Analysis: Brighton show ruthlessness against toothless Leedspublished at 18:26 GMT 1 November
18:26 GMT 1 November
Adwaidh Rajan BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton rediscovered their ruthlessness in attack and returned to winning ways in style as they overcame Leeds United 3-0 in the Premier League.
Fabian Hurzeler's men headed into this game on the back of a challenging week on the road where they were beaten by Manchester United in the league and knocked out of the League Cup by Arsenal.
The Seagulls attempted more shots than their opponents in those games - 15 to Manchester United's 13 and 17 to Arsenal's 13 - but were outscored by four goals.
The back-to-back defeats came after a five-game unbeaten run across all competitions from Brighton, who have have struggled for consistency during the 2025-26 season.
However, Danny Welbeck's sixth goal of the league campaign pulled Brighton ahead early in front of their supporters at the Amex on Saturday.
Though Leeds stayed alive in the game past the hour mark, Diego Gomez's quickfire double - his first Premier League goals of the season - sealed the victory that helped the Seagulls move into the top half of the standings.
While the commanding win will come as a huge fillip for the Seagulls, a second clean sheet in 22 Premier League games will be further source of optimism for Hurzeler as a tough challenge at Crystal Palace awaits them next Sunday before the international break.
Brighton 3-0 Leeds: What Hurzeler and Welbeck saidpublished at 17:24 GMT 1 November
17:24 GMT 1 November
Media caption,
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the win: "It was good performance from the start, especially the first 20 minutes. We lost a bit of control after that, but in the second half we got it back. We kept a clean sheet which was important, scored some good goals and created a lot of chances. I'm happy.
"It is really about getting consistency with our results. Winning is always the best feeling, but a clean sheet gives you a high percentage of winning the game. Everyone worked hard and everyone was there for each other. We deserved the clean sheet."
Brighton goalscorer Danny Welbeck also spoke to Premier League Productions about the performance: "They were top performances from both Yankuba Minteh and Diego Gomez. Minteh was dangerous all day long and Diego popped up with two great goals. It was some great work from Georginio [Rutter] to create it too."
On whether he is expecting an England call-up next week: "I just control what I can control. I'm enjoying playing my football here at Brighton, so my focus is always on Brighton and doing the best that I can. Getting the goals is important for me and the team, and getting the three points."
Did you know?
Brighton are unbeaten in their past nine Premier League home games (W5 D4), their best unbeaten home run since between September and March in the 2023-24 season (12 games unbeaten).
Danny Welbeck has scored six goals in his past five Premier League appearances for Brighton - two more goals than he had netted in his previous 26 games combined.
Brighton 3-0 Leeds - send us your thoughtspublished at 16:57 GMT 1 November
16:57 GMT 1 November
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has named an unchanged starting line-up following their 2-1 win against West Ham last weekend.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the line alongside Noah Okafor and Brenden Aaronson while captain Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Sean Longstaff make up their midfield
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burnley v Arsenal" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Chelsea", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Brighton v Leedspublished at 12:33 GMT 1 November
12:33 GMT 1 November
Leeds have made a great start and I am pleased for Daniel Farke.
He took a lot of stick when he was at Norwich, when I kept hearing how he wasn't a Premier League manager, but apart from their heavy defeat at leaders Arsenal, his side have been competitive in all of their games so far.
I am still going with a Brighton win here, though.
The Seagulls did not play well when they lost at Manchester United last weekend, then went out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of the Gunners on Wednesday, but they are unbeaten at home so far and I am expecting them to bounce back.
Brighton v Leeds: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:03 GMT 31 October
19:03 GMT 31 October
Jordan Butler BBC Sport journalist
An inconsistent Brighton host promoted Leeds on the south coast this Saturday. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes surrounding this fixture.
Evergreen Milner to face first side
Brighton will certainly welcome a return home after a loss at Old Trafford last Saturday and a League Cup defeat at the Emirates on Wednesday.
Fabian Hurzeler's side are on an eight-match unbeaten run at the Amex Stadium in the top flight, with four wins and four draws.
They have also kept a clean sheet in their past seven home league games against visitors Leeds, their longest run without conceding against a single opponent in the club's history.
Brighton's James Milner was born and bred in Leeds and made his top-flight debut for the Elland Road club in November 2002 when he was just 16.
Now 39, the evergreen utility player is still contributing at the highest level and his assist for 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas's goal against Manchester United set two unique Premier League records.
Not only was it the biggest gap in age between a player setting up a team-mate – a whopping 21 years and 146 days – but it was the first time in Premier League history that a player assisted another after making their debut in the competition before the scorer was born.
Milner is also nine games away from setting a new Premier League appearance record. If he were to feature on Saturday he would sit just seven matches behind Gareth Barry's total of 653. If he plays at Elland Road in the reverse fixture in May, the chances are he will already have broken it.
Positive start for Leeds
Leeds head to the south coast seeking to register consecutive Premier League victories for the first time since November 2022.
They've lost three of their four away trips so far this season but their sole victory at Wolves in September means they've already gone one better than Howard Wilkinson's team during the inaugural Premier League campaign in 1992-93. That side failed to win any of their 21 games on the road during a 42-game season but still finished two points above the relegation zone in 17th.
The positive start that Daniel Farke's side have made has gone somewhat under the radar due to Sunderland's charge towards the top of the division. But recent history suggests that his team is doing enough, as every promoted side in the last 10 seasons with 11 points or more after 10 games has survived. Leeds have amassed 11 points from their first nine matches.
The last promoted side to have at least 11 points after 10 games and be relegated was Cardiff City in 2013-14 – the Bluebirds mustered 12 points from their first 10 fixtures but finished the season bottom with 30 points after taking a meagre 18 from their remaining 28 matches.
A similar fate could still befall Leeds and, when asked about his side's return from their opening nine games, Leeds boss Farke said they deserved far more. "We should be on 15 to 17 points already," he said in his pre-match press conference. "We're on a good path, but survival isn't a guarantee. We need around nine or 10 wins to stay up."
'Hard to put a finger on one reason for struggles' - Wiefferpublished at 19:00 GMT 31 October
19:00 GMT 31 October
Image source, Getty Images
Mats Wieffer spoke to BBC Radio Sussex about Brighton's start to the season: "As a team we are not satisfied with how it [the season] is going. It's not that bad, but overall we want more points.
"We speak a lot and watch clips about what we can do better defensively and attacking-wise. It is hard to put a finger on one [reason why it's not going to plan]. At this moment, we are still figuring out how we can play at our best.
"Against Arsenal, we played with three at the back instead of four - I don't know if that is going to be for a longer period, I don't think it is."
On the difference between the Premier League and other leagues, he said: "The intensity and you can get punished directly. It doesn't matter what team you play against, you can have the ball for a long time with lots of chances but if you don't score then they will. You can never drop your intensity as the team.
"In my opinion, you face the best wingers in the world [in the Premier League]. They are fast, and it's really difficult. I am trying my best and trying to help the team."
Image source, Getty Images
