Sussex

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

After a much happier experience away at Nottingham Forest compared to the 7-0 shambles of 10 months ago, someone asked me how Brighton find themselves fifth in the Premier League table.

My response? I do not know.

Through August, September and October, it did not feel like Brighton played particularly well.

There were good 20-minute spells here and there. But stringing together one 90-minute performance was beyond the Albion, let alone putting together two, three or four in a row. Some supporters were even starting to publicly question Fabian Hurzeler.

Yet here we are, a third of the way through the campaign with Brighton firmly in the battle for a Champions League spot, having got there almost unnoticed.

They say the sign of a good team is winning games when not playing particularly well. How about being three points off second place in the toughest league in the world without playing particularly well?

And if the Albion can ride so high in the standings having rarely hit top gear, imagine what might happen when they do? Well, we got a glimpse of that at the City Ground on Sunday, in what was arguably the best display of the campaign.

Brighton have a woeful record against Sean Dyche-managed sides and Forest has never been the happiest of hunting grounds, even before the cricket score last season - and they were coming off the back of a 3-0 win at Liverpool.

Yet Albion set a new benchmark at Forest. Play like that for the rest of the season and there will be no mystery in trying to explain a fifth-place finish come the end.

It will have been well-earned. I might have to start laying the groundwork now with my partner over the potential lack of summer holidays as annual leave will instead need saving for the Champions League.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Brighton players took to social media to react to Sunday's important 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

The victory moved Brighton up to fifth with 22 points from 13 games, above Sunderland on goal difference and only three behind second-placed Manchester City.

Teenage Greece striker Stefanos, 19, Tzimas has previously scored twice in the Carabao Cup but got his first Premier League goal when he capitalised on a poor defensive header from Morato with two minutes left.

The strike meant Brighton have become the first team in Premier League history to have two different Greek players score a goal for the club in the same season - Charalampos Kostoulas scoring the other in Brighton's 4-2 win against Manchester United

It was also the eighth time a Brighton substitute has netted in the Premier League this season - more than any other team.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Forest fans

Andy: There are no easy games. Two lapses of concentration cost us a point, but fair play to Brighton.

Greg: I'm sorry but Sean Dyche started with a negative line-up and it allowed Brighton to dictate the game. Second-half team changes should have started the match. Omari Hutchinson put them under immediate pressure. We were unlucky not to get an equaliser and the late goal by Brighton just summed up the lack of depth of quality in defence. This is a big problem for the Reds. As soon as Murillo is absent, we look suspect at the back - it needs fixing in the next transfer window.

John: Another yo-yo result from Forest. We'll probably escape relegation only because there are three worse sides.

Tom: Forest played solidly, but it just was not their day. Hopefully Murillo will be back soon but I am confident they can bounce back next game regardless.

Brighton fans

Grumpyman: Excellent performance. We were all over them, especially in the first 20 minutes. Great to see the two signings score and Dunk and Van Hecke were immense when they were pressing and threatening to equalise. So nice to banish that distant 7-0 memory...

Paul: A good, solid performance from the Seagulls. They created some good opportunities in the first half and could have been home and dry by half-time. They knew Forest would come back at them and they defended superbly. Dunk was imperious and Minteh chased and chased. Good to see the young lads De Cuyper and Tzimas notch up some goals. Not concerned about losing Baleba, who hasn't been at the races for the team this season - his head is elsewhere and on higher things.

Chris: Very pleased that there was no hangover from the 7-0 drubbing last year! Well done to the boss for the intelligent set-up and substitutions.

Ray: At last, Brighton win a game they could easily have lost!

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck was quick to highlight the influence of captain Lewis Dunk after Sunday's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The defender has long been central to Brighton's identity, but Welbeck suggested his impact is still underestimated outside the club.

"He was incredible," Welbeck told BBC Radio Sussex. "Sometimes it goes amiss from spectators watching the game how good Lewis Dunk. What he brings to Brighton, what he brings to the team and his performance levels - a lot of his stuff goes under the radar.

"He is an incredible leader. He does it through his performances on the pitch, how he's in training every single day and his character around the place.

"He makes everybody feel comfortable. He brings that comfort on to the pitch as well for the players around him. I'm proud to call him my skipper."

Welbeck also reached a major personal milestone at the City Ground, marking his 500th club appearance.

Reflecting on the achievement, he said: "It's a special moment for me. But it's something you don't really take on until you're finished and look back.

"At the moment, I am pleased to get the win. It's nice to hear you've got 500 club appearances - but on to the next one."

Hear more from Welbeck on BBC Sounds

And also listen to an interview with Maxime de Cuyper reflecting on the win at Forest

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

There's a London derby as Chelsea take on Arsenal, Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace, and struggling Wolves make the short journey to Aston Villa. Elsewhere, West Ham entertain Liverpool and Nottingham Forest face Brighton.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-0 Wolves

• Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton

• West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

• Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Stefanos Tzimas has had to wait for his chances at Brighton but he seized one with both hands in the Seagulls' impressive 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

Replacing in-form Danny Welbeck in the 65th minute, the 19-year-old Greek striker capitalised on a poor defensive header from Forest centre-back Morato to seal his side's victory with two minutes remaining at the City Ground.

His first-ever Premier League goal helped Fabian Hurzeler's side move up to fifth place in the standings and stretch their unbeaten run to four games.

A Greece Uner-21 international, Tzimas joined Brighton from Nuremberg for £20.8m last summer and made an impression early by scoring twice in a 6-0 win against Oxford United in the League Cup in August.

He made his Premier League the following month as a substitute at Bournemouth but is yet to start a league fixture for the Seagulls.

In fact, his 25-minute cameo at Nottingham was his longest appearance for the club in the league after his debut that lasted 23 minutes.

The Greek forward scored 12 goals for Nuremberg in the German second division during the 2024-25 season and having now opened his account in the English top flight, he will be eager for a bigger role in Brighton's push for European football.

With Welbeck in fine form and competition fierce, Tzimas might face a fight for regular minutes but on this evidence, Hurzeler has another exciting option to turn to in attack.

Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Brighton's victory against Nottingham Forest: "I think we are happy with the result. The first half the performance also because we dominated against a good opponent, we controlled the game, created chances, defended quite well. In the second half we suffered a bit but stuck together and defended the box quite well. I thought in the end it was a deserved win."

On the chances they created in the first half: "They were great chances. We always want to score but you need to create chances to score. We were good in structure and therefore we are happy with the performance. Goals are the most important and we weren't able to score but we stayed patient and kept defending. We always were very stable in the defence and therefore a clean sheet was so important in this phase. This was crucial."

On Stefanos Tzimas scoring: "We are all happy for him because he is a hard worker and deserved it. He is adapting. Everyone in the locker room was really happy for him. He's a great character and a great football player. If he keeps pushing he can be a good player for us this season."

On whether last season's defeat was motivation: "In general what you can say is that we are players with big self confidence and personality on the pitch today. There was something in the air we needed to clear not only for us but the supporters. Overall it was a different game with different players. We got on the pitch with players who had great character and I think that was the main thing."

On how he feels Brighton are doing this season: "We don't use the word momentum because every game is hard work and you start always from point zero. I see a team that sticks together, a team that's working hard, a team that's getting an understanding more and more for each other. It takes time. We are still not where we want to be but it's a process and we focus on that. Every Premier League game is hard and that's what we have to do."

Did you know?

Brighton and Hove Albion attempted nine shots in the opening 20 minutes of the match, their most ever in the opening 20 minutes of a Premier League match. Overall, the last team to attempt more in this time period in an away match was Manchester City against Fulham in March 2019 (12).

Listen to Hurzeler's chat with BBC Radio Sussex here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Forest’s performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche makes one change from the side that defeated Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield last week.

Murillo, who was withdrawn late on in the win against Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday, misses the matchday squad as Morato replaces him. But Morgan Gibbs-White is back in the starting line-up after sitting out the visit of the Swedish side.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Williams, Morato, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Dominguez, Jesus, Milenkovic, Savona.

Subs: Victor, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo, Hutchinson, Yates, Cunha, McAtee, Boly, Abbott.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler springs two changes from the side that defeated Brentford 2-1 last week.

Lewis Dunk and Maxim De Cuyper return to the starting 11 as Olivier Boscagli and Carlos Baleba take their places on the bench.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Rutter, Minteh, Welbeck, Kadioglu, Gomez, Ayari, Wieffer, De Cuyper.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Tzimas, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Veltman, Coppola.

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Manchester United (12:00)

• Aston Villa v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Nottingham Forest v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• West Ham v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Arsenal (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:05 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the first four games here

And go here for Chelsea v Arsenal

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Aston Villa v Wolves" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds