Brighton won 2-0 at Sunderland on Saturday despite playing the last half an hour with ten men, Maxim de Cuyper scoring early in the second half and Jaouen Hadjam adding a second in stoppage time. The man shown a straight red card, Pascal Struijk, did not agree with the decision, and neither did most of the away end. It did not change the result.
Gross makes the opener
The first half at the Stadium of Light was tight. Sunderland worked hard to shut down Pascal Gross, Brighton's creator, and managed it for 45 minutes. Struijk nearly gave the visitors the lead with the last touch of the half, left unmarked at a free-kick and heading off the far post.
Gross found space after the break. In the 53rd minute he slid a pass out to the left and De Cuyper took a touch before guiding a low finish past Robin Roefs. It was Gross's seventh goal involvement in six league games, a tally only Joao Pedro has beaten this season. At 35, he became the oldest player to provide an assist in three successive Premier League games since Ryan Giggs did it at 38 years and 68 days in February 2012.
The red card that split the afternoon
Four minutes after the goal Sunderland had a chance to change the game. Wilson Isidor ran onto a through-ball and went down under pressure from Struijk, who was the last man. Referee Thomas Bramall waved play on, his assistant did not flag, but video assistant referee Neil Davies called him to the screen. After several replays Bramall sent Struijk off to open disbelief from the Brighton bench.
Sunderland had the man advantage and the stadium behind them. They did not create much. Regis le Bris had gone into the game without Brian Brobbey, who hit a hat-trick at Manchester City before the international break and then picked up a minor hamstring injury with the Netherlands, along with centre-back Dan Ballard and midfielder Habib Diarra. Without a focal point, Sunderland struggled to turn possession into chances.
Hadjam ends it on the break
Brighton defended well and looked dangerous whenever they got forward. In the third minute of stoppage time Hadjam finished a counter-attack with a low strike across Roefs, his first goal for the club, with Georginio Rutter providing the assist. Fabian Hurzeler's side have now won three league games in a row for the first time in eight years and scored ten without reply in that run.
"Brighton's defensive mindset" was Hurzeler's own phrase for the performance, and it fitted. They came into the game as the Premier League's top scorers and left it having shown they could win without much of the ball.
What it means
Brighton stay third, two points behind joint-leaders Manchester City and Arsenal, and this was the first of seven matches in 21 days, so Gross's fitness will matter. Sunderland are 16th, have lost four of their six league games and three in a row, and could finish the weekend in the relegation zone, with Europa League matches still to come and Brobbey's availability uncertain.
Match facts: Sunderland 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion, Premier League, Stadium of Light, Saturday 10 October 2026. Goals: Maxim De Cuyper 53', Jaouen Hadjam 90+3' (Brighton). Red card: Pascal Struijk 57' (Brighton). Half-time: 0-0. Attendance: 47,196. Referee: Thomas Bramall.
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