Brighton & Hove Albion kicked off their Premier League home campaign with a thrilling 2-1 victory against Manchester United, a win that solidified their position at the top of the table. The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Brighton almost conceding a second goal to United, which was ruled offside, after an earlier equalizer by Amad Diallo.
Manager Fabian Hurzeler expressed his pride in his team’s never-say-die attitude, particularly praising Joao Pedro for his game-winning goal in the fifth minute of added time.
“It was very emotional, always when you get the win in the last minute, it is. I think we deserved to win, we had a good game not a perfect game. There were also situations where United had the chance to win the game,” Hurzeler told the BBC. “I’m very proud of the team, they showed the value of never giving up and that’s very important to me.”
Hurzeler highlighted that Brighton dominated after a relatively equal first half, creating numerous chances, particularly in the second half. However, United’s equalizer momentarily shifted the momentum before Brighton responded with a tactical substitution, bringing on Simon Adingra who provided the assist for the winning goal.
“Their goal, for me, was from out of nowhere. I then didn’t like the losing the control. After their offside goal, I think we started to control the game again. In the end, I think we deserved to win,” Hurzeler added. “I think Joao is a player who can decide the game with one action. For me, it was impressive today how he worked against the ball. He had the belief he would score and that’s something that makes him special. But in the end, it’s always a team win, and that’s most important.”
The victory showcased the resilience of Brighton under their new manager and marked a significant opening statement in their Premier League campaign.
