switches his side up regularly.

• Defender Veltman came through the West Ham game "quite good," with Hurzeler adding: "You already see his impact on the team."

• On Joel Veltman and Traiq Lamptey, who are both out of contract at end of this season: "There are some things we have to discuss internally and they will stay internal."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Manny: The stats show we had a fair share of the possession, but Brighton were the better team. Julen still doesn't know his best starting XI. Mavropanos is not a Premier League player. Kudus is always better on the right. Paqueta is a waste of time. Brighton looked fitter and were stronger everywhere. Bowen and Wan-Bissaka the only players to emerge with any credit. A lucky point, as it could have been a thrashing.

Rich: It's sad to be relieved at getting a point. It looked like we were playing for the draw towards the end, but there are enough creative players in the squad to mean that this is not acceptable.

John: I feel sorry for the players. The manager is constantly changing players and formation, which creates chaos within the team. After Bowen and Kudus came together to equalise, the mood of the team and fans lifted, so what does Lopetegui do? He changes to a flat back five, which creates a hole in midfield and a disconnect between defence and attack. Most of the substitutions were head-scratchers. Lopetegui needs to leave, as soon as Christmas is over.

Matt: Mediocrity is what Lopetegui has to offer. He is a decent guy but his selections and substitutions are holding us back. I would give Graham Potter a go while the season still has prospects. Summerville should be a starter.

Brighton fans

Linda: Disappointing. We should be scoring so many goals with the performances we are putting in, although the passing is not always good enough. A few shots from outside the box wouldn't go a miss, as we appear to be trying to walk the ball into the net from two yards in, through a bank of opponents.

Robert: It is now becoming increasingly frustrating that we have no killer instinct. We create many chances but fail to capitalise on them. Then, as soon as we score, we make a stupid mistake and seem to get punished every time. So many points dropped now from our lack of taking chances and failing to keep a clean sheet. Time to get the tin hats on, get out of this rut, build some confidence and fight for every point. They are capable of much better, let's hope they find the belief to improve. Come on, Albion.

Dan: Another game, another mediocre performance from Brighton. Hurzeler needs a plan B, otherwise his high-pressure style might drag us down because all the other sides know how we play.

Dave: Absolute rubbish again! We need to sort this out.

A Liverpool approach for Brighton's Joao Pedro is likely to have to wait until the summer as the Seagulls' demands for the forward will make a January move difficult. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, including Manchester City's visit to Aston Villa and the London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham 1-1 Brighton

• Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal

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Brighton midfielder Mats Wieffer has been looking back on the frustrating result at the London Stadium on BBC Radio Sussex: "You do it for the win and I think we deserved the win, not based on the first-half but more on the second-half. I think we have to work on playing consistently for 90 minutes, and not only for one half.

"In our recent games, we have played one half really well and one half not that good - so we have to be a bit more consistent in that I think.

"I think we had a couple of good chances, we had one that hit the post and one with [Yasin] Ayari. With a bit more luck, you make it 2-1 and then you win the game.

"Overall, we have to look at ourselves and improve.

"In this moment, it's not coming easy for us but we have to keep working, be consistent and work hard."

On getting on the scoresheet: "I was in the right place so I'm really happy with the goal, but unfortunately it's not the three points.

"It's really nice to get the start and I feel much better than I did before, with a bit more confidence as well, so that's a good thing."

Listen to the full post-match podcast on BBC Sounds