The Media Review: Burnley beaten on Gross's homecoming

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It proved to be an afternoon to remember as Pascal Gross returned to the Premier League.

Nick Szczepanik

2026-01-04T12:00+00:00

Georginio opened the scoring. 📷 by James Boardman.

The New Year brought a welcome return of that old winning feeling to the Amex as Fabian Hurzeler’s men saw Burnley off with some comfort.

Steve Sutcliffe summed it up on the BBC Sport website. “After failing to record a win during a frustrating December period, a home fixture against a toiling Burnley side proved to be a perfect new year tonic for Brighton,” he wrote.

“Fabian Hurzeler's side were in full control throughout, underlined by the 599 passes they attempted - their highest in a top-flight game this term – as they enjoyed more than 60% possession.

“That ensured Burnley were unable to gain any sort of foothold in the game and by the time Rutter scored only his second goal of the campaign, the hosts had already created several half chances.

“Kaoru Mitoma was excellent on the left, while Charalampos Kostoulas delivered a promising performance and was unfortunate to set off on a first-half run just a fraction too early as he found the back of the net only to be flagged offside.

“The flow of the second period also allowed Pascal Gross to be eased back into action and receive a hero's welcome, having not even trained with his team-mates since his return to a club where the German spent seven seasons before leaving in 2024.

“And the feel-good feeling around the stadium continued when James Milner - 40 on Sunday - moved just four appearances shy of Gareth Barry's all-time Premier League record of 653 as he entered the fray with just over 10 minutes remaining.”

The best traditional kick-by-kick match report came from Isabelle Barker of The Sun on Sunday.

Babis Kostoulas impressed for Albion against the Clarets. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

“Brighton started brightly and Charalampos Kostoulas fired in what looked like the opener after latching onto a superb long ball over the top by Ayari,” she wrote. “But there was a big let-off for Burnley when the flag went up as Kostoulas was just offside.

“Brighton were building and Diego Gomez lashed a fierce, low drive at goal, but it was blocked well by the visitors.

“Lewis Dunk then rose highest from a Ferdi Kadioglu delivery and flashed a header over the top from six yards out.

“The opener finally arrived on 29 minutes as Ayari’s deflected shot from the edge of the box fell to Rutter and he smashed a low shot into the far bottom corner.

Jan Paul van Hecke tested Martin Dubravka with this overhead kick in the first half. 📷James Boardman

“Seagulls centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke even had a sniff before half-time with an audacious bicycle kick from a ricocheted Dunk header.

“Fans had barely finished guzzling the last drops of their half-time pints when Ayari made it 2-0, one minute and eight seconds after the restart.

“Ayari was quick to collect a loose pass deep in the Burnley half, before shimmying beyond Florentino Luis and firing home.

“Burnley were nearly given a lifeline when Lucas Pires’ corner was nodded towards goal by Loum Tchaouna – but Kadioglu was there for Brighton to head it off the line, onto the crossbar and away.

“The decibels rose in the Amex as Pascal Gross was brought on 70 minutes in, having returned to his old club from Borussia Dortmund on Friday for just £1.5 million.

“Brighton supporters absolutely adore him and may have thought they’d never see him in a Seagulls shirt ever again.

“The hosts deserved a third when Maxim De Cuyper stepped up and hit a peach of a free-kick over the wall which rattled the post.”

In The Sunday Times, Tom Allnutt wrote that “Brighton needed this victory, which came thanks to goals either side of half-time from Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari.

Burnley arrive at the Amex looking to extend their unbeaten run on the south coast. Highlights in partnership with @mpbcom. Buy, sell and trade used camera gear. https://bit.ly/MPB457

“Six games without a win was enough to trouble even Brighton supporters but the strange nature of this season means that one win can simultaneously avert a crisis and bring hope of a push for the Champions League. This was Brighton’s first three points since November and yet the table shows them in eighth, only two points behind Chelsea.”

A slightly different perspective came from Matt Scrafton of the Burnley Express.

“The Clarets barely managed to lay a glove on the Seagulls as they stretched their winless run to 11 games, meaning their wait for a win now extends to 70 days,” he wrote.

“Scott Parker’s side were passive throughout, opting to sit back and await their fate against a Brighton team that didn’t even have to work particularly hard for their goals.

“Burnley weren’t convincing at all during the early stages, allowing Brighton to play through them far too easily while offering very little on the rare occasions they did win the ball back.

The moment Der Kaiser returned... 🥹👏 pic.twitter.com/EhJIHQBeFg
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 4, 2026

“The home side opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark. True to form, it was a soft goal to concede, with Georginio Rutter slamming a low shot beyond Dubravka and into the far corner after a spot of pinball inside the Burnley box.

“For as bad as Burnley had been during the first-half, they ought to have gone in level when they finally created a presentable opening in the final minute.

“Jacob Bruun Larsen was the creator, playing in Lucas Pires who was well denied by Seagulls keeper Bart Verbruggen.

“It proved to be a costly miss because, rather than react after the interval, they went two goals down.

“It was all of their own doing too, as Lesley Ugochukwu played Florentino into trouble with a hospital ball on the edge of the Burnley box. The ball ricocheted to Yasin Ayari, who did the rest by drilling his low shot into the far corner.

Photo 1/25

Georginio Rutter gave Albion a first half lead, before Yasin Ayari secured the points with a clinical second half strike. Pascal Gross returned to competitive action as Fabian Hurzeler introduced him during the second half.

“Burnley were unfortunate not to get back in the game midway through the half when Loum Tchaouna was denied by the woodwork.

“It came after Verbruggen made a hash of dealing with a deep corner, allowing Tchaouna to head over the Seagulls keeper and towards goal, but Kadioglu did well to head it onto the underside of the crossbar.

“That proved to be Burnley’s last real chance, as Brighton saw out the remainder of the game with real ease.

“In fact, they took the mickey during the final stages, ole-ing as they demanded a goal from their returning hero Gross off the bench.”