Brighton's patience pays off as Huerzeler helps Seagulls soar

Oct 18 - Eight months after some Brighton & Hove Albion fans called for Fabian Huerzeler to be sacked after a home defeat by Crystal Palace, the young manager has the Seagulls soaring in third place in the Premier League after Sunday's 5-0 rout of the same opponents.

The 33-year-old, the youngest manager in the English top flight, watched his side demolish rivals Palace in a game capped by Diego Gomez's spectacular halfway-line strike that sent the home fans into raptures.

It was a far cry from February's 1-0 defeat in the "M23 Derby" that left Brighton languishing in 14th place as some of the club's fans chanted "You're getting sacked in the morning."

Brighton, however, refused to push the panic button and retained their faith in Huerzeler, who eventually guided the south-coast club to an eighth-placed finish.

Chairman Tony Bloom rewarded Huerzeler with a contract extension until 2029 and the club are reaping the benefits of the trust placed in the young German.

LEAGUE-LEADING 23 GOALS

With Sunday's 5-0 victory, Brighton sit five points behind leaders Manchester City with a league-leading 23 goals in seven games, five clean sheets and a goal difference of plus 18, six better than City's.

"A few months ago (after losing to Palace) we were in a different place and I said I'd keep pushing to get another opportunity to beat them, so I'm happy we did it today," Huerzeler told Sky Sports.

"It's not a one-man show, so I credit my players and my staff. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it."

While Erling Haaland has scored eight of City's goals to move clear in the Golden Boot race, Brighton have already had 11 different scorers.

"If you look, they're shared around a lot which is a massive help. We've got everyone chipping in and helping out the team," Brighton defender Lewis Dunk told BBC Radio.

"If you look at our clean sheets, I think it's the most we've ever had at this part of the season, so we're buzzing with that as well."

RELENTLESS PRESSING

Brighton's success in the new campaign has been built on relentless pressing, a hallmark of last month's commanding 3-0 victory over champions Arsenal that left coach Mikel Arteta searching for answers after his side's first defeat of the season.

Pascal Gross's successful return has provided another major boost. The 35-year-old, who previously spent seven seasons at Brighton, rejoined the club earlier this year in search of regular first-team football.

Gross is their joint-top scorer with three goals while the German also leads the team with four assists. It was his free kick that forced an own goal in the fourth minute that opened the floodgates against Palace.

Dunk refused to entertain talk of a title challenge so early in the season, while Huerzeler was equally determined to keep expectations in check.

"To me, the most important thing is the things we can improve... It's good to celebrate the win, but understand there is still space for improvement, especially for individual players," he said.

"We have to keep going. We can't be satisfied. We have to keep pushing, stay humble and understand why we are successful at the moment to keep pushing at that level." REUTERS