Bart Verbruggen's last-gasp penalty save hands Brighton a dramatic comeback victory over Brentford in stoppage time. The Belgian goalkeeper produced an incredible effort to deny Igor Thiago's ice-cool spot-kick, sending the Seagulls crowd into raptures and securing a 2-1 win for Albion.
Brighton had looked to be heading for defeat after Thiago's first-half penalty gave Brentford a narrow lead. But Danny Welbeck's 71st-minute leveller sparked a thrilling finale, with Jack Hinshelwood completing the turnaround in the 84th minute. The equaliser was set up by Yankuba Minteh's mazy run, which ended with a shot blocked into Hinshelwood's path.
The game had been end-to-end, with quality in the final third proving elusive for both teams. But Brighton slowly started to gain ascendancy after the interval, with Georginio Rutter testing Caoimhín Kelleher and Diego Gómez sending an effort wide.
Brentford's hopes of rescuing a point were dashed when Maxim De Cuyper was penalised for holding on to Kevin Schade by Chris Kavanagh. Thiago was given the chance to seal the win from 12 yards, but Verbruggen produced an inspired stop to deny him and spark wild celebrations in the Brighton camp.
Manager FabianHürzeler was delighted with the win, praising his team's resilience and character in the face of adversity. "We always have to believe and especially with Bart because I know what he is capable of doing," he said. Verbruggen's heroics have given him a major confidence boost, and Brighton's 2-1 victory over Brentford has sent them up to fifth place in the table.
For Brentford manager Keith Andrews, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly after Schade was held in the area by Kavanagh. "It is difficult for penalty takers," he said. "Thiago has been immense for us this season, so there's no blame attached to him, but unfortunately we couldn't quite get to the equaliser." Despite the disappointment, Andrews' team showed signs of quality and determination, which will be crucial as they look to bounce back from this defeat.
Brighton had looked to be heading for defeat after Thiago's first-half penalty gave Brentford a narrow lead. But Danny Welbeck's 71st-minute leveller sparked a thrilling finale, with Jack Hinshelwood completing the turnaround in the 84th minute. The equaliser was set up by Yankuba Minteh's mazy run, which ended with a shot blocked into Hinshelwood's path.
The game had been end-to-end, with quality in the final third proving elusive for both teams. But Brighton slowly started to gain ascendancy after the interval, with Georginio Rutter testing Caoimhín Kelleher and Diego Gómez sending an effort wide.
Brentford's hopes of rescuing a point were dashed when Maxim De Cuyper was penalised for holding on to Kevin Schade by Chris Kavanagh. Thiago was given the chance to seal the win from 12 yards, but Verbruggen produced an inspired stop to deny him and spark wild celebrations in the Brighton camp.
Manager FabianHürzeler was delighted with the win, praising his team's resilience and character in the face of adversity. "We always have to believe and especially with Bart because I know what he is capable of doing," he said. Verbruggen's heroics have given him a major confidence boost, and Brighton's 2-1 victory over Brentford has sent them up to fifth place in the table.
For Brentford manager Keith Andrews, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly after Schade was held in the area by Kavanagh. "It is difficult for penalty takers," he said. "Thiago has been immense for us this season, so there's no blame attached to him, but unfortunately we couldn't quite get to the equaliser." Despite the disappointment, Andrews' team showed signs of quality and determination, which will be crucial as they look to bounce back from this defeat.
he's literally a god among goalkeepers!!! 
i'm seriously dying over here barts got the skillz 
and fabianhürzeler is soooo lucky to have him on his team 
bryton is back in 5th place now & their fans are beyond happy 
thiago's penalty was so close tho 
but bart saved the day 
& u can tell he's got major confidence boost now 
what a finish to the match 
Still, big kudos to Verbruggen for that incredible save. It's definitely going to give Brighton a confidence boost 
! Brighton was down and out, but I thought it was all over for them. That Bart Verbruggen save was insane 
. Maybe this defeat will be just what they need to push themselves even harder 
Bart Verbruggen was like a superhero goalkeeper for one minute, but I reckon he's overrated in general 
Keith Andrews did a great job as manager, and Brighton's win was definitely due to luck rather than skill 
️ If I were in charge of the Premier League, there would be more goals for both teams in every match, no stoppage time drama 
. The equaliser was a sick goal by Yankuba Minteh and Jack Hinshelwood's winner was just pure magic 
. And Verbruggen's save was literally inspired 
! i mean, that penalty save was literally insane 
. fabianhurzeler's comments are so true - bart verbruggen is a game-changer 
. and can we talk about brentford's quality? they showed some great signs of determination, even if it wasn't enough in the end 
. anyway, on to brighter things... have you guys checked out that new augmented reality gaming platform? it's giving me life 
!