Brighton continued their impressive Premier League form with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, 10 October, despite playing the final stages with 10 men. Second-half goals from Maxim De Cuyper and substitute Jaouen Hadjam secured a third consecutive league win for Fabian Hürzeler’s side, who have now recorded three successive clean sheets.
After a closely contested first half, Brighton broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Pascal Groß delivered a precise pass into space for De Cuyper, whose powerful finish beat goalkeeper Robin Roefs and gave the visitors the advantage.
Sunderland were handed a potential route back into the match shortly afterwards when Pascal Struijk was sent off in the 62nd minute. The defender was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after bringing down Wilson Isidor, who was through on goal. With a numerical advantage, Sunderland pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but Brighton responded with an organised defensive display.
The statistics reflected the hosts’ frustration. Sunderland enjoyed 62% possession and won seven corners, compared with Brighton’s five, but managed only three shots on target from 12 attempts. Brighton registered four on target from 13 shots and made 44 clearances, more than twice Sunderland’s 19, as they protected their lead.
Hürzeler was particularly pleased with the discipline his players showed after the dismissal, highlighting their collective effort rather than focusing only on the result.
“It was key for us today to have a really good defensive mindset. I feel it was a deserved win and I have to praise my players,” the Brighton manager told BBC Sport.
He added: “They really stuck together, faced adversity no matter how hard it was. They did the basics really well and that is so crucial in a game like this, especially when you are one man down.”
Brighton’s defensive strength was rewarded in stoppage time when two substitutes combined to settle the contest. Georginio Rutter released Jaouen Hadjam down the left, and the defender advanced into the penalty area before driving a right-footed shot beyond Roefs to score on his Premier League debut.
The result also extended Brighton’s remarkable recent run. They have now won three consecutive Premier League matches without conceding for only the second time in the club’s history in the competition, having previously achieved the feat in October 2018. Groß also continued his influential form, providing the assist for De Cuyper to become the oldest player to assist in three successive top-flight matches since Ryan Giggs in February 2012, aged 35 years and 117 days.
For Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris, the defeat was a frustrating outcome after his team had enjoyed spells of possession but failed to turn that control into clear opportunities. He identified both the opening goal and his side’s lack of precision in attack as key moments.
“It was a disappointing result,” Le Bris said. “There were several games within the game – the first half was balanced. It was really tight.”
The Sunderland boss was particularly critical of his team’s defending before Brighton took the lead, saying: “At the beginning of the second half we weren’t organised from a long throw and they seized their opportunity.”
Le Bris also acknowledged that Sunderland struggled to create enough after Struijk’s dismissal, as Brighton defended compactly and looked to exploit spaces on the counter-attack.
“There was a lot of counter-pressing, and we created a few chances but we lacked quality in the final third,” he said. He added: “We lacked composure today because our main ideas were good.”
Despite the setback, Le Bris urged his players to remain committed to their approach and respond positively. “We must stick to our plan, our principles, trust our teammates, our processes and we must fight,” he said.
Brighton leave the north-east with renewed confidence and 13 points, maintaining third place in the table. Sunderland, meanwhile, remain on four points and will need to improve their attacking efficiency if they are to turn competitive performances into more positive results.
