Bees undone at the last as Brighton inflict a first league defeat of the campaign

Brentford (0) 0

Brighton (0) 1 Trossard 90

So the Premier League can be humdrum too.

Brentford suffered their first defeat back in the top flight, paying a heavy price for failing to cash in on some great first half chances when they were on top.

A second half of exhausting drudgery appeared to have sapped the life out of the contest and was heading for a draw until Leandro Trossard worked himself into space just outside the area and curled a fine shot beyond David Raya’s left hand as the match entered injury time.

It was a rare moment of quality in a game that will not live too long in the memory, as early promise fizzled out, giving it every chance of it being the apologetic closing act on Match of the Day.

Undoubtedly the Bees created the better openings and arguably created four good ones in the first half – three of them for Bryan Mbeumo.

Ivan Toney almost took the match out of the realm of the mundane early on when he spotted Seagulls keeper Robert Sanchez way off his line and attempted to beat him from 30 yards with a first-time shot which did not miss the crossbar by much.

But it was the Mbeumo misses which proved costly. First, he sliced wide at the near post after Toney had got the better of Adam Webster to put in a cross from the left. Then, Mbeumo skied over in the next attack after Vitaly Janelt had won the ball in a dangerous position and rolled the ball towards him.

And the Brentford striker went even closer as the first half drew to a close, taking delivery of another fine pass from Toney before turning inside Joel Veltman and curling a shot just wide of the far post.

Janelt also wasn’t far off making the breakthrough when he ghosted into the box to fire into the chest of Sanchez in a first half which more than hinted at a home win.

But the home side looked toothless after the break and rarely looked like scoring.

Brighton kept the ball for long spells, but their only threatening moment before the interval came when Danny Welbeck burst into the inside-left channel before clipping a low shot which was comfortably stopped by Raya. The fact it lacked punch seemed entirely fitting.

Former Bee Neal Maupay was lively but kept in check well by Ethan Pinnock and Pontus Jansson on the left side and middle of the back three and neither side looked to have made a case for all three points. But Trossard had other ideas.

Bees: (3-5-2) Raya – Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock – Canos (Roerslev 61), Baptiste (Onyeka 75), Norgaard, Janelt (Jensen 68), Henry – Mbemo, Toney. Subs not used: Fernandez, Thompson, Forss, Wissa, Ghoddos, Zanka

Seagulls: (3-4-1-2) Sanchez – Webster (Moder 37), Duffy, Dunk – Veltman, Llana, Bissouma, Cucurella (March 82) – Trossard – Maupay, Welbeck (MacAllister 64). Subs not used: Scherpen, Steele, Alzate, Locadia, Roberts, Richards