Brighton & Hove Albion

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Joao Pedro was already a very popular player among Brighton supporters. Scoring 20 goals in your first season at the Albion does that.

But his likeability soared even more in the aftermath of the 2-1 win over Bournemouth as he stood up for that most sacred of institutions… Brighton Beach.

The Cherries' social media team posted a pre-game graphic, external with Albion centre-back Igor Julio serving ice creams and the caption: 'Oh I do like to be beside the (proper) seaside.'

Pedro opened the scoring at Vitality Stadium. He then played an outstanding, defence-splitting pass to set up Kaoru Mitoma for the second Brighton goal. Afterwards, he said there was extra motivation to win the game because of things seen on the internet.

With four goals this season from six appearances, the last thing opponents want to be doing is riling up Pedro. If he can stay fit and carry on performing like this, the Albion will do very well to hold on to him beyond next season.

At least one of the big boys will surely come calling with a mega money offer for a forward who can create chances and put them away in a variety of different scenarios.

His strike against Bournemouth was a poacher's finish, following up after Kepa Arrizabalaga parried a Georginio Rutter shot. Being Brazilian, he obviously has an eye for the spectacular.

And several of last season's haul came from towering headers of the sort you expect from a traditional English centre-forward.

Having only just turned 23, there is plenty of scope for improvement too. He is clearly a much better player now than when he arrived 18 months ago from Watford.

If Pedro continues to progress at his current rate, the sky is the limit - especially when he is fired up to defend the city's beach and honour.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Fulham and Leicester City are eyeing a loan deal in January for Brighton's 20-year-old Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson. (Football Insider), external

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

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Brighton forward Georginio Rutter has been discussing settling in at Amex Stadium, as 10-man Brighton continued their best start to a top-flight season with an away win over Bournemouth.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex after the game, Rutter said he "didn't expect" to settle in at his new club so quickly: "When you change club, you often need more time but I have started very quickly here.

"The adaptation was quick and good, so I'm happy."

Rutter added that he believes the Christmas period will present an opportunity for himself and his team-mates to keep pushing on in the league.

"I think this next period is the most important," he said.

"The season is long and we have to take the maximum amount of points, then we can see at the end.

"We, as the players, have to work our bodies cleverly, recover well and get ready for the next games."

The Seagulls are currently fifth in the league and are only separated from the Champions League qualification places on goal difference.

Listen to the full post-match interview on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Brighton, which the Seagulls won 2-1.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Alec: When is our manager going to realise that Mark Travers is our best keeper and that David Brooks should start? To send Dango Ouattara on before Brooks was wrong. Also let's get some basics confirmed - like stop running offside. After all, it's just like crossing the road, look both ways before moving.

Nick: Draw would have been a fairer result. Brooks should have come on earlier. In the first half we didn't go route one into number nine enough because he was open more often than not.

Spirit of 57: Disappointed. Gutted. Bewildered. We put Arsenal and Manchester City to the sword and can't dispatch a below par Brighton. It surely is a funny old game.

Douglas: A very good game of football. I thought very little in it but we weren't able to convert the chances.

Brighton fans

Bob: This proves we are a different animal this season. Being up there in fifth is the just deserts we have earned. If we had kept the lead against Forest we would be second.

Tim: A big win for the Seagulls against a team we have struggled against in the Premier League. Down to 10 men and showing some determination to get over the line was what we needed to do. We are starting to mix it with the establishment.

Stonegold: Two superbly crafted goals worthy of winning any match. If that was a yellow card for Baleba's second then you may as well make football a non-contact sport. Daft first yellow on the player's part doesn't excuse a ref to make that decision. Onwards and definitely upwards.

Vic: Brighton are grinding out wins where they would have previously drawn or lost. Now they are beginning to get their injured players back it looks like a very promising first season for the new manager.

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Brighton defender Joel Veltman has praised his team-mates' "fight" in a "tough" game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium, which saw Fabian Hurzeler's team continue their push for European football.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex about the victory, Veltman said: "Bournemouth away is always tough. We were in a good place, and I think they were as well. We knew it would be tough with the weather and the rain. You know it's going to be a fight and, after all, we did well.

"Everybody who came on was really into the fight. The effort was unreal and that's what you need with 10 men.

"They were bringing five or six guys into the box at times, so we needed a bit of luck but also a good goalkeeper behind us. We had all of that, so we got the result."

Veltman was also full of praise for 22-year-old goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, adding: "He took loads of goal kicks, he did well on the line, and he helped us a lot coming out and making those saves.

"It keeps you in the game and it helps to build confidence in defence. As a defender it's good to know that when someone passes you, the goalkeeper will also be there to save it or kill the chance.

"Hopefully he is going to stay here for loads of years, but how he is doing right now is amazing."

Listen to the full post-match interview on BBC Sounds

Chris Wise
Final Score reporter at Vitality Stadium

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Brighton have certainly had performances under Fabian Hurzeler that have sparkled more than their win at Bournemouth.

The German said as much himself after the game on Saturday. But, I think they deserve some credit for how smart they were once Carlos Baleba had been sent off.

There was a maturity about this win. Had this been a Roberto de Zerbi Brighton team, he may well have been reluctant to absorb pressure even with 10 men, and that could have left them open.

But it feels like Hurzeler is more flexible in finding ways to win games. He made the right changes at the right time, and essentially shut down all available avenues for Bournemouth.

They're still a work in progress, but the progress is becoming clear.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven 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:

• Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

• Manchester City 0-4 Tottenham

Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

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Joao Pedro is back, and the good news for Brighton fans is that he has wasted no time in getting up to speed.

The Brazilian has enjoyed the best possible return to fitness, scoring two goals and registering two assists after coming back from an ankle injury.

After coming off the bench to score the equaliser and then set-up Matt O'Riley's winner against Manchester City, Pedro was rewarded with a start against Bournemouth - his first in the Premier League since August.

The 23-year-old is very clearly a crucial in how Fabian Hurzeler wants his machine to run. Pedro started in the Seagulls' first three games of the season and it seems like the Brighton boss is keen to get him back as a regular starter as quickly as possible.

His link-up play for both goals was brilliant. His movement into the box for the the first showing a strong sense of striker's instinct, while his pass for the second split the Bournemouth defence wide open.

The only concern for Hurzeler now will be making sure Pedro stays fit as Brighton continue their bid for a top-four finish.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, speaking to BBC Sport: "I think it was exactly the game we expected. Bournemouth are very intense and after the international break it is difficult to immediately come back together.

"In the second half we changed a little bit and player really good, scored the second but then we get the red card. We can't accept that honestly because you can't give the yellow card [for that].

"It is also the strength of the team that they stayed together and we keep learning from bad experiences in the past. I'm proud of the team today.

"There is no surprise [at the progress] or expectations. It is belief in the process and the guys. If you see them work every day you see an unbelievable work ethic. When you are a man down you have to stick together and support each other. We can improve on a lot of points but I believe in the process.

"It's important now to stay humble and stay grounded because their game could go in a different direction today.

"Stay humble. Stay hard workers because that is our identity. We have a vision of where we want to go but it is important to go step by step.

"This league is unpredictable and things can change immediately. We must work hard and keep focused on the process."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance, external

What did you make of Brighton's display?, external

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

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Leicester v Chelsea - 12:30

• Bournemouth v Brighton

• Arsenal v Nottingham Forest (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Aston Villa v Crystal Palace

• Everton v Brentford

• Fulham v Wolves

• Man City v Tottenham - 17:30 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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

For week 12 he takes on The Farm singer and Liverpool fan Peter Hooton.

The Farm's new single, Forever & Ever, is out now and their new album, Let The Music (Take Control), is released in May 2025.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

These two teams are the 'City slayers' who handed Manchester City back-to-back defeats before the international break.

This is going to be a really good game, and it is very hard to call.

Both sides like to entertain and attack, just with slightly different ways in how they go about it.

There will be goals, but I can't split them so I am going for a draw.

Hooton’s prediction: 2-2

Brighton really impressed me at Anfield with their one-touch football, but everyone knows Bournemouth are decent at home. I can see both teams scoring a couple of goals and I think both teams would be quite happy with a draw.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler believes Bournemouth are among the top sides in the Premier League, as Albion gear up to for their trip to face the Cherries on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex, Hurzeler said: "It is a really big challenge because, for me, Bournemouth are one of the biggest teams at the moment. They have quality, a good shape and, at the moment, are one of the best teams in the league.

"It is an even harder challenge [after we beat Manchester City]. We have to fight for the small things and the personal duels, and then we will get what we deserve.

"They have the ability to suffer and also the ability to hit teams on the counter. They have Evanilson, they have Semenyo, they have Kluivert so there is individual quality. They have great players at the back and in midfield. [They are a] very strong team and a very compact team so there was no surprise they beat these two big clubs [Arsenal and Manchester City]."

Some 96 miles separate Brighton and Bournemouth on the south coast, with some suggesting Saturday's match could be considered a local derby.

"I love derbies," said Hurzeler. "I didn't really know it was a derby, so that's new to me. I am looking forward to it if it is a derby.

"I am looking forward to it if it is not too!"

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, we asked you who scored Brighton's first Premier League goal of the 2024-25 season.

The answer is Kaoru Mitoma, who netted in the 3-0 win over Everton on 17 August.

Who scored Brighton's first Premier League goal of the 2024-25 season?

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Jack Hinshelwood will be assessed before the Bournemouth match, although Hurzeler said his knee problem is "nothing serious". Lewis Dunk is training and "is close" to returning, but Ferdi Kadioglu is unlikely to face the Cherries.

• On the return of his players from international duty: "I'm always happy when the squad is back. We now have a long period when we can work with the team and individual players and I'm really looking forward to it. We had a lot of positive things, now it's very important the players come back in a good mood and good shape, and remember quickly what our identity and culture is, because they will have experienced different philosophies [with their national teams]."

• On trying to continue the positive momentum from results and performances before the international break: "You always have to work to get momentum. It's always a new game and no matter if there's a break between games or not, the game starts from zero. You have to go into the game and do the things you can influence to the maximum."

• He continued: "You can't say 'we won against Manchester City and now the momentum will keep going', it's about fighting for momentum. It's a new game, a different challenge and a really big challenge because Bournemouth are one of the strongest teams at the moment."

• On Bournemouth: "They can play very intense, they run a lot, they have individual quality, they are in good shape. For me at the moment, they're one of the best teams in the league."

• Yankuba Minteh's return to action with Gambia during the international break adds to Hurzeler's attacking options - asked if it gives him a "difficult decision", the Brighton boss said: "It's part of the job to make unpopular decisions. Not every player will be happy but decisions are always made for the success of the club. The players need to deserve to play."

• He added: "We had players who played before, players have come back from injury and that's really important for the competition. I'm really looking forward to every player being back because that produces a hunger of wanting to play and competing against team-mates. With that, the team will grow."

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

Brighton, Southampton and Ipswich are considering a move for Vasco de Gama's Brazilian forward Rayan, 18, in January. (Give Me Sport), external

Brighton, West Ham and Fulham are keeping tabs on English midfielder Josh Brownhill, 28, who is yet to sign a new deal with Burnley. (TBR), external

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