Brighton 2-0 Brentford: Player ratings as Seagulls sink Bees
By Sean Walsh
Brighton wrapped up the Premier League's Boxing Day action with a 2-0 win at home to Brentford.
Bafflingly moved to an 8pm kick off despite train services across the country coming to a standstill, the Bees were unable to give their travelling fans something to shout about as the Seagulls snapped a run of 13 games without a win in all competitions.
Brentford began brightly and spurned a great chance to take an early lead when the ball ricocheted to Shandon Baptiste from a corner, but his close-range strike was blocked.
Dan Burn's deflected header bounced off the top of the bar at the other end, while Enock Mwepu fired into the side netting as the hosts started to kick into gear.
Brighton eventually took the lead when Mwepu dropped one in behind the Brentford defence for Leandro Trossard to chase, and with Alvaro Fernandez off his line, the Belgian lobbed it over the Spanish stopper and into an empty net.
Former Bee Neal Maupay added a second on the stroke of half time with a fierce strike on the edge of the box to give Thomas Frank's side a mountain to climb.
Brentford looked far more up for the fight after the break but were still struggling to create any clear-cut chances, with Sergi Canos firing high and wide from a tight angle around the hour mark.
Baptiste's deflected effort from range required an acrobatic stop from Robert Sanchez to deny him, and the Spaniard clawed an Ethan Pinnock header off the line moments later.
The visitors continued to search for a route back into the game, with Marc Cucurella this time preventing Pinnock from heading in.
Brentford dominated possession in the closing stages but were unable to find a way through as Brighton secured the three points.
Here are your player ratings for both sides...
Brighton & Hove Albion player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Robert Sanchez (GK) - 7/10 - Commanded his area well and often dealt with Brentford's long throws himself.
Tariq Lamptey (RB) - 7/10 - Hardly troubled and his quick feet helped Brighton out of some sticky situations.
Adam Webster (CB) - 7/10 - Wasn't overawed by his duels with Toney but was booked for a clumsy challenge on Onyeka.
Dan Burn (CB) - 7/10 - It was hard for Brentford's aerial bombardment strategy to have a meaningful effect with 6ft7 Burn at the back.
Marc Cucurella (LB) - 8/10 - Had plenty of joy on the overlap and battled hard in his duel with compatriot Canos. Super clearance to stop Pinnock's header crossing the line.
2. Midfielders
Enock Mwepu (CM) - 7/10 - Excellent assist for Trossard's opener and made the most of Vitaly Janelt's absence in the Brentford midfield, dominating in the middle of the park.
Jakub Moder (CM) - 6/10 - Neat and tidy once again.
Adam Lallana (AM) - 7/10 - Strolled through the midfield and rolled back the years with a top performance.
3. Forwards
Leandro Trossard (RW) - 7/10 - Excellent finish to break the deadlock and looked dangerous in his 45 minutes of action.
Neal Maupay (CF) - 8/10 - Looked a menace all night long and was deserving of his goal against his former side.
Alexis Mac Allister (LW) - 6/10 - Often dropped deep into midfield with Lallana running on, which benefitted the English veteran far more.
4. Substitutes
Danny Welbeck (LW, 46' for Trossard) - 6/10 - Looked fit, fresh and sharp.
Pascal Gross (CM, 84' for Lallana) - N/A
Steven Alzate (RW, 84' for Mac Allister) - N/A
Brentford player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
Alvaro Fernandez (GK) - 4/10 - Wasn't helped by a ropey offside line but still should have been more decisive in the lead up to Trossard's goal.
Ethan Pinnock (CB) - 6/10 - Made several blocks and was dominant aerially. Often pressed into errors due to playing on his unnatural side.
Pontus Jansson (CB) - 4/10 - Physical as always but caught dropping too deep sometimes.
Mads Bech Sorensen (CB) - 3/10 - Looked way out of his depth. Brentford miss Charlie Goode and Kristoffer Ajer.
6. Wing-backs & midfielders
Sergi Canos (RWB) - 5/10 - Had some early success against Cucurella and took risks, but they weren't often met with a reward.
Shandon Baptiste (CM) - 7/10 - Carved out Brentford's best openings by drifting into the right channel but sometimes lacked a final ball.
Christian Norgaard (CM) - 5/10 - Looked a yard off the pace and his booking means he will miss Wednesday's visit of Man City.
Mathias Jensen (CM) - 2/10 - Caught dawdling a few times and his off-ball flaws were glaring. Hooked at half time.
Dominic Thompson (LWB) - 4/10 - Rico Henry's hamstring problem meant Thompson was thrown in for his Premier League debut. He wasn't bad.
7. Forwards
Bryan Mbeumo (CF) - 3/10 - Did little before being substituted, presumably with injury.
Ivan Toney (CF) - 5/10 - Started brightly but soon faded, failing to hold up the ball and get himself or others involved. Booked for a dive following a challenge by 5ft4 Lamptey.
8. Substitutes
Yoane Wissa (CF, 41' for Mbeumo) - 4/10 - Had a little more success on the ball than Mbeumo, but not much.
Frank Onyeka (CM, 46' for Jensen) - 6/10 - His introduction brought the competitiveness that his namesake manager would have demanded.
Saman Ghoddos (LWB, 66' for Thompson) - 5/10