Pascal Gross reflects on 'incredibly emotional' Brighton return

The 34-year-old German midfielder rejoined Brighton from Borussia Dortmund on Friday, 18 months after leaving the club, and came on as a 71st-minute substitute as Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari secured the victory at the Amex Stadium. The result lifted Brighton to eighth in the league, snapping a six-match winless run.

Gross, who made 261 appearances and scored 32 goals during his first spell at Brighton, said the reception from fans had been "incredible" and expressed his desire to repay their support with strong performances. "It was really special. I hope I can give them something back to our fans with good performances, that's all that matters," he said.

Brighton chairman Paul Barber confirmed there are no plans to sell midfielder Carlos Baleba during the January transfer window. Despite reports linking the 22-year-old Cameroon international with Manchester United, Barber said Brighton have "no desire" to part with the player, who will return from AFCON duty for the second half of the season.

On the pitch, Brighton dominated throughout, with Rutter opening the scoring in the 29th minute after a deflected effort from Yasin Ayari. Ayari then doubled the advantage early in the second half following a turnover by Burnley's Lesley Ugochukwu. Burnley, who remain second-bottom and six points from safety, struggled to respond and extended their wait for a top-flight win to 11 games.

Substitute Pascal Gross received a warm reception from the Amex Stadium crowd in the final 19 minutes, while fellow replacement Maxim De Cuyper nearly added a third goal. Brighton recorded their first home league victory over Burnley in seven attempts, moving up the table and halting a disappointing run of results.

Brighton will look to build on the win as they aim to maintain their climb up the Premier League standings, while Burnley face mounting pressure to end a prolonged run of poor results.

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