Brighton 0-0 Brentford: The Seagulls’ winning streak continues after a boring goalless draw

Brighton will be wondering why they failed to take all three points.

Their first half football, led by the talented Kaoru Mitoma and Enciso, was a joy to watch.

Enciso not only hit the post, but also missed three other good chances. Matt O’Riley had two good tries and Mitoma shot into the side netting while people on the other side of the field thought the ball had ended up in the net.

Brentford suffered a setback midway through the first half when first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken sustained an injury to his right thigh after having to turn quickly to meet Mitoma’s deflected cross.

This marked the 23-year-old Hakon Valdimarsson’s Premier League debut.

The Iceland international joined the club in the summer on a £2.6million deal from Swedish side Elfsborg and had only made two appearances – against Colchester United and Leyton Orient in the Carabao Cup

However, Brighton were unable to test the substitute goalkeeper in a tame second half.

The Seagulls played in European competition for the first time last season and reached the round of 16 of the Europa League under the management of Roberto de Zerbi.

A month ago it looked like Brighton, now coached by Fabian Hurzeler, would make another push for European qualification for the 2025-26 season.

A 2-1 win at Bournemouth on November 23 left Brighton fifth, level on points with Chelsea and Arsenal and dreaming of a place in the Champions League.

They haven’t won since.

A win would have seen them reach seventh place, but they remain in 10th, having picked up just four points from six games – draws against Southampton, Leicester, West Ham and now Brentford, and 3-1 defeats against Fulham and Crystal Palace .

Meanwhile, Brentford moved up to 11th, ahead of Tottenham despite taking 22 of their 24 points at home, and they had to work hard to pick up just their second point on their travels.