Brighton left the Stadium of Light with a 2-0 victory after playing the final half-hour with 10 men, extending their winning run and preserving another clean sheet. Maxim De Cuyper broke Sunderland’s resistance early in the second half, Pascal Struijk was then dismissed after a VAR intervention, and substitute Jaouen Hadjam settled the contest in added time.
The result keeps Fabian Hürzeler’s side third in the Premier League on 13 points. More significantly, it supplied a different kind of evidence to their emphatic win over Arsenal before the international break. Brighton had been fluent and forceful in that match; on Wearside they were required to manage risk, withstand a home response and strike decisively when the opportunity appeared.
De Cuyper supplies the breakthrough
A cautious first half offered few clear openings, although Brighton came closest when Struijk’s header from a Pascal Gross set-piece hit the post late in the opening period. Sunderland had moments of their own, with Enzo Le Fée influential in the creative areas and Wilson Isidor threatening from his service, but neither side found a finish before the interval.
Brighton’s opener came eight minutes after the restart. De Cuyper arrived in space in the penalty area and drove a low shot past Robin Roefs after Sunderland had failed to deal with the initial delivery. The reporting differs slightly over the exact origin of the move: one account describes Gross releasing De Cuyper with a pass, while another identifies a long throw as the starting point. Both agree on the more important point: Sunderland did not clear their lines, and Brighton punished the lapse immediately.
Gross was central again. At 35, the Brighton captain has become the game’s controlling presence, and his influence against Sunderland was not confined to the assist credited to him. He provided the calm reference point in a match which became increasingly uncomfortable after the red card.
VAR changes the complexion of the game
Struijk’s sending-off arrived shortly after the opening goal. Isidor was moving through on goal when he went down under the defender’s challenge. Referee Tom Bramall initially allowed play to continue, but reviewed the incident on the monitor after VAR’s involvement and produced a straight red card for denying a clear scoring chance.
That sequence matters because it might have given Sunderland both momentum and a practical route back into the contest. Instead, Brighton were notably composed with a numerical disadvantage. They did not retreat into uncontrolled defending or offer Sunderland a sustained succession of high-value chances. For all the home side’s territorial intent, their pressure lacked the precision needed to turn possession into an equaliser.
It was an especially disappointing outcome for Sunderland because they had competed well for long periods. Isidor had a chance deflected on to the outside of a post in the first half, while Olivier Boscagli made an important block to deny Trai Hume’s side of the right flank. Yet the home team again found that promising passages were not matched by a sufficient cutting edge.
The absence of Dan Ballard was felt in the defensive phase, while Thomas Meunier’s injury forced another alteration. Malick Fofana brought energy after his introduction, but moving Nilson Angulo across the front line appeared to blunt Sunderland’s balance. Their selection on the right had already attracted scrutiny, and the closing stages did little to quiet concerns over a shortage of a natural wide option there.
Hadjam rewards Brighton’s discipline
Brighton’s second goal, in the third minute of stoppage time, captured why the visitors were the more mature side on the day. Sunderland were committed forward in pursuit of an equaliser when Georginio Rutter held possession under pressure and found Hadjam. The substitute finished from a tight angle to remove any doubt about the points.
Hadjam’s contribution also underlined Hürzeler’s effective use of his bench. Brighton were not simply surviving after Struijk’s dismissal; they retained enough structure and attacking purpose to make a late counterattack count. A team capable of closing games in that fashion is less dependent on reproducing its best football every week.
Three consecutive league wins without conceding point to a side developing both attacking variety and defensive resilience. The Arsenal victory advertised Brighton’s ceiling, while Sunderland offered a test of their temperament. They passed that test, even if the match also raised an unanswered question: how often can this level of control be maintained when opponents create more from a man advantage?
For Sunderland, the immediate concern is more familiar. They remain on four points with one league victory, and the defeat exposed the gap between being competitive and converting competitiveness into results. Their effort was evident, but Brighton’s sharper execution at both ends was decisive.