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Brentford forward Igor Thiago had a stoppage-time penalty kick saved by Bart Verbruggen.
George SessionsSaturday 22 November 2025 18:17 GMT
Brighton players celebrate with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen after his stoppage-time heroics against Brentford (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)
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Fabian Hurzeler insisted he always believed Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen could be the hero during their dramatic 2-1 home victory over Brentford.
The Seagulls had been set to taste defeat in Hurzeler’s 50th match in charge after Igor Thiago’s ice-cool first-half spot-kick had the visitors in front.
Danny Welbeck’s 71st-minute leveller – after he missed out on an England recall this month – sparked a grandstand finish for Brighton with substitute Jack Hinshelwood able to complete the turnaround with six minutes left.
Further drama was to follow in stoppage-time as Maxim De Cuyper was penalised for holding onto Kevin Schade by referee Chris Kavanagh, but Thiago was unable to earn Brentford a share of the spoils.
The casual penalty technique of Thiago came back to bite the Brazil forward as Verbruggen declined to dive until the last moment and saved only the second spot-kick of his career to spark wild celebrations at Amex Stadium.
“I always have to believe and especially with Bart because I know what he is capable of doing,” Hurzeler reflected.
“He is really working hard and yeah timing sometimes you can’t learn. He was there in the right moment with a big save and again it is not a surprise because when you see him working, you see him develop, especially this season, you really see a step up.
“You really see how he is growing as a person and as a player and therefore I am very happy for him. I think this gives him another boost regarding his development and regarding his self confidence.”
A third yellow card of the season at Crystal Palace a fortnight ago forced Hurzeler to watch his milestone fixture in the stands and he praised the togetherness of his squad.
Hurzeler added: “Yeah, it had definitely a lot but for me the main thing is how we reacted in the second half. How we faced adversity and how my team stuck together.
“They showed personality, they showed character, they showed more quality in the second half and they definitely deserved to win this game.”
Keith Andrews spent a season as a player at Brighton and was confident Brentford could cure their away-day blues by the seaside.
When referee Kavanagh pointed to the spot in the second minute of stoppage time, the spoils looked set to be shared, but Thiago was denied after a two-minute wait to take his second penalty of the match.
“I was certainly looking for a result and I was fairly confident we could get one,” Bees boss Andrews admitted.
“It is difficult for penalty takers and I am not just saying today but in general from the time it is given until they actually take it and all the shenanigans that goes on in between.
“Thiago has been immense for us this season so there is no blame attached to him, but unfortunately we couldn’t quite get to the equaliser.”
Asked if he considering an alternative penalty taker, Andrews said: “He is scoring a lot of goals, his confidence is flowing, so it would have been difficult.”
