Ten-man Brighton continue fine form with battling win at Sunderland

When Jaouen Hadjam lashed Brighton’s second goal beyond the reach of Robin Roefs, it sparked a mass exodus.

As the Stadium of Light emptied amid a smattering of boos, and frown lines creased the forehead of the Sunderland manager, Régis Le Bris, the Brighton players and their manager, Fabian Hürzeler, prepared to celebrate.

Undaunted by Pascal Struijk’s second-half red card, Hürzeler’s team had not merely cemented their hold on third place but boosted an already healthy points tally to 13.

This was not quite as fluent as Brighton’s 3-0 deconstruction of Arsenal before the international break, but no one will underestimate them after this.

Sunderland are stuck on four points with only one Premier League victory to their name this season and head for Thursday’s night’s Europa League meeting with Torreense in introspective mode.

As a cagey first half unfolded, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus looked on somewhat anxiously from the directors’ box. Sunderland’s owner and chairman has added the title ‘chief executive’ to his club portfolio after Tom Burwell’s abrupt departure just five months into the role of interim CEO.

Among the 28-year-old’s more pressing tasks in this hands-on role is to secure a front-of-shirt sponsor after the breakdown of a proposed deal with Visit Ghana.

At the interval, Louis-Dreyfus was probably relieved that the scoreboard read 0-0. Deep in stoppage time at the end of the first period, Struijk had directed a header against an upright with Roefs beaten.

It was the best chance of a half low on clear-cut chances and only really enlivened by some moments of Enzo Le Fée’s typically superior skill. Sunderland’s attacking playmaker has recently signed a new contract and, not for the first time, his importance was emphasised as his beautifully calibrated deliveries created decent openings for Wilson Isidor - deputising for the hamstrung Brian Brobbey - and Thomas Meunier.

The Belgian’s subsequent injuryprefaced the introduction of countryman Malick Fofana on the left, and the former Lyon winger swiftly showed off his encouragingly quick feet and speedy brain.

The only problem was this switch moved Nilson Angulo to his less-favoured right-wing position. Some Sunderland fans had been underwhelmed when Le Bris named two full backs on the right side of his starting XI, yet only a tremendous block from Olivier Boscagli prevented Meunier, operating in front of Trai Hume, from opening the scoring. That said, a specialist right winger appears a priority in the January transfer window.

More immediately, a home defence missing the hamstrung Dan Ballard paid the price for a failure to clear when a clever through ball from Pascal Gross - who else? - cued up Maxim De Cuyper to sweep the crispest of low, first-time shots between Roefs and a post.

The 35-year-old Gross’ seventh direct goal involvement in his last five Premier League appearances had given Hürzeler’s team a deserved lead, but they were soon reduced to 10 men.

When a poorly positioned Struijk shoved Isidor over as he accelerated towards the penalty area, the £20m summer signing from Leeds denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity but, initially, the referee Tom Bramall did not see it that way.

A VAR review urged Bramall to visit the pitch-side monitor and issue Struijk with what had always looked an inevitable red card. Yet despite their numerical disadvantage, Brighton seemed rather too comfortable for the liking of Sunderland supporters.

It did not help Le Bris’ cause that, unusually, Xhaka proved a little slapdash in possession. Perhaps the strain of admitting to obtaining a fake Covid vaccination certificate during the pandemic - the authorities in Lucerne have issued Switzerland’s captain with a suspended £136,000 fine - took its toll.

Social media footage on Friday showed Xhaka demonstrating commendable restraint in the face of jibes from Newcastle fans while out shopping with his wife near their home in Gosforth, but he could have perhaps done with a little more trademark aggression here.