MATCH REPORT: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2

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MATCH REPORT: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2 - 0 BURNLEY

Clarets beaten at the AMEX

2026-01-03T16:53:05.799Z

MATCH REPORT: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2 - 0 BURNLEY

Clarets beaten at the AMEX

2026-01-03T16:53:05.799Z

Clarets beaten at the AMEX

Burnley started 2026 with a 2-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

On a frustrating afternoon for the Clarets, where they were second-best for long periods, Georginio Rutter opened the scoring on 20 minutes, before Yasin Ayari doubled the hosts’ advantage within a minute of the re-start.

Scott Parker made three changes to his side, with Bashir Humphreys, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony all returning to the XI.

On a bitterly cold afternoon at the AMEX, it was the Seagulls who started the better of the two sides.

Charalampos Kostoulas thought he’d given the hosts a 10th minute lead, with a tidy finish, but the assistant referee’s flag on the near side adjudged the wide-man to be in an offside position, which VAR confirmed moments later.

MATCH REPORT: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2 - 0 BURNLEY - Image 1

As the half evolved, Brighton were continuing to pose the greater attacking threat – Lewis Dunk heading over on 19 minutes from six-yards out.

Burnley fell behind just before the half hour mark, when Rutter capitalised on a ricochet inside the box, before slamming an unstoppable finish past Martin Dúbravka into the far corner.

The Clarets had a glorious opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time, but Lucas Pires’ low drive from Bruun Larsen’s pass was kicked away to safety by Bart Verbruggen in the Albion goal.

That missed chance was to prove costly, when within 68 seconds of the second half getting underway, the Clarets conceded a second.

Ayari rifled a fine low finish past Dúbravka from 15-yards, to give Parker’s side a mountain to climb.

MATCH REPORT: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2 - 0 BURNLEY - Image 2

Kostoulas almost made it three moments later, forcing Dúbravka into a routine save from the edge of the box, before Parker made a double change, introducing Oliver Sonne and Marcus Edwards.

It wasn’t long before Loum Tchaouna entered the fray, replacing Armando Broja just after the hour.

Tchaouna was straight into the action, seeing his goal-bound header somehow diverted onto the crossbar and to safety by Ferdi Kadioglu.

Jaydon Banel came on for his Premier League debut late on, but it was the visitors who came closest to adding to their tally, with Maxim De Cuyper firing a free-kick against the upright in the final moments, as the Clarets headed home pointless.

MATCH REPORT: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2 - 0 BURNLEY - Image 3

Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Dunk, van Hecke, Gruda (Watson 87), Rutter (Welbeck 69), Kostoulas (Gross 69), Mitoma (De Cuyper 69), Kadioglu, Gomez (Milner 80), Ayari, Veltman

Unused substitutes: Steele, Hinshelwood, Boscagli, Coppola

Burnley: Dúbravka, Walker, Bruun Larsen (Edwards 55), Ugochuckwu (Sonne 55), Anthony (Banel 80), Humphreys, Florentino, Ekdal, Pires, Broja (Tchaouna 63), Laurent

Unused substitutes: Weiss, Barnes, Brierley, Agyei, Pimlott

Goals: Rutter 29', Ayari 47'