The Media Review: Wieffer brace beats Burnley

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Mats Wieffer's brace ensured Albion came away with a 2-0 victory.

Nick Szczepanik

2026-04-12T10:25+01:00

Yankuba Minteh's run at left wing has coincided with Albion's recent run of form. 📸 by James Boardman.

Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler says that he is not a big fan of talking about Europe, but the reporters in the press box high above Turf Moor were far less reluctant to link Albion with a return to continental competition after the 2-0 victory at Burnley.

“If questions have been raised about Brighton & Hove Albion and their head coach this season, they are answering them impressively over its closing stages, with a goal in each half from Mats Wieffer making it five wins from their past six games,” wrote Ian Whittell in The Sunday Times.

“For Burnley, the great yo-yo club, the inevitable relegation now looms. It’s Brighton who have taken on the role once enjoyed by Burnley under Sean Dyche, of the over-achievers punching well above their weight. Next season will be their tenth consecutive one in the top flight and it looks increasingly likely to bring a second ever foray into Europe.”

Will Unwin agreed on The Guardian website. “Ultimately, it was Mats Wieffer’s two strikes that settled the match, tripling his tally for the club, to boost Brighton’s European hopes and leave Burnley 12 points from safety with six to play,” he wrote.

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Double Dutch! Mats Weiffer's two goals moved Albion up into ninth place in the Premier League. Club photographer James Boardman was at Turf Moor to capture the action.

“Brighton were the more comfortable of the two teams, left unperturbed after surviving two dangerous situations and without the suspended Fabian Hürzeler on the touchline. Their early forward offering came from attacks down the left as they aimed to take advantage of Humphreys being moved to right back but Danny Welbeck and Yakuba Minteh fluffed finishes when in the perfect position to score, while pinball in the box ended with a Burnley goal-kick.

“Inevitably, Brighton’s opener came down the left. They were the sharper of the two sides and it was not difficult to cut open the team with the worst defensive record in the league. Pascal Gross ran into space on the wing and had time to pick out the unmarked Wieffer in the middle, who swept into the corner for his first goal of the season.

“Brighton were not clinical when they had chances to kill off the match. But Wieffer was again in the right position to finish, popping up on the edge of the box in the 89th minute and finding the corner to end the contest and instigating a mass exodus, as only a quarter of attenders stayed for the final whistle.”

Ditto James Shield in The Sun on Sunday. “Fabian Hurzeler has admitted it will take something special to tempt him away from Brighton,” he wrote.

#brightonandhovealbion #burnley Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler and goal hero Mats Wieffer reflect on the victory at Turf Moor.

“Mats Wieffer’s double at Burnley kept the Seagulls firmly in the hunt for Europe. And not even an approach from one of the Premier League’s genuine heavyweights is likely to lure Hurzeler away if his side secure a place in a Uefa competition for the second time in four seasons.

“Wieffer’s strikes, which bookended another forgettable clash at Turf Moor, moved the visitors to within a point of seventh-placed Brentford and two behind faltering Chelsea in sixth.

“But while Hurzeler’s men dream of foreign shores, sorry Burnley are plummeting straight back towards the Championship less than 12 months after blazing a trail out of the second tier.

“As Hurzeler’s body language suggested throughout a contest high on industry but low on genuine quality, Brighton were far from their swashbuckling best.

#brightonandhovealbion #burnley #matswieffer Brighton face Burnley with both sides seeking three points for very different reasons. Highlights in partnership with @mpbcom. Buy, sell and trade used camera gear. https://bit.ly/MPB457

“They always carried a threat going forward. But they also looked vulnerable at the back with a corner nearly sneaking in at Bart Verbruggen’s front stick.

“Yankuba Minteh was at the heart of everything good about the Seagulls during the first half. Unfortunately for the Gambian, he had forgotten to bring his shooting boots.

“After flashing across Dubravka’s six-yard box, he made a hash of things when presented with a decent chance of his own and failed to make a clean connection.

“Two minutes before the interval Brighton finally engineered the breakthrough their work just about deserved.

Yankuba Minteh was seemingly involved in every Albion attack on Saturday. 📸 by James Boardman.

“Predictably, Minteh was involved in the build-up by sending Pascal Gross scampering down the touchline.

“When he spotted Wieffer lurking unmarked inside the area, Gross picked out the Dutchman with a peach of a pass before wheeling away in celebration when he watched his team-mate beat Dubravka.

“Wieffer emptied the ground on the stroke of full-time with a lovely finish after a terrible defensive mix-up by Burnley’s backline, sweeping the ball past Dubravka when Yasin Ayari took advantage of their failure to hack clear.”

On the BBC Sport website, Adwaidh Rajan put recent results into perspective, writing that “Brighton's 2-0 triumph over Burnley in January was their only win in 13 league matches between 30 November and 21 February, and offered little more than a brief relief amid a worrying run of form.

Mats Wieffer netted the first brace of his professional career in the victory. 📸 by James Boardman.

“But this success against the same opponents carried far greater weight and purpose as it kept the Seagulls firmly in contention for a place in Europe next season.

“They have now won five of their last six matches and, more importantly, did not let their momentum drop after three weeks without a game in the international break, following a 2-1 win against reigning champions Liverpool.

“With the congested nature of the table and confirmation of the Premier League having at least five teams in the Champions League next season, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler will fancy his chances of guiding the club to only their second continental campaign.

“He was forced to watch this game from the stands as he began a two-match touchline ban for accumulating six yellow cards this term.

Mats Wieffer scored at the end of both halves to secure the victory. 📸 by James Boardman.

“But his side still delivered a performance that reflected the German manager's influence –playing with discipline, pressing high up the pitch and making the possession count.

“With their top scorer Welbeck not having much joy in attack, the goals came from an unlikely source.

“Dutch defender Wieffer, who only returned from a toe injury at the end of February, added his name to the scoresheet for the first time since a 1-1 draw at West Ham back on 21 December 2024.

“Staying within reach of the top six has been quite an emphatic turnaround for Hurzeler and Brighton as they have found form at the right time.”