Brentford and Brighton wins put spotlight on ‘Bermuda Triangle’

Brentford beat Chelsea 3–0 at home on 18 September, and Brighton followed with a 3–0 home victory over Arsenal the next day. Liverpool, however, left Bournemouth with all three points on 20 September, thanks to Alexander Isak’s goal in a 1–0 win. [2] [10] [3]

Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth are the clubs linked by the Premier League’s “Bermuda Triangle” label, used by BBC Sport and Sky Sports to examine their threat to the traditional Big Six: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham. Their records against those opponents differ considerably. [1] [11]

Brighton lead the recent comparison

From the start of 2024/25 to 24 September 2026, each of the three clubs has played 26 league matches against Big Six opponents:

- Brighton: 42 points, averaging 1.62 per match, from 12 wins, six draws and eight defeats. [7] - Bournemouth: 35 points, averaging 1.35, from nine wins, eight draws and nine defeats. [8] - Brentford: 22 points, averaging 0.85, from five wins, seven draws and 14 defeats. [9]

These totals count points earned at home and away, rather than just results for teams visiting the three grounds. Brighton’s 2024/25 return, for example, included victories over Tottenham at both venues. [4]

The selected trio are not the only difficult opponents for the established powers. BBC Sport’s figures for the same period give Newcastle and Nottingham Forest averages of 1.46 points per match, and Aston Villa 1.38 — all above both Bournemouth and Brentford. [1]

A longer view changes the order

Starting the comparison in 2022/23 puts Brentford ahead of Bournemouth. Sky Sports lists Brighton with 69 points, Brentford with 49 and Bournemouth with 46, each from 50 matches against the Big Six. [11]

That longer period includes a particularly productive Brentford season: they earned 21 points against those opponents in 2022/23, one more than Brighton. It falls outside the shorter comparison beginning in 2024/25. [5]