Day 17: Brighton

With less than a week until Christmas, we are now reaching the top spots in the Premier League. Today, we are looking at Brighton’s season so far as we continue our Premier League Christmas Countdown.

It seems quite silly now, given recent results, to predict such a high finish from Brighton, however I believe that they have what it takes to put a string of results together that can push them in the right direction. They are currently ninth in the table, but are only three points off fifth and I’d back them against any team in the league.

Seagulls Soaring

The season started about as you would expect from Brighton these days; with an emphatic victory over Everton at Goodison Park. This meant that Brighton’s youngest ever manager, Fabian Hurzeler, started off his Premier League career with a win. Next up, they beat Manchester United at home thanks to a very late Joao Pedro goal, extending their good start.

JOAO PEDRO BAGS IN THE 95TH MINUTE TO WIN THE GAME FOR BRIGHTON AGAINST MANCHESTER UNITED. WHAT A HEADER. WHAT A BALLER. 👑💫

20 goals last season. Winner against United & Man of the Match. Baller 🤌🏽 pic.twitter.com/LOKhoWXSdO

— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) August 24, 2024

Arsenal away was next but they managed to earn a draw against the top four favourites. Declan Rice was sent off for delaying the restart in that match, a decision that has led to a lot of discussion around refereeing this season. Joao Pedro scored once again to make the game finish 1-1.

A Slow Slip

September saw results turn slightly. It started with a 0-0 draw at home to newly promoted Ipswich. Brighton dominated the game with 21 shots, but Ipswich held on for a point. It meant that the Seagulls’ unbeaten start to the league continued, but they felt like it was two points dropped. Their next league game was another draw, this time ending 2-2 against Nottingham Forest.

Brighton’s first loss of the season came at the end of the month in an entertaining encounter with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The game finished 4-2, with all of the goals coming in the first half and Cole Palmer scoring all four of Chelsea’s goals.

A Return To Form?

Brighton were 2-0 down at half time in their next match, but they ended up turning the game around in the second half to beat Tottenham 3-2 at home. This marked the start of a little bit of a run of form as they proceeded to beat Newcastle and almost beat Wolves if it weren’t for a last minute error that gave the strugglers an equaliser.

Fabian Hürzeler has now beaten Ange Postecoglou, Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola since October.

His attacking substitutions - Carlos Baleba, Matt O'Riley and João Pedro - changed the game and saw Brighton come back to win 2-1 vs Manchester City. 🇩🇪👏#BHAFC pic.twitter.com/YivVenCJpa

— Coaches' Voice (@CoachesVoice) November 9, 2024

They then played out a 2-1 loss against Liverpool but responded well, as in their next game, they managed to beat the reigning champions Manchester City 2-1, despite being a goal down for much of the game. Another win followed, this time against Bournemouth, so many were expecting them to breeze past bottom side Southampton, but that was not the case. That match ended 1-1 and Southampton really should have won it, but they had a goal controversially disallowed.

What Next For Brighton?

The Seagulls’ December results may have left fans scratching their heads, as they are winless in the last four. Fulham beat them in December’s midweek fixtures 3-1 thanks to a special performance from Alex Iwobi and this was followed by a 2-2 draw with Leicester, after Brighton had been leading by two goals as late as the 85th minute.

Jamie Vardy is 37.

He’s just scored in the 86th minute and assisted in the 91st minute at home to Brighton to salvage a point for Leicester.

He’s genuinely timeless. You can’t not love him. pic.twitter.com/molibG9pHD

— Jacob (@JacobHorsfall_) December 8, 2024

Their most recent match was another disaster, as they lost at home to their rivals, Crystal Palace. Brighton had more possession and more shots, but only managed 0.81xG compared to Palace’s 2.4. Brighton have West Ham, Brentford and Aston Villa before the new year, and they need to win at least two of them if they want to keep up with the rest of the Europe chasing pack.

Player of the Season

Somehow, at 34 years of age, Danny Welbeck is still performing at his best. This season, he has six goals and two assists to his name, more than anyone else in the Brighton squad. Despite having the likes of Joao Pedro and Georginio Rutter at his disposal, Hurzeler has at times preferred the former Arsenal and Manchester United man at number nine.

Season Rank: B

End of Season Prediction: 4th

Check out our Christmas Countdown article from yesterday.