Brighton player ratings vs Burnley: 9 for unlikely hero and three 8s as Albion continue late push for Europe

In-form Brighton – who now have five wins from six league games – started brightly at Turf Moor and created the first big chance inside five minutes.

Yankuba Minteh delivered a superb cross into the box, finding Danny Welbeck, but the striker couldn’t generate a clean connection and the opportunity went begging.

Burnley briefly thought they had taken the lead when Jaidon Anthony finished from close range, but the celebrations were cut short as the assistant’s flag confirmed an offside position, with VAR upholding the decision.

At the other end, Brighton began to assert control.

Minteh remained the visitors’ most dangerous outlet, repeatedly delivering threatening balls across the Burnley penalty area. One particularly dangerous cross begged for a finish at the back post but went untouched.

Burnley had moments of pressure, including an audacious effort from Anthony and a spell where Brighton’s defensive structure was tested, but they struggled to create sustained clear chances.

Brighton eventually broke the deadlock when Minteh combined with Pascal Gross, who teed up Wieffer to finish neatly into the corner – his first since December 2024.

The goal gave Brighton a deserved lead and further frustration for the home crowd – who loudly booed Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez for what they perceived as gamesmanship in the first-half.

Burnley began the second half with greater intensity and thought they had an equaliser when Bashir Humphreys thumped home from close range. It followed a set piece situation, where Verbruggen pushed out James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick, but Humphreys went a fraction too early. Replays showed it was extremely tight – Albion got lucky.

Marcus Edwards forced Bart Verbruggen into action early on, with the Brighton goalkeeper pushing a dangerous cross over the bar. Verbruggen was called into action again soon after, producing a strong reaction save with his foot to deny Zian Flemming from a corner.

Burnley’s attacking midfielders found more space at times but their final decision-making let them down.

Brighton continued to threaten in transition and Hinshelwood came close to a memorable 21st birthday goal, curling a shot toward the corner only to be denied by a smart save from Martin Dubravka.

Burnley continued to push but were repeatedly frustrated by Brighton’s defensive organisation and Verbruggen’s shot-stopping.

Just as Burnley continued to desperately push for an equaliser, Brighton struck again late on. Wieffer capped off a standout individual performance with a second goal right on the 90-minute mark, finishing with composure to secure a 2–0 victory.

Here are our Albion player ratings:

Bart Verbruggen – 8: Picked the ball out of his net twice, through no fault of his own, but both goals were offside. The Dutch keeper was kept busy in the second half and made a couple of smart saves to keep the hosts at bay.

Ferdi Kadioglu – 7: Steady, low-profile performance – doing his job without fuss. Nice pass to Minteh, before Welbeck’s early chance. The Turkey international put in some dangerous crosses.

Jan Paul van Hecke – 8: Solid as ever on his 100th Premier League appearance. He’s a really commanding presence at the back. Often showed impressive defensive awareness to clear dangerous balls. Booked for a late challenge on Anthony and Burnley put the ball in the net from the resulting free-kick – but the offside flag spared the visitors once again.

Olivier Boscagli – 8: Came in for the suspended Dunk and did really well. Often tried to bring the ball out and start attacks.

Mats Wieffer – 9: You would have got great odds on the right-back to score a brace! The Dutchman took his goals really well. You would be forgiven for thinking he was a striker! Solid defensive performance too.

Jack Hinshelwood – 7: Booed on 21st birthday – not very nice of Burnley fans! He went down holding his head and the referee had to stop play which angered the hosts, who were on the attack. The Academy graduate nearly marked his big day with a goal, forcing Dubravka into a smart stop. He also deserved an assist earlier in the day, when he crossed perfectly for Minteh, who fluffed his lines.

Yasin Ayari – 7: First start since January after a shoulder injury – replacing the injured James Milner. Kept things ticking over nicely. Credited with the assist for the second goal.

Pascal Gross – 8: Provided the assist for the goal for the opener with a lovely cross. We’ve seen that plenty of times before! Another wicked delivery, on the stroke of half-time, deserved a goal at the back post. The German linked up play really well.

Diego Gomez – 6: Won a free kick and Esteve was booked but accused of gamesmanship. Wasted a good second-half chance but he was very lively.

Yankuba Minteh – 7: The winger is in great form and this was another good performance. Caused plenty of problems with his place and looks full of confidence. Could and probably should have put Albion into an earlier lead, with a couple of big opportunities. Welbeck will also have expected himself to do better from Minteh’s cross early on. Nice pass for Hinshelwood’s chance.

Danny Welbeck – 6: Mistimed his shot after five minutes, when found in front of goal. Got himself into good positions but couldn’t quite extend his exceptional goal-scoring record. Showed his confidence, when trying a few step-overs but was tackled on the edge of the box.

Substitutes:

Kaoru Mitoma – 6: Fresh from his goal for Japan against England, it was perhaps a surprise to see the winger on the bench. But he came on late on and was involved in the build-up to the second goal of the afternoon.

Carlos Baleba – 6: Provided some much needed fresh legs in midfield to help see the game out, with Albion able to find the crucial second goal.

Georginio Rutter – 6: Replaced Welbeck and had some nice touches and got into good positions.

Joel Veltman – N/A