With his boyish features and a willowy frame that could be carried away by a stiff winter wind, David Brooks does not look like your archetypal Premier League player. But not for the first time this season, the young Wales international rose above the fray here to end Bournemouth’s poor run of form.
Brooks scored a striking individual goal in each half, the first a precise long-range effort, the second a most unlikely arcing header, to give Bournemouth their second win in eight league matches.
For Brighton, there was some consolation in a well-drilled performance but they were undermined by one defensive error and a red card for Lewis Dunk.
“He’s certainly ahead of schedule”, was the way Eddie Howe described Brooks, his summer signing from Sheffield United. “We knew we were getting a very technical, intelligent player but perhaps we didn’t know how good he would be for the team. He buys into the team ethic and the tactical side he has grasped very, very quickly. So far he has also been able to handle the Premier League and not get carried away.”
Brooks cost Bournemouth £11m when he joined in the summer, with Howe speculating that the price would have been much higher – and Brooks likely coveted by bigger clubs – had he not had his second half of last season blighted by glandular fever.
Whatever the might-have-beens, Brooks is now a key component in the Bournemouth side, able to link play under pressure and find space among compact opponents. He also has five goals for them and all have had the imprimatur of quality about them.
His first goal came out of nothing. Receiving the ball 15 yards outside the Brighton box, the 21-year-old looked to have only limited options in front of him. But while the Brighton defenders waited for a through ball, Brooks checked dismissively inside his marker Davy Pröpper and, before anyone could adjust, hit a left foot shot across goal and beyond goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
The second was even better than the first. It came from a Ryan Fraser cross and the Scot landed his delivery right on the edge of the six‑yard box. But Brooks turned a good ball into an exceptional goal, running in front of the cross and – with his back to goal – flicking a header over Leon Balogun and inside the far post.
For large parts of the game Brighton looked the part as one of the Premier League’s new middle class. They had their chances in a strong first-half performance, notably from Yves Bissouma and Dunk, but they sank after their captain was sent off with 20 minutes to go for a second yellow card.
“I was really pleased with the performance, especially in the first half and it was very difficult to come in at half-time 1-0 down”, said Chris Hughton. “But that’s the game. It’s about making sure you take your chances, because if you don’t you’re playing against a talented team who will test you.
“Our query with the sending off is with the first yellow card. Lewis gets booked [for a foul on Brooks] but it’s Bissouma who makes the first contact. It’s incredibly hard on Lewis. That’s our grievance at the moment.”
