Barnet and Brighton U21 played out a 1-1 draw in their EFL Trophy group stage match on October 1, 2025. The result at The Hive left both teams with work to do in their final group games to qualify for the knockout rounds. Barnet, playing at home, took the lead in the first half and looked to be on course for a valuable win. However, Brighton's youngsters showed great character to fight back and equalize in the second period. Both teams had chances to win the game in the closing stages, but neither could find a decisive goal. The shared points meant the group remained wide open, with all four teams still in contention. The Barnet manager might have expressed disappointment at not holding onto the lead, while the Brighton coach would have been encouraged by his team's response away from home.