Sussex

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It looks like Brighton have turned a corner.

There were a lot of question marks around Fabian Hurzeler and his age when he first came in and how he would manage the group. They got off to a really good start, were getting really good results early on, but then they went through that horrible spell. Their form dipped, they had injuries and the bubble seemed to burst.

Apart from the odd result, in recent games they have looked impressive. They completely dominated Chelsea in their most recent match and are looking difficult to beat again.

You look at players like Danny Welbeck and his contributions, Kaoru Mitoma on the left and Yankuba Minteh on the right - when they are all fit and firing, they look really good.

When you look at Brighton, in terms of how the whole club is run from top to bottom, they have always had that consistency. They find managers that no one else seems to know about, it never seems to rock the club or the players when they have those transitions. They always look impressive and allow these managers to build, while their recruitment is very good. They are an example of a really well-run club.

Hurzeler has proved that he is a good manager. When you hear some of the players talk about him, there were worries how he would manage in this league and with senior players, but he put that to bed really early on.

You expect a little bit of a blip but they are picking up results again and who knows where that can lead them from now until the end of the season?

We have seen with other teams, if you can go on those good runs of results, it really does change your position within the league. They will definitely be looking to stay in the top half of the table now and could even start thinking of European spots again. Plus, they have the FA Cup and a chance of silverware too.

Fans can be excited and it does feel like they have turned a corner in their season.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Ryan Adsett
Fan writer

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Nothing quite says bouncing back from a record 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest like knocking newfound rivals Chelsea out of the FA Cup and hitting them for three league goals within six days.

It felt like a sign that money can't buy class, as Albion came out as shrewd grinners after a trajectory-changing week for Fabian Hurzeler.

Hurzeler came under much scrutiny across the fanbase after the Forest result. Questions over the identity during games seemingly became rhetorical during the poor run of form.

The trouble with success and spending is that it brings rightful expectations from Albion fans. Football under previous managers was faultless at times - dominating teams most weeks, even when results were not going the right way.

The difference this season has been exactly that. While results have been there, often performances haven't. More so if we stand by the idea that this Brighton squad, especially going forward, is the best it ever has been.

Are we back on the right path? The proof will be in the signs that the past is the past against lowly Southampton. So often, the fanbase has been negative when approaching sides in the bottom six of the Premier League, with the team throwing away silly 2-0 leads like no tomorrow. We saw history repeat itself against Wolves and Leicester. Arch rivals Crystal Palace and the rejuvenated Everton also took three points at the Amex earlier in the season.

The jury is still out on this one as we'd like to see this squad performing at the highest level, signs of cracks and naivety still need to be plastered.

Hurzeler is only 31-years-old. Who'd have known? This team is a very young one, and with that comes a need for time and patience towards accepting that reality. With big upcoming games against lower-position teams, it really is the little things that matter most.

Find more from Ryan Adsett at Talk Seagulls, external

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Kaoru Mitoma's "delightful" goal in Brighton's win against Chelsea on Friday deserved more attention than it received.

That is the view of this week's Albion Unlimited podcast, with former midfielder Warren Aspinall saying: "That touch and finish was worth the entrance fee alone.

"That first touch from Mitoma, to pluck it out of the sky, he's got velcro on his foot. The second and third [touches], then to caress it into the corner with his fourth - it was a wonderful strike.

"It was poor defending from Chelsea as well, but you can't take away the touch and finish from Mitoma. It was just delightful."

Ex-defender Guy Butters agreed and said: "We all like to watch pretty football and passing but one ball pumped 80 yards up the field results in a goal.

"The touch and the quick feet after it as well, the way he took the second touch, then we were all up on our feet and thought this was definitely going to be some sort of goal and it was amazing."

BBC Radio Sussex reporter Johnny Cantor added: "It's about the finish as well. It's all good and well having flicks and skills, when they show the little showboating montages it's all well and good, but if it doesn't come to anything then it is a bit irrelevant.

"Whereas he has the ability to go on and score the goal and, for me, that is just as important. Having done something amazing like that with your skill but then to have the composure and precision to score as well.

"If Mitoma had been Messi, it would have got a lot more attention than it did."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Having been unbeaten in their first seven Premier League games against Brighton (W3 D4), Southampton are now winless in their last six against the Seagulls (D3 L3).

Brighton are unbeaten in all six of their Premier League away games against Southampton (W2 D4) – they've only visited West Ham (8) more without ever losing in the competition, while Saints have only hosted Nottingham Forest (7) more often without success.

Brighton might reluctantly sell 27-year-old forward Kaoru Mitoma for about £66m this summer, as he enters the final two years of his contract, with Chelsea one of the clubs interested. (CaughtOffside), external

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Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

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Another weekend, another Brighton win over Chelsea, another inquest into how £250m worth of players, management and recruitment staff could have swapped Sussex for Stamford Bridge and yet the Albion still maintain a hold over the Blues.

Easy one to answer. Just start by looking at the Chelsea XI who took to the field for their 3-0 defeat on Friday night. £1.5bn spent and not a fit and available centre-forward.

Robert Sanchez dropped for being a calamity all season. His replacement, Filip Jorgensen, having a Valentine's Day nightmare by shipping three goals he should have done better with. All while Kepa Arrizabalaga helps Bournemouth in their unexpected push for Europe. Chelsea's best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season plays for the Cherries.

Somewhere at the heart of this squad and transfer mess is former Brighton head of recruitment Paul Winstanley. And his successor as Brighton head of recruitment, Sam Jewell. Chelsea paid handsomely for both within 12 months of each other, presumably because they thought they were buying the brains behind the Albion's success.

But Winstanley and Jewell were just cogs in a machine. The brains behind the entire recruitment operation and the only person who knows how all those algorithms fit together is the one bloke who cannot be bought - Tony Bloom.

Todd Boehly can chuck all the money he wants at Brighton but the only way Chelsea - or anyone else for that matter - can replicate the Albion's success is through purchasing Bloom himself.

Meanwhile, there is one player who Brighton have quite rightly made unavailable for sale. Eyebrows were raised when two bids from the Saudi Pro League were turned down for Kaoru Mitoma in January. Supporters of other clubs balked at Brighton rejecting a rumoured £75m.

Mitoma, though, is irreplaceable - as shown by his stunning opening goal against Chelsea.

In over 30 years of watching Brighton, I am struggling to think of a more technically excellent goal. The first touch was exquisite. The finish almost as good. Lionel Messi-esque.

Mitoma is a special player. Watching him in a Brighton shirt is an absolute honour.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external