Brighton & Hove Albion

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Brighton centre-back Adam Webster has been speaking to BBC Radio Sussex after making his return to the pitch in Brighton's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, having spent two and a half months out with a hamstring injury.

The 30-year-old, who was brought on in the second half of the match, said it was "really nice to be back" playing for the Seagulls: "I have really missed it. I have missed being out there with the boys.

"As a centre-back, you don't ever expect to get on from the bench, but it was unfortunate for Igor and that gave me the opportunity to come on and try to help the team, which I feel like I did.

"I feel like I'm in a really good place at the minute. It's never easy coming on as a substitute, especially as a centre-back, because you have to get straight into the tempo of the game."

Webster revealed that he has found it "difficult" watching from the sidelines this season: "Even when you're not playing, you can still influence things in training. But, when you're out injured and not training, it is difficult when you're just watching the games.

"We have had a few more senior players out. We also had a lot of change in the summer, with a lot of younger players coming in and players coming in that were new to the league, so that has been a challenge because it can take some time to adjust.

"It's even more difficult when you're not out there day in day out, I think that is the biggest frustration for me. Obviously I want to be out there trying to help the team and trying to help the boys, so hopefully I can try and do that now."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

The vast majority of teams in the Premier League are going short from their goal-kicks most of the time, with 11 of the 20 teams playing at least 50% of them inside their own area, and 17 of the 20 playing most of them in their own half.

Premier League leaders Liverpool play 85% of their goal-kicks into their half, with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City having a similar figure of 83%.

But there are perhaps some surprising takes from the figures.

As the above graphic shows, Arsenal - for years seen as playing a progressive, attractive style of football - are just as happy to go long with their goal-kicks as they are short, with roughly half of them ending in the opposition half.

In contrast, the Gunners' fierce rivals Tottenham have, somewhat incredibly, gone long with just four of their 145 goal-kicks so far this season.

Brighton notably went from goalkeeper to goal in less than 30 seconds to spark their 3-2 comeback win against Tottenham in October.

The Seagulls play 75% of their goal-kicks inside their own half and have had some great success with that tactic this campaign.

Meanwhile, surprise packages Nottingham Forest - sitting third in the Premier League - are also bucking the trend with their goal-kicks, with 60% of them being sent into the opposition half.

It is a tactic that, while at odds with the rest of the Premier League, is working for them with resurgent 33-year-old striker Chris Wood providing them with an effective outlet for the long ball.

Read more from Gary about how the role of the goalkeeper has changed

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Former Brighton players Guy Butters and Warren Aspinall believe Fabian Hurzeler has been managing Kaoru Mitoma's minutes over the busy fixture period, after the winger missed out on a place in the Seagulls' last two starting line-ups.

Speaking on the latest episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Butters said: "With the games coming thick and fast in December, and a cup game coming up as well, I think you have got to look after players.

"When I played, I would have wanted to play every single game. If you had left me out, I would have been straight into the manager's office complaining. But it is a totally different game now.

"I watched Mitoma in the Brentford game and I thought that his touch and everything around it was really good. He attacked the full-back well with his pace but sometimes his final ball can be frustrating.

"But you have just got to manage the players well and hopefully he will start to hit some really good form sooner or later."

Aspinall added: "I think they are managing his minutes. They must be, because he is our best wide player. We have got four players to choose from [in that area] and he is the best one.

"We saw when he came on against Aston Villa and Arsenal that he changed the game. Thomas Partey didn't know what to do against him. He did Partey, who had a two-yard start on him, with his first touch of the ball.

"No defender wants players going in behind and taking them on. They want these wide players to take it 15 yards, come back and give it back to their goalkeeper or someone in their backline."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

The year's first episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast is now available on BBC Sounds.

Former Brighton defender Guy Butters joins Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall to discuss the January transfer window and the start of this season's FA Cup journey.

Listen to the full episode

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

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Brighton might be midway through their eighth consecutive season as a Premier League club, but every now and again Albion fans still experience those "I can't believe how far we have come" moments.

I had one during Saturday night's game with Arsenal. Go back to January 2000 and the Gunners were reigning Premier League champions and FA Cup holders. One of several spectacular sides Arsene Wenger built during his long spell in charge.

Brighton meanwhile were about to lose 1-0 in the bottom tier of English football to Leyton Orient. A home game played in front of fewer than 6,000 people at a rented athletics stadium.

I was a ballboy at Withdean that day. Fast forward 25 years and here were the mighty Arsenal, time-wasting from the moment they took a 16th-minute lead against the not-so-mighty Brighton. Mikel Arteta and his title chasing Gunners feared the Albion. Extraordinary.

Whether a team who starts time wasting in the first half against opponents without a win in seven matches deserves to be crowned champions is up for debate.

What cannot be argued against though is the Albion have deserved to hold Arsenal to draws in both meetings between the teams this season.

This is something which has been overshadowed by Arteta blaming the dropped points on the officials – denying Brighton the credit they deserve for coming back on two occasions to strike blows to the Gunners' championship hopes.

And as frustrating as Arsenal's time-wasting was, Fabian Hurzeler and the Albion should take it as a big compliment of how they are viewed by those towards the top of the table – having now taken 10 points from a possible 12 hosting Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham at Amex Stadium.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

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Brighton CEO Paul Barber says Fabian Hurzeler is aligned with him on his top-10 ambitions for the club and it is "so far so good" for the Seagulls head coach.

The 31-year-old was appointed in the summer as Roberto de Zerbi's successor and although Brighton have recently hit a rough patch, Barber backs his head coach to deliver on expectations.

"We're hoping we can get through January without too much work," Barber BBC told Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"December was tricky. We've gone on a run where we've not won in eight games which is disappointing and frustrating but the performances have been better than the results.

"We look at performances, how the manager is, and how his staff are and things are pretty good. We're playing some of the best players in the world, great coaches, big clubs, and we're still mid-table within touching distance of another European place so there's a lot of football still to play and we're looking forward to the second half of the season.

"In the Premier League, if you're only 1% or 2% off it in any given fixture it can change the result quite significantly. We all know that everyone around us is competing in those European spots. We have to work very hard every week to get our players to peak condition and prepare for the games we can, and on the day we've got to perform. If we don't perform and someone is on their game, even teams from down the bottom, you can get beaten.

"We want to be a top 10 club on a regular basis. We want to be a top 10 club in the Premier League, and a top four club in the Women's Super League. We know that in any given season we can drop out of that top 10, but we want to try and work every season to improve. But being in the top half of the table is our ambition, and when we appointed Fabian we were clear with him about what that ambition was and he was clear what he needed from us. But sometimes we have to take a step back and realise he's just 31 years of age, and he's in his first season in the Premier League working with one of the younger squads.

"We've got more work to do, but so far so good. We like the way Fabian played football and liked the style he adopted and thought he could build on Graham Potter and Roberto de Zerbi. It raised a few eyebrows over his age, but the reality is you don't know how good someone is in the Premier League until you bring them into it. We've done that, and so far so good."

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"I do believe the best is yet to come" from Fabian Hurzeler's side, says former Brighton striker Glenn Murray.

The Seagulls, who have had mixed form in recent weeks, held Arsenal to a draw at the Amex on Saturday to earn their 28th point of the season.

"There is so much potential there. We can see glimpses of it but it is frustrating that we don't get to see it all of the time," Murray said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"When you take the emotion out of it then my glass is very much half full. We saw all of the money the club spent in the summer on new players and it was on very exciting young potential.

"A lot of them have come from different leagues. The Premier League is like no other, so it takes a little bit of time to get used to it. It takes time to settle into a new country as well.

"I do believe that the best is yet to come."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

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

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Sarah: The first half was a walk in the park for Arsenal. Our defending was non-existent and our players all seemed to be playing their own game. Karou Mitoma is a phenomenal player but his technique on the touchline in the second half didn't work, with the ball going out of play six times. Joao Pedro's head collision was a clear penalty. The equaliser perked us up and we subsequently played much better. I actually thought we deserved to win but Arsenal are obviously a strong side, so no shame in a draw.

Shark: A good point after a poor first half. Arsenal had a couple of injuries but no one mentions that we were without Danny Welbeck, Evan Ferguson, Lewis Dunk, James Milner, Jack Hinshelwood, Mats Wieffer and Ferdi Kadioglu. We have been without all of these players, except for Dunk, for several weeks.

Paul: Definite penalty. Brighton were by far the better team and deserved to win. Arsenal looked far from being title contenders. Manchester City will finish above them.

Andy: Once again, Brighton fail to convert their obvious skill, class and dominance into points. A young team, developing their skills and relationships, should be allowed some lassitude. Besides, they have not been losing too many games. If they click like they can, watch out!

Arsenal fans

Ajayi: Arsenal were generally poor. They didn't play like a team that wanted to be champions. Brighton were more determined to get something from the match and they truly did. On the penalty, I think it's a controversial one. Premier League officials get football fans confused year in year out, and I believe something needed to be done about this.

Melvyn: The penalty decision? It is what it is - but both players headed the ball before the head clash, as the close up on Match of the Day confirms. It's a shame it wasn't outside the penalty area as it would have been a free-kick. We could have done with Gabriel Jesus scoring again but Arsenal have discovered a young star in Ethan Nwaneri. I hope his injury isn't too serious.

Poppy: All this game showed to me is why we need to sign attackers, preferably attackers who can and will put the game to bed instead of relying on players like Bukayo Saka and Nwaneri.

Salva: Mikel Arteta is about to fail again because of this single-mindedness. This team will not move forward without a balance of good strikers and players who can score goals. This rubbish of a false number nine cannot work. He reminds me of Arsene Wenger and he may end up not winning anything at Arsenal. He needs to listen to other voices, his cannot be the most accurate one all the time.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has praised Fabian Hurzeler for the tactical tweaks he made during Brighton's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, which he believes gave the side "a commitment and a belief to try to get back in the game".

Analysing the game on Match of the Day, Murphy said: "He did brilliantly. He tweaked the formation and he made two substitutions, but the most important thing that he did was give his players the belief.

"In the first half, they were too deep, too passive and too respectful.

"Then Minteh and Rutter came on to join Joao Pedro up front, which gave them more width higher up the pitch.

"By putting more men forward, that allowed their backline to push up and pin Arsenal in at times. It helped them really take their time in trying to get through Arsenal's defence, which we know is so good.

"You are much more difficult to deal with when you get attacking numbers up the pitch and there was also a commitment to getting players forward and creating an overload in attack.

"That commitment to getting in the box actually leads to the penalty. They started believing in themselves when they got that opening goal and they actually went on to try to win the game.

"Brighton were in the ascendency at that point and it was a completely different performance. Obviously the players deserve some of the credit, but the manager is the one who has done it."

Catch up on Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer

West Ham are drawing up a list of attacking targets for January which includes Brighton striker Evan Ferguson. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Gary Lineker introduces 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:

• Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea

• Brighton 1-1 Arsenal

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Brighton defender Joel Veltman has been speaking to BBC Radio Sussex following the draw at Amex Stadium: "There is more disappointment than happiness, to be honest. We always look in the mirror right, and it is just the difference between the first half and the second half. We need to do better if we want something.

"Obviously we are still in the top 10 but we want more, so we have to look in the mirror and do better in the first half.

"We were 1-0 behind Arsenal, who are a great team with big players, but we brought it back to 1-1 in the end so maybe there is a bit of happiness.

"The gaffer said that we need to do the full 90 minutes now. We are still a young team, if you look at the midfield and everything, so we just need to learn from every game.

"Hopefully, we will get there by the end of the season but it is just a process."

On the squad's youth: "You have to be in some moments 50 or 60 times before you can be consistent at them. That is where we are working towards getting, but that is not yet."

Listen to the full post-match interview on BBC Sounds

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the game: "We think we deserved more. We had the better chances and weren't able to score the second goal. In the end, we have to take the positives.

"It was a clear penalty. It is head-to-head but if it is another piece of the body, everybody would say it was a penalty. Joao Pedro places the ball with his head and Saliba comes to late, therefore it was a clear one."

On Joao Pedro's form: "Joao is a key player and also one of our leaders. Today, he was our captain. Every player has bad phases in his development and we are there to help him and give him the right support and advice. I'm sure he will come back really strong."

On a strong showing after the break: "It is a big challenge for us to play consistently with this intensity. We are [currently] only able to play [like this] in phases of the game. We have to improve and get fitter. We have to be mentally ready to play intensely for 90 minutes.

"If we are not able to do it, it will be difficult to win games."

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Brighton goalscorer Joao Pedro has been speaking to Sky Sports: "We started the game well. We could have won, but we got a point. We need to look forward.

"We conceded in the first half but knew that we could win this game. We tried to score at the beginning of the second half. We wanted to win."

On the penalty that he won: "I tried to control the ball and then [Saliba] hit me. It is good that I scored. I always try to be positive with goals and assists. I like the feeling [of scoring] and hopefully I will score more."

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Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke has been speaking to Sky Sports following the draw: "I think we did quite well. We shouldn't have conceded the first goal, that shouldn't happen to us, but you can see a lot of character in the boys.

"We need to be more consistent. We have a really young team. The average age of our team is 23 years old. It is tough sometimes, but our guys fight for everything. Maybe you need a bit more experience to manage the game.

"In some parts, we are really good. Consistency is an important thing for us to get back where we need to be."

On Arsenal's opener: "[Ethan Nwaneri] was totally free on the right so he was able to come inside. We should have done better as a team."

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Despite coming from behind to earn a draw, Brighton remain without a win in their last eight Premier League games (D6 L2), drawing four successive matches in the competition for the first time.

Joao Pedro has been involved in 10 goals across his last 13 Premier League appearances (5 goals and 5 assists), netting home and away against Arsenal this season.

Since the start of last season, only Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer (12 each) have scored more goals from the penalty spot among Premier League players in all competitions than Joao Pedro (11 – level with Erling Haaland).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Brighton fans - what did you make of the game?

Arsenal supporters - let us know your thoughts

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

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Tottenham v Newcastle (12:30)

• Aston Villa v Leicester

• Bournemouth v Everton

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Man City v West Ham

• Southampton v Brentford

• Brighton v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all 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 20, he takes on The Zutons frontman Dave McCabe, who supports Liverpool.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

I was very impressed with the way Arsenal beat Brentford without any fuss on Wednesday.

The Gunners were without Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, and Declan Rice did not start, but it did not matter. They just got on with it and did not seem to panic when they went a goal down.

With Brentford's home form being so strong I thought it would be a close game - but it really wasn't in the end.

It was a very mature performance and that bodes well for the second half of the season, which is when they really got going last year.

I would not describe this as an easy fixture for them, especially because they need to win it. Brighton have not won any of their past seven games but they have drawn five of them and are turning into the Premier League's draw specialists.

But there is more to come from Mikel Arteta's side and I look at them and think they will get the job done here too.

McCabe's prediction: 1-2

Arsenal are looking good. They are calm, even when they go a goal down.

Read the full predictions and have your say here