Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton played Everton in their opening Premier League game of this season - what was the final score and who found the net?

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says Diego Gomez has "something special" to offer his team after impressing on his first Premier League start.

The 21-year-old was at the heart of the Seagulls' best moves in the first half of Tuesday's win over Bournemouth, playing Kaoru Mitoma through on goal with a fine pass before another fine ball led to Joao Pedro winning the penalty that opened the scoring.

Gomez arrived from MLS club Inter Miami in January - where he featured alongside former Barcelona stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba - but had been limited to just four substitute appearances in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup.

"I knew what would come because I see him in training every day and every time he went on the pitch as a sub he always had an impact," Hurzeler said.

"He has a special profile - he's very helpful for our team.

"He has this passion inside of him, this intensity. He defends forward - he plays forward and that's something special."

It was the first time Brighton had won four consecutive Premier League games and moved firmly into contention for European qualification. However, Hurzeler only has his attention on the next game.

"I am not a big fan to emphasise one victory too much or to emphasise one loss to much," he added.

"We have to focus on the present. We have to understand why we are now in this situation, what makes us strong as a team, what makes us strong as individuals and that's what has to get in our mind."

Liverpool would only sell Darwin Nunez in the summer if they bring in a replacement, with Brighton's Brazil striker Joao Pedro, 23, one name on their radar. (Teamtalk)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton have not won four games in a row since they were a Championship club.

So, in this weird campaign, when a run of positive results has been followed by a run of negative ones, it feels fitting Fabian Hurzeler has managed something that proved beyond Chris Hughton, Graham Potter or Roberto de Zerbi.

The big question is: how far will it take them?

Sunday's FA Cup trip to Newcastle is one of the toughest games possible, while the Premier League run-in includes matches against Liverpool and Manchester City, plus encounters with five of the teams in the same scramble to secure European football next season.

We are long past the point when it was a novelty or something special to see Brighton in the top half of the table. Now there is an expectation about where the Seagulls should be.

With eighth potentially good enough for a Conference League berth, depending on England's European performance slot standings and who wins the domestic cups, Brighton have a return to Europe very much in their grasp.

Hurzeler has made some mistakes in his debut season at Amex Stadium, but the good outweighs the bad.

Now the pressure is on to get his selections and tactics right for the final quarter of the campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton striker Joao Pedro says all of his Brighton teammates "did a great job" in Tuesday's win against Bournemouth, but they are unable to relax with 11 league games left and the FA Cup still to play for.

Speaking after the victory the Brazil forward said: "We knew Bournemouth are a physical team - they have done very good this season. We knew we had to improve to win the second ball and everyone did a great job.

"You need to adapt game by game. Sometimes you play against teams who keep the ball but [Bournemouth] run and fight a lot - so you need to adapt."

Pedro's penalty gave the Seagulls an early lead and he praised his team-mates' role in allowing him to focus: "The team give me a lot of confidence. I don't think around I just focus on what I have to do."

Brighton travel to St James' Park on Sunday to face Newcastle in the FA Cup, and after winning there earlier in the season, Albion will be hoping for a similar result.

"We need to keep our heads and focus game by game. If we relax a little, everyone knows what happens in the Premier League so we need to prepare ourselves for the FA Cup and then move forward," Pedro added.

"The gaffer wants a lot from the FA Cup so we need to do well in it and the league as well."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between Brighton and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Fran: I was at the game and it was good to see two teams trying to win and not trying to defend with 11 players behind the ball. We rode our luck at times but overall I thought we deserved to win. You can see why Bournemouth are where they are as they play really good football.

James: We're turning our fortunes around. After one win in eight, it is now four wins in five and we are looking upwards towards Europe. Carlos Baleba solid again in midfield and and Jan Paul van Hecke and Adam Webster prove there is no need for Lewis Dunk in the squad. Pleased for Danny Welbeck to be back on the score sheet.

Mark: Bournemouth are a very good side. They looked more threatening than we did during the second half and the momentum was with them after they equalised, but we weathered the storm that many home teams have not managed to do this season against them, which shows what a good side Brighton are.

Rich: Hard-fought win and two entertaining teams. Diego Gomez looks to be a real prospect, so that is another one off the conveyor belt.

Peter: Excellent performance against a very dangerous opponent and three very precious points gained in the quest for European qualification. Two cracking goals by Justin Kluivert and Welbeck. A draw would not have been a bad result but we held on for a good win.

Bournemouth fans

Matt: A good end to end game, with the Seagulls just shading it on taking chances. Profligate from the Cherries once more. The cup game will give a welcome chance to regroup and bed the returnees back in. The fight is not over yet.

Andre: The bar has been set so high by us this season. We have delivered continuously and exceptionally, with a depleted squad. The league, on the whole, is so strong and unpredictable this season.

Simon: How was that game been lost? Cherries much the better team and had more chances in both halves. A dominant performance. I have to give so much praise to the players, but we were just not quite clinical enough when it mattered. It is interesting to see that since Illia Zabarnyi's red card, we have conceded three goals conceded and dropped six points!

Image source, Getty Images

Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Brighton's victory against Bournemouth: "It was a very intense game, both teams tried to score and tried to win. The second half was an open game and in the end we were a lucky winner."

On match-winner Danny Welbeck: "The most important thing for me is he is there as a leader and so important for the young players. He does the right things and he got what he deserved today."

"We reflected on the Nottingham Forest game and we were honest and took responsibility for the loss and tried to get back to the basics so credit to the players and we're really happy with this reaction."

Listen to more from Hurzeler on BBC Sounds

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler could hardly have wished for a better response to his team's 7-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest at the beginning of February.

Since then, the Seagulls have beaten Chelsea twice - in the Premier League and FA Cup - Southampton and now Bournemouth to reignite their hopes of securing European football next season.

They had to grind out the three points against Bournemouth, who were denied on several occasions by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and could have gone on to win the game after Justin Kluivert had cancelled out Joao Pedro's early penalty in spectacular fashion.

But it was Danny Welbeck who ended up being the match-winner, just three minutes after coming off the bench to replace the Brazilian striker.

His composed finish, which struck the inside of the far post on its way past Kepa Arrizabalaga, lifts him on to 30 Premier League goals for Brighton - the joint-most for the club in the top flight along with Pascal Gross.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

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

Four matches make up Tuesday's Premier League action and we will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

• Wolves v Fulham

• Chelsea v Southampton (20:15)

All kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Tuchel has been to the Amex twice since officially starting his new job as England manager when 2024 turned into 2025.

He needs to make a couple more stopovers in Brighton before naming his first Three Lions squad in March. Or pick up das Telefon and speak to compatriot Fabian Hurzeler.

The subject of his return visit or phone conversation with Herr Hurzeler? Jack Hinshelwood. Because he deserves to be in contention for his first senior call-up.

While it was the Albion's forward foursome of Joao Pedro, Georginio Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma and Yankubu Minteh who took the headlines as they dismantled sorry Southampton 4-0 at St Mary's, it was Hinshelwood who stood out most for me.

Having helped Brighton dominate in midfield in their two previous wins over Chelsea, Hinshelwood was redeployed against the Saints. He took over at right-back in place of the unavailable Joel Veltman.

Southampton were admittedly woeful. But the one player who looked capable of causing Brighton problems was Kamaldeen Sulemana down the Saints' left.

Not only was Sulemana expertly shackled by Hinshelwood, but the teenager born and bred in Brighton even found the time to pop up with the fourth Albion goal.

Already, Hinshelwood looks an absolute technician. But it is his versatility that marks him out as special enough to warrant England inclusion.

How many other 19-year-olds can seamlessly switch from central midfield to right-back? Or left-back, which is where Hinshelwood started the campaign?

Roberto de Zerbi said last season Hinshelwood was the son of Pascal Gross. It is not hard to see why. Both can play multiple roles. Both score goals no matter what position they are playing in. And both glide around the pitch, making football look effortless.

Gross had to wait until he was 32 to make his Germany debut. Hinshelwood's for England will surely come much sooner. Maybe as soon as next month - if Tuchel has been paying attention.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

With a couple of wins, Brighton have put themselves back in a position where they have got a real chance of making the top five - so this game is massive for both teams.

Bournemouth had Illia Zabarnyi sent off early on in Saturday's defeat by Wolves, and that really disrupted them. They need to find their feet again quickly, because I don't think anyone saw that result coming.

I am pretty sure the readers will go for a 1-1 draw here and, although I'd like to pick a winner, I also think it will end up honours even.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma has been directly involved in more Premier League goals against Bournemouth than he has any other side (four goals, one assist). He has either scored or assisted a goal in all four of his league meetings with the Cherries.

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Amex Stadium (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Lewis Dunk will miss Tuesday's game, while Danny Welbeck and Joel Veltman - who both missed Saturday's 4-0 win at Southampton - are doubtful.

• Brighton have won six of their past eight matches, having gone eight games without a win. Hurzeler said: "When you win games, there's always a good environment and a good atmosphere. We're grateful it's like this, but it's hard work. We have to keep the momentum and understand why we have this momentum."

• On his side's position in the race for European qualification: "I never look that much at the table. We can only influence our games and how we play. At the end of the season we can look at the table - at the moment it's game by game to get the best performance out of the players."

• On Bournemouth: "They play very intensely. It will be a challenge for us to compete against them. We have to be mentally and physically at the highest level to be ready for them. But I think we are able to do it because we proved in past weeks that we can run a lot and fight a lot. We have to keep the standards we've had in the past weeks and we have to improve to be ready for the challenge."

• Hurzeler believes midfielder Carlos Baleba has learned from his red card in November's reverse fixture, which Brighton won 2-1: "A lot of times after, he has been on a yellow card and I have seen development and learning in his behaviour. He has behaved much more maturely and professionally after his first yellow card. It's a really good improvement in these things, and on top of that he's an unbelievable player."

• Hurzeler added: "He has skills nobody else has in this team. But it's important for him to stay humble and grounded because there are still so many things he can improve and things where he hasn't reached his limit yet."

• On Joao Pedro, who scored his first goal since 4 January at Southampton: "He's a player who has a little bit of self-confidence and knows he can decide a game with one action. He has the quality to do this but, besides that, it's more important how he behaves as a team player and he proved it in the past week. He really was supportive of his team-mates, although he was not starting. It showed me he is really committed to this club and he wants to be a team player."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

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

Here are some of your comments:

Saints fans

Maggie: It was woeful. Players seemed unsure of what their job was; floundering around sticking the odd leg in for a challenge and worst of all, not looking like they want to be there. I really hope that the management are addressing what must be a huge physiological burden/barrier for these guys who run onto the field every week knowing they have been written off before they even start. Start planning for the long term in the Championship now and get a quality manager in urgently. We cannot keep paying for watching dropped shoulders.

Sammy: Absolutely abysmal. The owners need to be held accountable for some major lacklustre decisions as we are a joke. Teams can turn up and look forward to a guaranteed three points away from home. Cameron Archer one of the worst forward players I have seen. 3-0 down and we put Will Smallbone on sums Southampton up!!!. Get us back to the Championship.

Ryan: Far, far too easy for Brighton to play against us. Defensively shocking and no attacking impetus either. Starting to sound like a broken record but it's just not good enough and I can't see us bouncing back up next year either. Need a complete reset next year -manager, players and coaches - to clear the deadwood and rot hanging over the club.

James: It's just become a complete embarrassment now. No desire or passion to win. What difference has the new manager made?

Brighton fans

Steve; Dominant, aggressive, incisive, against, let's face it, a poor opponent. Still, three points against a lower-ranked team is a pleasant turnaround. Confidence abounds, so keep the foot on the pedal and perhaps we can secure another European challenge.

Anton: The naysayers who asked "is it time to change the manager?" will be eating their words. Let's face it - we were more or less a new team a short while ago with a new manager. This will need time to settle, time for the team to understand each other's individual nuances, and the manager to play to those strengths. It's looking a little more sixth sense on the pitch now - and this was a great result. Perhaps give this team the benefit of longevity to become more settled and robust.

Mike; A confident and controlled performance that should have resulted in more than a four-goal return. It was like a knife through butter, or the soft central belly of the Southampton team on numerous occasions. Yankuba Minteh probably should have scored a hat-trick and left the pitch with the match ball. Consistency is the key now, ahead of a much stronger south-coast challenge on Tuesday night at Bournemouth.

Paul: Superb win, and the past three games have been a joy to watch. We fear no-one on this form. Eighth position is good, but we can do better. We are in control of our own destiny, and have the players to take us to the top. Happy days!

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton forward Georginio Rutter says they were determined to go one better against Southampton after only managing a draw earlier in the season.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex about how he felt after Saturday's 4-0 victory, the 22-year-old said: "Satisfaction. The last game against them, we drew - we wanted to do better and we did.

"We enjoyed it, clean sheet and three points - the perfect day.

"We didn't think about [the goal difference] - 4-0 is really good and a clean sheet. The defence was very good. We are happy and have to work more in training around finishing and scoring more."

When asked about his individual goals for the rest of the season, Rutter replied: "I think about collective goals - and that is Europe."

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

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

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Tim Oscroft
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Reuters

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, in his first season in charge, will be targeting a renewed push for a place in Europe with his side sitting eighth on 40 points after their comfortable win at Southampton.

They are unlikely to have such an easy ride as this in their remaining matches, and they could have been out of sight by half-time against last season's Championship play-off winners.

Georginio Rutter's shot on the turn early on was blocked by Aaron Ramsdale's feet, and Kauro Mitoma should have scored when he stabbed a shot wide from inside the six-yard box.

Joao Pedro, in for the injured Daniel Welbeck, combined well with Rutter to grab his sixth goal of the season while Rutter and then Mitoma ruthlessly capitalised on slack defending to stretch it to 3-0.

Jack Hinshelwood sealed the deal at a corner, and Ramsdale kept the score down 4-0 to Brighton with two late saves.

The Seagulls' next three games see them face Bournemouth, Newcastle and Fulham, all currently around them in the table, and good results in these may mean that a tilt at a second European campaign may not be beyond them.