Albion Analytics: 2023 wrapped

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A look at a tremendous calendar year for Albion.

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2024-01-01T06:00:00Z

One of the high points of the season - the 4-2 win over Tottenham.

2023, the year of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Fittingly, they started and ended the calendar year in almost identical fashion, beating established Premier League teams in Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, racing into 4-0 leads in both games. After all, 2023 was just the second year in club history (after 1955, when Brighton were in the then-regionalised third division) that Brighton scored more than 100 goals, with the four against Spurs taking the total to 105 — they hit 110 combined in 2021 and 2022.

In fact, in the Premier League era (since 1992-93), Brighton are only the fourth non ‘Big Six’ club to score a century of goals across all competitions in a calendar year: they follow on from Newcastle in 1994 (106), Leeds United in 2001 (102) and Leicester City in 2021 (103).

Comparing since 2018, looking at just full calendar years where Brighton have been in the Premier League (as they were promoted in May 2017), they have smashed their annual bests — for Premier League games only: 68 points in 2023 is 16 more than the record of 52 in 2021 (they had 51 in 2022); 19 wins is five more than in 2022 (14); 82 goals is a scarcely believable 29 more than 2022, as is the +20 goal difference, bettering the +3 recorded in the previous calendar year. All in, Brighton finish seventh in the Premier League’s calendar year table, their highest-ever.

De Zerbi gave 20 competition debuts to players aged under 24 (at the time of debut) across the calendar year, in the league, both cups and Europa League. Eight of those are academy graduates, including Jack Hinshelwood, Josh Duffus, Evan Ferguson, Andrew Moran, Benicio Baker-Boaitey, Odel Offiah, Cameron Peupion and Jeremy Sarmiento.

Hinshelwood’s opener against Tottenham, in the final game of the calendar year, was the 19th Premier League goal scored by a Brighton teenager in 2023. The rest of the league combined had 16 goals by teenagers, and it is the most goals scored by teenagers at a Premier League club in a calendar year since the turn of the century — only Liverpool in 1994 (22) and 1998 (25) have more.

Tottenham were the 21st different opponent Brighton had beaten in all competitions in 2023, and their 16th home win in their 26th game at the Amex, with six draws and just four defeats all year. They outscored opponents 58-29 in home games and only failed to find the net once — at home to Fulham in February. Only Manchester City averaged more possession in home league games in 2023, while Brighton rank fourth for home league goals scored (46) this calendar year. They had as many home league wins in 2023 (12) as 2021 and 2022 combined, and took twice as many points from home league games this calendar year (42) and 2022 (21).

De Zerbi described the 4-2 home win against Tottenham as “the best way to finish the year”. With injuries again impacting selection and tactics, Brighton adapted — just like in Europe. They had their third-lowest share of possession this calendar year (45%), with just six instances of Albion having less than 50% in all competitions in 2023. De Zerbi’s side recorded their highest long pass share (11.7%) of the calendar year, going long into a fluid front three of Joao Pedro, Danny Welbeck and Facundo Buonanotte, up against a high defensive line from a makeshift Spurs back four.

Yet, it made Brighton’s top five games for xG (3.7, including two penalties), and their best Premier League game of 2023 for big chances (7, with 3 goals — only in the League Cup against Grimsby, with 8 big chances and 4 goals, did they have more across all competitions). The Spurs win was the 11th time they had at least nine shots on target in a game, achieving such a feat only 3 times in 2022.

It is fitting that Albion end the calendar year unbeaten in eight Premier League home games (4 wins, 4 draws), their joint-longest home run without defeat in top-flight history (alongside an 8 game home unbeaten run in 1981). That is the first of many records they can look to break in 2024.