Albion Analytics: Brighton's 2022 wrapped

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The numbers from 2022.

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2022-01-03T06:00:00Z

Albion's final win of 2022 came away at Southampton on Boxing Day.

Brighton brought a record breaking 2022 to a close against Arsenal at the Amex on New Year’s Eve.

Even with defeat against the league leaders, Albion finished the calendar year with more Premier League wins (14) than defeats (13), including six wins in all competitions against conventional ‘big six’ sides.

In Brighton’s fifth full calendar year as a Premier League side, starting from 2018, 2022 was their best ever in terms of annual table placement (8th), points per game (1.42 — worth 54 points over a full Premier League season) and number of wins (14).

In comparison to other teams, Albion had the eighth-best attack in terms of goals scored (54), netting more than Chelsea and Manchester United, and the Seagulls ranked ninth for fewest goals conceded (50).

They achieved these results with style too, with the fifth-highest possession average (54.5%) of any team and most among non ‘big-six’ sides, and Brighton’s goal difference (+3) was the seventh-best in the division.

The Albion kept nine clean sheets and recorded the third-most high turnovers (156) of any team after Liverpool (163) and Manchester City (161), underlining the defensive consistency of the squad collectively.

Albion finished a record ninth and on 51 points in the 2021-22 Premier League season. Along the way they extended the club-record unbeaten run as a top flight side, avoiding defeat in seven consecutive Premier League games between the end of December 2021 and February 2022.

And in their constant cycle of evolution, Brighton duly smashed that record later in the year, going nine games unbeaten by finishing the final five games of the 2021-22 season without losing and then winning three and drawing once in the first four games of 2022-23.

It was a calendar year that ended in the ultimate glory for Alexis Mac Allister, who starred in Argentina’s World Cup win, the first ever Brighton player to feature in a World Cup final — where he assisted the second goal.

His eight Premier League goals were the second-most (eight) of any Brighton player in 2022, as well as being involved in the most shot-ending sequences (164) and non-penalty goal-ending sequences (seven) of any of his teammates.

In the attacking department, Leandro Trossard was Brighton’s biggest contributor. His 11 goals and 15 direct goal involvements (including four assists) were the most of any Albion player and he also topped the charts for shots on target (27), take-ons (78) and carries of 10+ yards (105). Only ten Premier League players scored more than the Belgian in 2022 and only four of those play for non big-six sides.

Trossard netted two Premier League match-winning goals in 2022, against Tottenham and Leicester City.

September brought the arrival of head coach Roberto De Zerbi to the Amex, with Brighton winning four, drawing two and losing six of his 12 games in charge in 2022 (all competitions). Albion netted 20 goals in those fixtures, as many as they conceded, but notably recorded significant away wins against Southampton (3-1), Wolves (3-2) and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup (3-1).

And the year ended with a show of promise. Evan Ferguson’s goal against Arsenal made him Brighton’s youngest Premier League goalscorer ever, aged just 18 years and 73 days.