Brighton & Hove Albion

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Brighton's Jack Hinshelwood says the Seagulls must make sure they "start bright" when they host Sunderland next weekend after conceding an opener to Liverpool within the first minute on Saturday.

Hugo Ekitike scored the first of his double after just 46 seconds in Albion's 2-0 defeat at Anfield before heading home from a corner after the break.

"There's a big disappointment because we had such big belief this week we could come here and get something from the game and I think it took until the second goal to go in to kick us into life," Hinshelwood said.

"That is a disappointment - myself included.

"The way we started the game didn't help. We sense it is a chance missed. We have to really work hard this week to put it right and make sure we are at it for the full 90 minutes next weekend."

Pushed on what was behind the slow start, Hinselwood added: "Maybe it was the first goal. We don't really know.

"We need to find answers this week as to why we are not at it straight away because after the second goal, all of a sudden we come to life. Whether it is a belief thing, a confidence thing, we don't know. It can't be that because we came into the game with such great belief we could get something.

"We have to find ways this week or making sure we start bright and I'm sure next Saturday we will put in a performance and be better."

Hear more from Hinshelwood on BBC Sounds

Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-0 Everton

• Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

• Burnley 2-3 Fulham

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

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Brighton started the afternoon ahead of Liverpool in the table, but this was an opportunity missed.

The Seagulls finished with an xG of 1.91 and will wonder how they didn't score at Anfield.

Yankuba Minteh's aimless cross-field clearance led to the opening goal, but he caused Liverpool plenty of problems at the other end.

He fired wide from close range before teeing up Gomez, who really should have done better when he was one-on-one against Alisson.

Gomez was fortunate too not to get a red card, instead of yellow, on the brink of half-time for a high boot on Wirtz and Liverpool would have been furious had he levelled after the break when Mats Wieffer set him up brilliantly.

Yet with the goal at his mercy, Gomez missed the target, while Brajan Gruda fired inches wide a minute later with a low drive.

In the end, Brighton finished with 13 attempts and 26 touches in the opposition box, but only forced Alisson to make the one save from Gomez.

Remarkably, Hurzeler's side are winless in their last nine matches during the month of December.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, speaking to Match of the Day, said after their 2-0 loss against Liverpool: "I think we definitely deserved more, maybe even a win but we created so many chances. We had a bad start, reacted well and then a set piece against us that we didn't defend well.

"It's about consistency and doing it for 90 minutes, and that's where we lost it. There were several key moments and we had good chances to score goals. We have to take responsibility for that loss. the game was there to win but in the end we couldn't take it.

"The goals were definitely avoidable. It's about having a good start and defending set pieces, set pieces are getting so important so we have to improve."

Hear more from Hurzeler on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

For the fifth Liverpool game in a row, Mohamed Salah isn't in the starting eleven. There's no room for Alexander Isak either as Florian Wirtz is back in, with Hugo Ekitike starting up top as Arne Slot makes two changes from the side that won in Milan. The other is Milos Kerkez coming in for Andy Robertson.

Liverpool only name eight of a maximum nine substitutes.

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Jones; Ekitike.

Subs: Mamardashvili, Robertson, Lucky, Ramsay, Chiesa, Ngumoha, Salah, Isak

As for Brighton, there's one change as Danny Welbeck drops out for Jack Hinshelwood.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Baleba, Gomez; Hinshelwood, Gruda, Minteh; Rutter.

Subs: Steele, Kostoulas, Milner, Ayari, Veltman. De Cuyper, Boscagli, Mitoma, Welbeck,

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Liverpool v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Burnley v Fulham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Arsenal v Wolves (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Burnley v Fulham", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

I am at this game for 5 Live and it will be fascinating to see what we get from Liverpool.

I am really pleased for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a great win at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the stuff with Mohamed Salah this week.

Slot should not have to put up with that nonsense. I know Salah has been a legend for Liverpool but essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is nothing personal in his team selection - he is not treating Salah any different to any other player in that sense.

Liverpool changed their shape against Inter and went with a midfield diamond and two up top.

Everyone is going to be talking about whether Salah is back for this game, but the only way he is going to be reintegrated into the squad is if he apologises.

Slot's focus will be on winning this game, but it is a tough one.

You could argue it is the same for most teams but I find Brighton so hard to predict. I always feel they have got a goal in them, but they are quite open too.

Liverpool need to get back to winning consistently and putting a run together, but I am not sure how much their efforts at the San Siro will have taken out of them.

I have whacked a couple of Brighton players in my FPL team, Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck, so they will probably lose now - but I do fancy them to get something at Anfield.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool seek to reignite their season when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield this weekend. BBC Sport explores the key themes surrounding this fixture.

The debate around Mohamed Salah and his Liverpool future has raged for the past week on every major media outlet.

The 33-year-old will return to the matchday squad on Saturday following talks with head coach Arne Slot, after being left out of the travelling party for the Champions League win at Inter Milan on Tuesday. However, after the Brighton game he will travel to Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations - and who knows what the January transfer window might bring.

Salah's absence has provided an opportunity for other players to step up and arguably nobody has done so more this season than Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Hungarian has featured at right-back and in attacking midfield this season, and has been filling Salah's spot on the right, albeit deeper and narrower as part of a diamond. The 25-year-old netted the winning penalty in midweek which means h has been directly involved in 10 goals for the Reds this season, more than any other player.

Reasons to be cheerful?

Liverpool are unbeaten in four matches and have reason for optimism heading into the New Year. They are just three points outside of the top four and their upcoming fixtures include Spurs away – with Thomas Frank's team struggling at home in the league – followed by both Wolves and Leeds United at Anfield.

Their record against this weekend's opposition is noteworthy, with the Reds winning five and drawing two of their eight Premier League home games against Brighton. However, their sole defeat came in February 2021 during the only other season that they hosted the Seagulls as defending champions.

Brighton's Christmas blues

Brighton are also three points below the top four, just like their hosts, and head to Merseyside aiming to register back-to-back league victories over Liverpool for the first time.

The south coast side won the last encounter between the sides 3-2 in May, although that came at Amex Stadium and after the Reds had already been crowned Premier League champions.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler appears to be in the festive spirit after he helped an 83-year-old fan open a Christmas festival in Sussex last week. But when it comes to football, the German is more akin to the Grinch than Santa Claus. The 32-year-old is yet to win a match in December while in charge of the club and has claimed five points from a possible 24.

But despite their miserable festive form, the Seagulls have lost only one of their past five Premier League away games and kept a clean sheet in each of their past two. The last time they mustered three consecutive shutouts was between March and July 2020 under Graham Potter.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Anfield (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hurzeler confirmed there are no new injuries from Sunday's match against West Ham.

• Karou Mitoma, James Milner and Tom Watson are back as options for the squad for this weekend's match. Solly March is expected to be back in two or three weeks.

• Stefanos Tzimas will miss the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, and Hurzeler hopes he will be back for pre-season in the summer.

• He says that Mitoma has overcome the pain that has kept him out of action since September, and will be an option this weekend after training well this week.

• Hurzeler did not rule out the prospect of Evan Ferguson's loan at Roma being cut short to return to the Amex. He said: "At the moment he is on loan but we follow it, we are pleased how he performed yesterday. Of course we all follow it so definitely he might be an option."

• When asked if Tzimas' injury means Charalampos Kostoulas can speed up his development: "I think he sped it up by himself. Every time he has been on the pitch he has made an impact. When we think he is ready to start he will get a chance. Overall we are quite pleased with his development."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Former Brighton defender Mark Lawrenson says his Brighton manager Alan Mullery described him as "a Lamborghini in the garage".

In 1977, Mullery paid £100,000 for 19-year-old Lawrenson, who then made more than 150 appearances over four years with the Seagulls.

In Lawrenson's final season at Brighton, he was part of the team which held Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Cup - the last time those teams were drawn against each other at that stage of the competition before this season.

"It was a big scalp," said Lawrenson, whose abiding memory is of fans queueing around the block for tickets to the home replay, which Brighton lost 2-0.

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It was a memorable moment amid a period on which Lawrenson looks back with fondness.

"I loved it," Lawrenson told the Albion Unlimited podcast of his time at Brighton. "I grew up, in many different ways. It was fab.

"I got on great with Mullers [manager Alan Mullery] - the lads used to give me stick because I was his pet.

"Mullers was talking about me and he said 'he was a useless trainer, he was lazy' and I couldn't really disagree.

"He said it's like having a Lamborghini in the garage and every Saturday or Tuesday night - if that's when the game was – this fella came out and he played like a Lamborghini!"

Listen to the full episode here

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 Mark Lawrenson says he "loved" his time at the club and that the Seagulls were "clever" in how they managed his departure.

Lawrenson spent four years with the club from 1977-1981, before joining Liverpool.

You can here more on the clip above or listen to Lawrenson on the latest episode of Albion Unlimited.

You can access that here

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

BBC Radio Sussex reporter Johnny Cantor believes that Charalampos Kostoulas is playing himself into contention for a place in Brighton's starting 11.

The 18-year-old impressed in his substitute appearance against West Ham, and forced a smart save from Alphonse Areola on an afternoon on which Brighton struggled to hit the target.

Since signing in June, the Greek forward has made six Premier League appearances from the bench for Brighton, scoring a late goal at Manchester United, but is yet to make his full league debut.

Image source, Getty Images

"I thought he livened things up," said Cantor, speaking on the Albion Unlimited podcast. "Keen to shoot, nice close control.

"He protects the ball really well. He's not the biggest of players, and he's only young, of course, but he doesn't seem to lose the ball in possession that much.

"His body positioning is really good. He's alert and quite creative.

"I think he will be pushing to be involved from the start soon."

Listen to the full episode here

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

A new episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast has dropped on BBC Sounds.

The team break down Brighton's attacking options going into the second half of the season, former Seagulls and Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson previews the trip to Anfield and shares his memories of the FA Cup third round - plus hear Albion forward Georginio Rutter's assessment of the draw with West Ham.

Listen to the full episode here

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

Joe Sayers
Fan writer

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Our captain, Lewis Dunk, has now eclipsed 500 games for the club. I've run out of words to explain just how much of a legend he is, but I would be doing him a disservice if I didn't dedicate today's message to him.

When Dunk emerged onto the scene, a fresh-faced teenager who was unafraid of any battle he was faced with, few would've predicted the journey he would embark on as the Albion's number five.

Our song to him in the stands is Withdean to Wembley, and it captures his and the club's growth in such a poignant way in just a few words.

There were initial worries that Dunky would be a player who would make rash decisions leading to red cards that would impact his team negatively, but he shouldered his responsibility with maturity beyond his years and developed himself into one of the most reliable players you could ever ask for.

There have been many iconic Lewis Dunk moments - such as emerging from a pitch invasion when we got promoted with nothing but his pants on - but my stand-out memory has to be his goal in our 2-1 victory away to Fulham in that promotion season.

Dubbed 'The Five Minutes at Fulham', it just had to be him to boost confidence that we would finally reach the promised land.

From seeing him walk out as captain in the Europa League, to watching him boss the backline against some of the very best in the world, there are no words left to describe Dunk.

Of course, players don't last forever, and there will one day be a Brighton without our ever-present rock at the back. So, let's enjoy him while we have him, because I'm not sure there will ever be another like him.

Find more from Joe Sayers at Albion Obsessed, external

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The FA Cup third round will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

Find out who your Premier League club will play below.

• Wolves v Shrewsbury Town

• Tottenham v Aston Villa

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Manchester City v Exeter City

• West Ham v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Everton v Sunderland

• Liverpool v Barnsley

• Burnley v Millwall

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Newcastle v Bournemouth

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace

• Manchester United v Brighton

See full draw here

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The draw for the third round of the FA Cup will take place on Monday, 8 December at around 18:40 GMT, before the broadcast of Brackley Town v Burton Albion - the final game of the Second Round.

Former England internationals Joe Cole and Peter Crouch will conduct the draw that will consist of 64 teams on TNT Sports.

The 20 winners of the second-round ties will be joined by all 20 Premier League clubs and 24 Championship teams in the third round.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 10 January 2026.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra-time and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Brighton and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Mick: A poor game - we got it tactically wrong. West Ham parked the bus and hit us on the break. We lacked intensity, energy and in some cases, effort. Too many passes going astray meant West Ham were always in with a chance. Charalampos Kostoulas should be given a start. Keep the faith.

Sarah: One of the worst games I've ever seen Brighton play! It would've been nice to think we could've settled into a comfortable win over West Ham but our scrappy play, sloppy passing, lack of forward motion and lack of energy or passion made them look like the team who deserved the win. We couldn't keep possession and looked totally out of ideas. Even after we went 1-0 down, we still didn't seem to have any enthusiasm for winning and looked more like we were the team running down the clock!

Jean: You would've thought Brighton were sitting at the bottom of the Premier League. That game was painful to watch.

Doug: Pedestrian football - no plan, kept the ball too long under pressure, and poor passing resulting in either play breaking down or giving the ball away. I would like to see two players on the halfway line when we are defending corners.

West Ham fans

Dave: A better all-round performance, however I don't have any confidence in our manager due to his plan of shutting up shop with only a goal lead. This useless manager has cost us four points. He has got to go as he is just going to get us relegated.

Alan: West Ham were superior throughout and only a gross miscarriage of justice gave Brighton a point. Accidental handball? Brighton fans must be laughing at VAR!

David: Great play and great goal by Jarrod Bowen. Obviously we were very unlucky not to get more. Brighton's goal should have been disallowed because the overhead kick was way too close to Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Mel: Playing without an established striker is never ideal. Bowen works tirelessly for the team but he is not a natural number nine.

Image source, Getty Images

Defender Jan Paul van Hecke says Brighton's performance against West Ham "wasn't good enough" and they "were really sloppy with the ball".

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex, he said: "If you need 70 minutes to get into a game then you are not good enough. It wasn't good enough from us.

"We were really sloppy with the ball which has perhaps been the same in the last few games as well. We are losing the ball in dangerous areas and then they are countering against us.

"I thought we were really sloppy in the first-half and that played to their game and how they want to play.

"It is good that we never give up and we always keep trying when we are down but if you want to compete with the big boys then you have to create the momentum early on and have it for the whole game.

"We need to take some steps forward to really progress."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Match of the Day's Thomas Hitzlsperger and Shay Given unpick Georginio Rutter's late equaliser for Brighton in their 1-1 draw with West Ham, and share a number of "frustrations" that it was allowed to stand.

Pundits Thomas Hitzlsperger and Shay Given join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 1-1 West Ham

• Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

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With Chelsea dropping points in their goalless draw at Bournemouth yesterday, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for Brighton to close in on the top four.

But it wasn't to be for Hurzeler's men, who looked devoid of any creativity after being on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

In the wet and windy weather on the south coast, Brighton failed to have a shot on target in the opening 70 minutes of the match.

It took Bowen's opener to wake Brighton up in what was a real chance to close the gap on Chelsea in fourth place.

Fabian Hurzeler will be pleased with the response from his side after falling behind, but he may well feel disappointed they could not capitalise on Chelsea's dropped points at Bournemouth.