Verbruggen saves stoppage-time penalty as Albion beat Brentford

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Albion come from behind to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Jack Hinshelwood and climb to fifth.

Bruce Talbot

2025-11-22T17:00+00:00

Danny Welbeck celebrates his equaliser with Jack Hinshelwood - who later scored himself. 📷 James Boardman

For the second season in a row Jack Hinshelwood was the match winner against Brentford as Albion came from behind to extend their unbeaten run at the Amex to ten games.

Albion had another hero too on a dramatic afternoon when Bart Verbruggen saved a stoppage-time penalty – the second Brentford had been awarded.

Igor Thiago’s first-half spot-kick had given Brentford the lead but Albion were a different proposition in the second half.

Danny Welbeck missed a great chance to equalise but presented with a much more difficult opportunity in the 71st minute he scored his seventh goal of the season with a finish of high quality.

Bart Verbruggen saves the stoppage-time penalty from Igor Thiago. 📷James Boardman.

Hinshelwood, returning after nine games out, started and finished the move which gave Albion the lead with six minutes to go.

But in the second minute of stoppage time Maxin De Cuyper was harshly penalised for a foul on Mathias Jensen but Verbruggen, diving to his right, kept out Thiago’s penalty. An entertaining afternoon ended with Albion up to fifth in the table.

With Fabian Hurzeler in the directors’ box serving a touchline ban it was Andrew Crofts prowling Albion’s technical area with his former Albion teammate Keith Andrews a few yards to his right.

Jack Hinshelwood celebrates after scoring for the second successive Amex game against Brentford. 📷 James Boardman

And Brentford boss Andrews would have been pleased with his team’s first-half display although it was Albion who threatened first. Yankuba Minteh teased Kristoffer Ajer and back heeled for Mats Wieffer who forced Caoimhin Kelleher to block his powerful shot.

Oliver Boscagli picked up a booking on his first Premier League start for bringing down Thiago but he the Frenchman did superbly moments later to guide a header back to Verbruggen under pressure from Brentford’s number nine.

Georginio Rutter tested Kelleher from outside the box but it was Brentford who broke the deadlock after 29 minutes. Carlos Baleba mistimed his challenge on Dango Ouattara for a penalty which Thiago confidently drove into the bottom left corner as Verbruggen dived the other way.

There was nothing wrong with Albion’s energy and workrate but too often in the first half they had made unforced errors and not taken enough care with the final ball.

Delight for Danny Welbeck after he made it 1-1 with his seventh goal of the season. 📷 James Boardman

Dunk and Maxin De Cuyper replaced Boscagli and Baleba at the break. Diego Gomez moved into central midfield with De Cuyper in front of Yasin Ayari on the left.

There was much more intensity to Albion and Welbeck missed a great chance to level on 55 minutes, firing into the North Stand from ten yards after Mats Wieffer’s marauding run and pull-back created the opening.

Kelleher showed good reactions to push Minteh’s angled shot over the bar before Hinshelwood was introduced, a decision which seemed to lift the crowd.

And moments later it was deservedly 1-1 thanks to another brilliant finish by Welbeck. Minteh's ball from the right was good but Welbeck’s movement between two defenders was even better. As the ball dropped Welbeck steered it delicately past Kelleher.

Georginio Rutter dispossesses Mikell Damsgaard. 📷James Boardman

The momentum was with Albion now. Ferdi Kadioglu led a breakaway but dragged a right-foot shot wide and with six minutes left they were in front. Hinshelwood won the loose ball in midfield and hooked it out to Minteh in space and on side on the right. Minteh got into the box and laid it back for Hinshelwood just inside the box. It wasn’t the cleanest of strikes but Kelleher was unsighted and reacted too late to prevent it going inside the right-hand post.

Albion looked like they had done enough and, thanks to Verbruggen, they had.

Albion: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Kadioglu, van Hecke, Boscagli (Dunk 45), Minteh (Gruda 89), Baleba (De Cuyper 45), Ayari, Gomez (Hinshelwood 69), Rutter (Veltman 89), Welbeck.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Tzimas, Kostoulas, Veltman, Coppola.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

Attendance: 31358