Sussex

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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The Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has supported Pascal Struijk's red card against Sunderland - despite the Brighton defender having his suspension overturned on appeal.

Struijk was sent off after 57 minutes at the Stadium of Light when he was adjudged to have fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor as he tried to run on to a through-ball.

Referee Thomas Bramall did not give a foul initially, but he was sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR), Neil Davies, who deemed the Dutch defender had denied Isidor an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Brighton successfully challenged the red card at a Football Association disciplinary commission, meaning he was available for Sunday's 5-0 win over Crystal Palace - though he missed the game through injury anyway.

The three members of the FA commission unanimously determined that Isidor "had not taken control of the ball and the pass was clearly going to run through to the goalkeeper".

Yet the KMI Panel, upon which five people sit, came to the opposite conclusion, with both votes split 3:2.

It decided Bramall was incorrect not to give a foul and a red card, and the VAR was right to intervene.

Only two panellists felt the intervention was "incorrect due to the subjectivity of whether Isidor would gain possession" before goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

The KMI Panel features three former players or coaches, plus one representative each from the Premier League and Pro Ref.

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Goals from the halfway line are etched into football fans' minds across the globe - David Beckham against Wimbledon in 1996, Xabi Alonso against Newcastle in 2006 and Wayne Rooney against West Ham in 2017.

Now, Brighton's Diego Gomez's name will be added to that list after his spectacular finish to beat Crystal Palace's Walter Benitez.

On the latest Albion Unlimited podcast, former Seagulls forward Warren Aspinall said: "Diego Gomez has driven it and he meant to do it. It is a wonderful strike.

"It's a beautiful goal. It will be up there as goal of the month in October, if not goal of the season."

Before Sunday, the Paraguayan's last Premier League goal was in March against Nottingham Forest.

Fabian Hurzeler remained a calm presence when asked about Gomez's goal at the weekend, and the German's focus was on the upcoming ties in the Europa League and Premier League.

"We have to stay very humble. The season will be long," said Hurzeler.

The 33-year-old will hit the 100-game landmark as Seagulls boss against Europa League opposition Jablonec on Thursday.

In charge since June 2024, Hurzeler has won 46 games, drawn 27 and lost 26.

"Hurzeler is miles better since he started off," added Aspinall. "He is willing to learn, and that is all you can ask for."

Listen to Albion Unlimited in full on BBC Sounds here

Chris Adams
BBC Sport

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After seven Premier League games, Brighton sit third on 16 points behind reigning champions Arsenal and table-toppers Manchester City, who have a 100% record. But can the Seagulls maintain their momentum and mount a serious title challenge?

"Why not?"

That's the opinion of Match of the Day pundit Dion Dublin, who played in Manchester United's 1992-93 title-winning side. "Because what we've seen of them this season is just togetherness, harmony... the manager's making good decisions.

"[Pascal] Gross is leading the line in regards to what goes on on the pitch and what is the right kind of way they want to play. And everybody's chipping in with goals. The look a very, very frightening team at the moment."

In the summer of 2025, Brighton lost their top scorer Joao Pedro to Chelsea, and history repeated itself this year when the Blues lured veteran forward Danny Welbeck to Stamford Bridge.

Once again, however, the Seagulls' enviable data-led recruitment model, aided by club owner Tony Bloom's close links to Jamestown Analytics, appears to have found a promising replacement.

Having been used primarily as a substitute last season, Greece striker Charalampos Kostoulas has been entrusted to spearhead the attack, and the 19-year-old has repaid the faith shown in him by Fabian Hurzeler with three league goals and two assists.

Only Lamine Yamal has more goal involvements among teenagers in Europe's top five leagues this season.

Kostoulas has a strong supporting cast, including Jack Hinshelwood, Yasin Ayari, Malick Yalcouye and Maxim de Cuyper, not to mention a rejuvenated Gross pulling the strings from a deeper position.

With 11 league scorers already - while also being the beneficiaries of three own goals - Hurzeler's men are sharing the load impressively. As well as being the division's top scorers, Brighton have had the most shots on target and sit second for xG, shots and big chances.

In the top five European leagues, only Barcelona, with 39 goals from nine La Liga matches, have more domestic league goals than Brighton.

Read the full piece here

On the latest Albion Unlimited podcast, BBC Radio Sussex's Brighton reporter Johnny Cantor and former Seagulls Warren Aspinall and Guy Butters analyse the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, the upcoming Conference League tie against Jablonec and the following game against Liverpool.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

Former Brighton defender Adam Webster says he is a little surprised by their success early on this season.

"I think in the summer it was quite a bit of a transition," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"A lot of senior players left, new players coming to the league, Andrew Crofts left who is a big character in the coaching team. So it has surprised me but at the same time it hasn't as I know how hard everyone at the club works in terms of bringing in all these players you have never heard of and all of a sudden they are superstars."

Asked how aware players are of the plans in place for them at Brighton given a tendency to loan players out, Webster said: "As players you want to play every game so sometimes, players want to go elsewhere to get that. Caicedo trained with us a few times, he was young and we were really impressed with him. Suddenly he goes on loan to a team in Belgium. He goes there, comes back in and was our best player.

"The chairman and manager all know there's a plan for these players to come in."

Watch clips of the show above and below or listen in full on BBC Sounds

Ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton pointed to Brighton's lack of reliance on a single source of goals. "They have scored every type of goal - 11 different scorers. For Liverpool it's Isak, for Man City it's Haaland and yet for Brighton - have a guess? Top scorers there are three on three goals. They are spreading it about. They load the box brilliantly."

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Exactly a month ago on this page I wrote glowingly about Brighton, saying this:

"Arsenal's three-goal capitulation was initially a shock, but should it still be a surprise down at Brighton? This season the Seagulls have also scored three against Chelsea and Manchester United, four against Tromso and Aston Villa, while slapping Coventry with five.

"This does not look like a lucky run of form or a purple patch on the pitch; this looks like who they are now."

In that same newsletter, I reckoned they were comfortably capable of a top-six finish. Since then, they have scored seven without reply against Sunderland and old rivals Crystal Palace, while netting four more against Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris. My initial suggestion of top six sounds slightly less bold already, though I could argue that top six means anywhere from first to sixth, of course!

So I agree that they have the capability to stay up there, but can they overhaul Manchester City? Probably not, but then again, the question remains: will they need to? Any decent level of points deduction for City changes that dynamic immediately.

The next real challenger is, of course, Arsenal, which brings to mind the aforementioned three-goal capitulation by Mikel Arteta's men back in mid-September.

Even so, I am still not ready to call Brighton challengers for the title. The rigours of European football will not help them with limitations in their squad depth in comparison with City and Arsenal.

Brighton have five games in 14 very stressful days coming up; Liverpool away, Manchester City away twice (once in the cup) and two European trips.

If they are still on a winning streak after that gruelling period, no-one will be counting them out.

In simple terms, it would be a shock but not as big a shock as Leicester City being champions back in 2016.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Chris Adams
BBC Sport

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When Jack Hinshelwood unapologetically smashed home Brighton and Hove Albion's fifth goal of the game against bitter rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday, it completed a fourth straight Premier League win for the high-flying Seagulls - with an aggregate scoreline of 15-0.

Hinshelwood's volley from two yards out to wrap up a 5-0 victory was in stark contrast to his team-mate Diego Gomez's audacious effort from the halfway line that put Brighton two up in just the seventh minute of the A23 derby.

Fabian Hurzeler's free-scoring side have arguably been the most entertaining top-flight team to watch this season, but they have backed up their attacking flair with a robust defence. No team has scored more and no team has conceded fewer goals.

After seven games, they sit third on 16 points behind reigning champions Arsenal and table-toppers Manchester City, who have a 100% record. But can the Seagulls maintain their momentum and mount a serious title challenge?

"Why not?"

That's the opinion of Match of the Day pundit Dion Dublin, who played in Manchester United's 1992-93 title-winning side. "Because what we've seen of them this season is just togetherness, harmony... the manager's making good decisions.

"[Pascal] Gross is leading the line in regards to what goes on on the pitch and what is the right kind of way they want to play. And everybody's chipping in with goals. The look a very, very frightening team at the moment."

Read: Are free-scoring Brighton genuine title contenders?

Brighton are said to be "relaxed" about the long-term future of manager Fabian Hurzeler after an impressive start to the season, with the 33-year-old German linked to a possible move to Manchester United in recent weeks. (Football Insider), external

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