Brighton & Hove Albion

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton may only be six games into the new season but have they already unearthed their latest star?

Carlos Baleba's all action display in the Carabao Cup third round victory over fellow Premier League side Wolves was impressive to say the least.

The midfielder set the tone in the entertaining encounter with his brilliant strike into the bottom corner from outside the box in the first half.

Baleba, 20, made 27 appearances for Brighton last season but looks to be stepping up even more this campaign.

He may be a defensive midfielder but Baleba is well capable of picking up the ball and surging up the field with it in order to create attacks for his side - as he proved in the win over Wolves.

It may not be too far fetched to think of Baleba in a similar mould to Moises Caicedo - who of course left Brighton to for Chelsea in a British record £115 million deal.

Liverpool are well known to be eyeing a move for a midfielder and were one of the club's in for Caicedo so could they be considering a future move for Baleba?

Only time will tell but do not be surprised to see Baleba's stock continue to rise.

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Three Premier League teams are in Carabao Cup third-round action on Wednesday:

• Brighton v Wolves - 19:45

• Coventry v Tottenham - 20:00

Kick-off times BST

Follow live text commentary of those games

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup third-round tie at home against Wolves (19:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Joao Pedro's fitness will be assessed after training on Tuesday after he missed Saturday's draw with Ipswich: "We don't want to take risks."

• Mats Wiefer "will be an option" and Brajan Gruda is "still in rehab training" but "making big improvements".

• Hurzeler said there "won't be 11 changes" to his starting line-up like there was in the second round against Crawley and it will be a "mix" of rotation with players who featured on Saturday.

• On striker Evan Ferguson, who has not started for Brighton since March: "He doesn't have to show me what he can do because I know what his potential is. He has the full package for a striker. It is important he integrates in our style of play and follows our principles."

• He sees the Carabao Cup as a route to silverware: "Cups are competitions where you can win titles and I want to win titles, the club wants to win titles and the players want to win titles. It is a chance for us. I take this game very seriously."

• On the challenge posed by Wolves: "They have great individual players. They have midfield players who can carry the ball. They have a good structure in possession and they have a good style of play. They will be a big challenge for us."

• On opportunities for players who have not featured so far this season: "The players don't have to feel they have to impress me. It is important they prove to themselves they belong to the squad. I am completely convinced with all the players in my squad. I am completely trusting and believing in them."

Follow all of Tuesday's Carabao Cup and Champions League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Why did Brighton draw nil-nil with Ipswich? There is an obvious and logical explanation. The curse of the Manager of the Month.

Albion head coaches have a long and proud history of winning the award and then seeing their team's form fall off a cliff faster than Barry from EastEnders after being pushed over the edge by Janine.

Chris Hughton was the last Brighton boss to be named Manager of the Month back in February 2018. The Albion were on a run of three wins and a draw when Hughton picked up the gong. Which was immediately followed by an eight game, two month long winless streak.

Fabian Hurzeler now faces the challenge of breaking the curse. He also needs to find a way to help Brighton overcome sides who come to the Amex and set up ultra-defensively.

Non-believers in witchcraft might even say it is a bigger issue for Hurzeler than the curse, seeing as neither Graham Potter nor Roberto de Zerbi were able to overcome the defensive opposition.

The Albion under Potter were the Premier League’s Kings of xG (expected goals). While De Zerbi delivered far more goals and entertainment, his team too struggled to break through a low block.

Fulham, Sheffield United, Burnley, Wolves and Everton all left Sussex with something to show for their efforts last season having sat back and invited Brighton to crack their defences.

If the Albion want to challenge for Europe again this season, those are the games- and Ipswich at home is in that category, that the Seagulls need to be winning in 2024-25.

Hurzeler has already shown signs that he could be a very special manager. Do what his two predecessors couldn’t, and find a way to defeat opponents who park the bus, and he will be on his way to greatness.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

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Brighton forward Georginio Rutter spoke to BBC Radio Sussex after making his full debut against Ipswich:

"It was important for my confidence to start, I enjoyed it. We are disappointed with the game, but we are still unbeaten and we have to take the positives. I enjoyed playing more [in front of the home crowd].

On settling into the club: "I know people speak about the price, but I just try to forget about the price and enjoy my football.

"The manager, all of the staff and all of the players know there is a bit of adaptation. It was a warm welcome when I came.

"Carlos Baleba [is helping him settle in], is a very good player, I speak with him and Simon [Adingra] as well, we speak French. I'm trying to improve my English and I speak with everyone."

On the step up to the Premier League: "When I was with Leeds, the Premier League was different. I didn't play a lot and it maybe wasn't a good moment for me. Now it's different. We have a good team and good atmosphere."

Listen to the full interview here on BBC Sounds

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

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Jonny: A really frustrating afternoon and a disappointing result against a team that still plays a League One style of football. I think we dodged a bullet not getting McKenna! No more direct free-kicks from Dunk please - it’s embarrassing! On a positive note, Baleba was exceptional again and Ferguson looked sharp. Hopefully Joao Pedro is back for the Nottingham Forest game...

Steve: Dominant and dynamic, but couldn't make that telling last pass in the final third. When this team has all the injured players available they will be a real force. Never looked like losing, and should have gained three points.

Bob: Usual stuff from us - loads of possession with little result in the way of goals. We lack a centre-forward who can challenge the opposition defence. No bite. Still, a point gained - but also two lost. Too many passes.

Ipswich fans

Archie: To a man, we defended excellently throughout. Struggled on the ball in the first half but grew into the game after the break. Plaudits will rightly go to Muric but Tuanzebe was just as good, having arguably his best game in a Town shirt. A great point away from home against a really strong side. That first win is coming...

Andy: I had a feeling we’d get something from this game. A point away at Brighton is a fantastic result. Confidence will be growing in the Ipswich camp as the players get more and more comfortable with each other and the Premier League.

Simon: Very resilient performance with Phillips looking decent and Muric was really solid. Hutchinson looked like he was trying too hard but he was lively. We're very combative with some attacking threat, especially when we bring the subs on later. We will stay up.

Gary Linker brings you highlights and analysis from Saturday's eight Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest

• Aston Villa 3-2 Everton

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Reuters

It has been said that a player is never more highly thought of than when they are unavailable.

Joao Pedro has done a very good job of enhancing his reputation while he has been on the pitch this season but, as Brighton struggled to find a way past Ipswich, it grew that bit more.

Brighton played well for the most part and manager Fabian Hurzeler was adamant that they had created enough to win the match.

But the only clear cut chances came in the same passage of play in the first half when Georginio Rutter and then Kaoru Mitoma were thwarted by Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.

Beyond that, there were little more than half chances with a number of encouraging moves breaking down at the crucial moment due to a heavy touch or pass slightly behind an onrushing team-mate.

Yankuba Minteh looked a threat, particularly in the first half, while midfield pair Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari had moments of real quality.

Ultimately, though, when Brighton needed that moment of inspiration, a cool head and a quick mind to create that game-winning chance, they were found wanting.

That might still have been the case with Joao Pedro on the pitch but the Seagulls will be left with the nagging feeling that a knock on international duty might have cost them two points.

Image source, Getty Images

32.2% of Brighton’s Premier League games have been drawn (87/270), the highest share of any side to have played in more than one campaign in the competition.

This was Brighton’s 27th goalless draw in the Premier League, three more than any other side since they were promoted in 2017.

Image source, Getty Images

Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Match of the day after Brighton's draw with Ipswich: "It feels a little bit disappointing after the game but I never want to judge my team off the result, I always follow the process.

"Today we did everything to win the game. We had enough chances to win and defended well enough to win the game, so in the end, I'm happy with the performance, satisfied with the performance.

"We don't get the result we want but long-term I'm sure if you have this performance, it will pay off."

On lack of clear chances: "Afterwards, of course, you can discuss several situations but I am still convinced we had enough chances, enough shots on the goal to win this game.

"We could have created more, we know this, but Ipswich are not a bad team. We are not happy that we didn't score, we had enough chances and then you have to be happy with the job, take this one point and try to improve next time."

On not much stoppage time: "I didn't understand it. Last game, at the Emirates, we watched the clock and saw how much additional time there was and the fourth official said, 'he will add it'.

"In the end, he will add three minutes and for me, that is two substitutions. We had more subs, plus corners, injuries. I think nobody can understand it.

"Even when I asked the referee, he couldn't give me an answer."

Click here to listen to BBC Radio Sussex's post-match interview with Fabian Hurzeler

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance, external

What did you make of Ipswich’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Read the match report and follow reaction

There are eight Premier League games on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.

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BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries:

• Liverpool v Nottingham Forest

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Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

People think I'm anti-Ipswich, but I'm not. I like Kieran McKenna and the way his team plays, I just think Norwich is a far nicer place to live.

They got their first point on the board against Fulham before the international break and I like the way they are going about things.

I still expect them to get relegated, but they have been smart with the players they have brought in and they are giving it a go to try to stay up.

However, I don't see them getting anything at Brighton because the Seagulls have got off to an absolute flyer under Fabian Hurzeler, and it is going to be tough for Ipswich to keep Kaoru Mitoma quiet.

Femi's prediction: 3-0

We saw how good Brighton are when they came to the Emirates.

Ife's prediction: 2-0

The same outcome, but a slightly smaller scoreline!

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has been named Premier League manager of the month.

The award comes after his side went unbeaten in their opening three matches, beating Everton and Manchester United while drawing against Arsenal.

After Hurzeler's first month in charge, the Seagulls sit third in the league.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has praised Brighton's "really good habits and traits" as his side go in search of a first win since returning to the Premier League when they face the Seagulls on Saturday.

"They've had a good start and they're a really good side, no doubt about it," Ipswich boss McKenna told Town TV.

"They've got some really good habits and traits over the last couple of managers. They are comfortable in possession and build really well through the pitch.

"They've got some fantastic talent and individual quality, both starters and on the bench.

"The new manager's come in and he's putting his own style on it and improving them in certain areas and probably making them an even more well-rounded threat.

"So we know they're a really good side and it's a good challenge for us. But it's another one to really look forward to, to go and impose ourselves, be brave and go with the belief that we can get a result."