Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler is delighted with their win over Manchester City, but believes it is important to "stay humble".

The hosts scored twice late in the game to seal a 2-1 comeback victory and earn three points against last season's champions, who had gone a goal up in the first half through Erling Haaland.

Brighton have won a Premier League match against City for just the second time in what was their 15th such meeting (D1 L12), with both wins coming at the Amex Stadium - only at Anfield (four), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (four) and Stamford Bridge (three) has Pep Guardiola lost more Premier League games as the away manager.

"I've had great experiences at my former clubs, so I wouldn't say it's the biggest win of my career – but it's an important one," said Hurzeler, speaking to BBC Match of the Day.

The result came a week after Brighton had given up a lead to lose 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield, so this victory was all the more satisfying for the Brighton manager.

"Last week, we talked about a great performance but not the result against Liverpool. Today we got a result, so I'm happy," Hurzeler said.

"On the one hand, it's important to gain self-confidence from games like this. On the other, it's important to stay humble, keep focusing on the hard work and keep focusing on the process."

With his side trailing at half-time, there was plenty of work for Brighton to do, but Hurzeler kept his instructions to his players simple.

"In possession, to stay more patient and to make City move. In the first half, we played too many vertical balls and gave too many easy balls away. The subs were great for us. They had an impact and if you have that in the squad, it helps you," he added.

Matt O'Riley came off the bench to score the winner, becoming the first player to score against City on his Premier League debut since Steven Bergwijn for Tottenham in February 2020.

"Part of it is how he [O'Riley] worked for his comeback. A lot of players would keep their head down and be negative, but he was very positive. I'm happy he got what he deserved," said Hurzeler.

Hurzeler's emotions were echoed by Brighton forward Joao Pedro, who also scored after coming off the bench.

"First, I'm happy to be back. I know I'm an important player for the team, so when we win like this against a big team it is good. Now we have time to breathe and win more games," he told Sky Sports.

"I'm happy to score. After two months out, I'm very happy to be back.

"Last season we dropped too many points and the gaffer told us to believe in ourselves this season, and we are doing well this season against the big teams."

Under pressure Wolves manager Gary O'Neil is confident his team will stay in the Premier League, despite picking up just one point from their opening eight matches.

Wolves were beaten 2-1 by second-placed Manchester City last weekend, having initially taken the lead, and were seconds away from a draw before a stoppage-time winner from John Stones.

It was the third time this season Wolves opened the scoring in a Premier League game but finished empty-handed.

"We're good enough to stay in the league, and we will stay in it," Gary O'Neil told BBC Sport.

"It isn't a lot to turn around."

Their defeat to Manchester City was Wolves' sixth on the bounce in all competitions, which left them bottom of the league and three points from safety, but O'Neil remained optimistic about their predicament. 

"I'm absolutely fine. I bumped into quite a few people around the town as well and everyone is unbelievably supportive," he said.

"They understand the difficulties, and they know the full situation with the fixtures and the transfer funds."

Brighton, meanwhile, climbed to fifth in the table last weekend with a 1-0 victory away to Newcastle United, with Danny Welbeck scoring the winner in that match, netting his fifth league goal of the season.

However, the striker was later stretchered off the pitch at St. James' Park, giving Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler another issue to think about in a growing injury list.

Another player struggling for fitness is midfielder James Milner, who has not featured since starting the opening three matches of the season.

"[Milner] had a small setback," Hurzeler told Sussex Live. "It's not that positive as it was before the international break.

"We have to be patient. It's not a thing that will be solved in one or two weeks. It will take several weeks. We can't give a clear schedule when he will be back, but before the break, we were more positive. I can be honest about that."

Milner and Welbeck are alongside Solly March, Matt O'Riley, Adam Webster and Joao Pedro in the Brighton treatment room, while Yankuba Minteh remains a doubt for this weekend.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton - Georginio Rutter

Georginio Rutter will be one of Brighton's most senior attackers who is not injured or doubtful for this match.

The 22-year-old has scored two goals and supplied an assist in his last three appearances in the Premier League.

Wolves - Jorgen Strand Larsen

Jorgan Strand Larsen is tied with Matheus Cunha at the top of Wolves' scoring charts, having opened the scoring at home to Manchester City last time out.

He has been involved in four goals in his last seven Premier League appearances (three goals, one assist), although he has ended on the losing side in all four games he has scored or assisted.

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton have already beaten Wolves 3-2 at home this season, albeit with a much-rotated side in the EFL Cup third round. 

Brighton are looking to win three successive Premier League games for the first time since September 2023, while the Seagulls are also looking to win two in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since April-May 2023 – one of which was against Wolves.

And after winning just one of their first seven Premier League meetings with Wolves (D4 L2), Brighton have now won four of their last five against them (D1).

The pressure is on bottom-of-the-league Wolves coming into this fixture. They have picked up just one point in their last 11 Premier League games, losing more games (10) and conceding more goals (33) than any other side in that time.

Wolves have lost their last five Premier League matches, despite finding the net in each match. The last team to lose six top-flight games in a row while scoring in every game were Manchester City in November-December 1960.

And a trip to the Amex is not what O'Neil would have wanted, as Wolves have won just three of their 20 away league games against Brighton (D8 L9), with all three victories coming by a 1-0 scoreline (September 2004, January 2016 and December 2021).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton - 57.1%

Draw - 22.1%

Wolves - 20.8%

Fabian Hurzeler failed to put a ceiling on Brighton’s potential after watching his side roar back from two goals down to beat Tottenham 2-0 ahead of the international break.

The 31-year-old, appointed at the start of the season, was facing criticism after the Seagulls had gone four Premier League games without a victory, though he silenced those doubters, with Brighton now sixth in the standings ahead of facing Newcastle at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

And despite only being in the infancy of his tenure on the south coast, Hurzeler is confident his side can continue to build on their impressive start to the campaign.  

“I don't judge the performances by the results because in the end I'm completely convinced that if you focus on the process the results will come,” Hurzeler said.

“It’s normal to have ups and downs, and we had a small down against Chelsea. But we learnt from it and if you improve individually and as a group will always get better.

“The league is so competitive, you must work hard for momentum and use it when you have it. But, of course, I have a lot of trust in the potential of my team.”

For Newcastle, a goalless draw at Everton last time out made it four Premier League games without a win, but the Magpies sit level on points with this weekend’s opponents, separated only by goal difference in the standings.

After starting the campaign with three wins from their first four games, Eddie Howe acknowledged his side’s drop-off, but knows his side have room for improvement, which he hopes will start on home soil against Brighton.

“So far, we have seen that the group is together. We have seen that the group is motivated to do well, and we know we can play better, and we know we can do more so that is the challenge that I have to set to the players,” Howe said.

Howe was also hopeful that both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson would be available for the visit of the Seagulls, with an attacking edge needed having scored just three goals in their last four matches in all competitions.

"We hope so. They are two huge players for us. When you take any focal point out of a team it has an impact. Would it have made the difference today,” Howe said. “I'm not sure but we are looking forward to having them back."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle – Anthony Gordon

Gordon has enjoyed games against Brighton in recent years, scoring two goals in four appearances against them, only finding the net more against Manchester United (three) in the Premier League.

The England international has created more chances (15) for the Magpies than any other player, while he also has the joint-most completed dribbles (11) in Howe’s ranks, alongside Bruno Guimaraes.

Brighton – Kaoru Mitoma

Mitoma has carried the ball further than any other winger in the Premier League this season (1568 metres), though his assist against Tottenham last time out was his first goal contribution in four matches.

Meanwhile, only Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen (eight each) have created more chances following a ball carry than Mitoma (seven).

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton have lost just two of their 14 Premier League meetings with Newcastle (W5 D7), though both defeats have come across their last three visits to St James’ Park.

However, the Seagulls have impressed in front of goal this year. They have scored two or more goals in each of their last three Premier League games, last having a longer such run in January 2023 (five). Indeed, they’ve netted multiple goals in five of their seven league games so far this season, having failed to do so in any of their final 13 games in 2023-24.

No team has conceded fewer second half goals than Brighton in the Premier League this season (two), with their latest goal against them coming in the 70th minute (vs Nottingham Forest). However, opponents Newcastle have also shipped a joint-low two goals after half-time.

Although this weekend’s hosts have lost just one of their last eight Premier League games (W4 D3), Newcastle are winless in their last three (D2 L1). However, at home, the Magpies are unbeaten in their last 11 (W6 D5).

They are also unbeaten in their last three Premier League games against Brighton at St. James’ Park (W2 D1), having failed to win any of their first four against them without scoring a single goal (D2 L2).

However, only Nottingham Forest (four) have had fewer shots than Newcastle following a high turnover in the Premier League this season (five), while the Magpies have also faced the most such efforts in the competition this term (18).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle – 50.4%

Draw – 24.3%

Brighton – 23.3%

Fabian Hurzeler insisted Brighton will always have setbacks as the German revelled in his side finding their "missing" confidence after Sunday's comeback victory over Tottenham.

Brighton were outclassed in the first half at the Amex Stadium as Brennan Johnson and James Maddison sent Spurs deservedly leading 2-0 into half-time.

Hurzeler's high line was once again punished at will by the visitors in that opening period, though Yankuba Minteh's blasted finish shortly after the break offered the home side hope.

Georginio Rutter swiftly followed Minteh's strike up with a fine goal of his own, before the former Leeds United man played a key part in the winner as his deflected cross found Danny Welbeck.

Questions appeared to be mounting on Hurzeler after a four-game winless run, though the 31-year-old silenced some of those doubts with this 3-2 comeback triumph.

"In the process, it is normal to have bad performances as the process is not linear, it's up-and-down, you have to accept these downs," the Brighton boss told Sky Sports after the game.

"You have to focus on your own quality and that is what I said to the team: focus on the process. That is how you react to bad performances."

When pressed on the confidence lacking in his team after their recent struggles, he added: "I think a little bit was missing. Being ruthless is the most important. 

"In the duels we were not ruthless and if you win the personal duels and get the ball into the opponent's half you get self-confidence, that was the biggest change.

"I always say 'we have enough quality to always score' [but] it is always important to learn from the first half."

Rutter has now scored in back-to-back Premier League appearances, also netting against Chelsea, having failed to score in any of his first 15 outings in the competition across his spell with Leeds and now Brighton.

His individual exploits proved the difference in the second half, though the Frenchman insisted Brighton's comeback was more about battling than tactics.

"We are happy and stayed together like the coach said 'we have to believe'. That is what we do. We have three points so we're happy," Rutter said.

"What we said at half-time was 'it's not about tactics, it's about fighting'."

Welbeck scored his 27th Premier League goal for Brighton here, too, though it was just his second winning goal for the Seagulls, also netting what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in September 2021.

The veteran attacker, who could have scored another in the first half from Kauro Mitoma's cross, echoed a similar sentiment to Rutter.

"In the first half we were bitterly disappointed and frustrated, the performance we put in was embarrassing," Welbeck said. "Nothing we want to be part of, but we showed our character.

"The attitude was right in the second half we came out and fought. We have got to give credit to the senior boys who are not on the pitch the likes, of Steely [Jason Steele] and Milner [James Milner], they told us the bare minimum is we've got to fight. Everyone is together in this.

"We want to be challenging the establishment like the management touched upon."

Fabian Hurzeler said Brighton will learn from their first loss under him as they aim to bounce back against Tottenham in the Premier League.

The Seagulls had enjoyed an unbeaten start under the German in all competitions, going unbeaten in his first seven matches.

However, after winning their opening two Premier League games, they drew three in a row before suffering that 4-2 defeat to Chelsea last weekend.

Hurzeler was not shying away from the poor result though, instead looking for the positives they can build on before the international break.

"It's very important after defeat that you are honest to yourself, you reflect on yourself, what was good, what was not good in the game," Hurzeler said.

"If you lose a game, of course, there are more negative points.

"But there were also some positive things. In the end, we have to learn from it; I have to learn from it because I was the responsible person for the match plan and the match plan wasn't good enough. Now we try to show a reaction."

Meanwhile, Spurs have won their last five matches in all competitions, impressively brushing aside Manchester United 3-0 in the Premier League last weekend before beating Ferencvaros 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.

They will most likely be without captain Son Heung-min again for the trip to Brighton, but Ange Postecoglou believes Spurs are settling into the style of play.

"It is always a shifting measurement," he said. "Any time you go on a consistent run of form - and I think we have been consistent all year, but the results in the past five games have rewarded the performances.

"We are a developing side, still very much a young side. The squad is still developing together, so it suggests whatever markers we set we should be able to exceed.

"We have had belief, the energy accelerates, and the key is to keep it going. You don't want to let it go."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Carlos Baleba

After not scoring or assisting in any of his first 31 Premier League appearances, Carlos Baleba scored and assisted in their 4-2 defeat to Chelsea.

He is the youngest Cameroonian to both score and assist in a Premier League match (20 years, 269 days).

Tottenham – Dominic Solanke

Since the start of last season, the only Englishmen with more Premier League goals than Dominic Solanke (21) are Cole Palmer (28) and Ollie Watkins (23).

The Spurs forward is looking to find the net in three consecutive appearances for the first time since December 2023 before heading to meet up with England during the international break.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Just one of the 14 Premier League meetings between Brighton and Tottenham has finished as a draw (1-1 in April 2018), with Spurs winning nine to the Seagulls' four.

However, after losing consecutive Premier League home games against Spurs without scoring in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Brighton won this exact fixture 4-2 last season.

Brighton won six of their first 10 Premier League games in October (D2 L2) between 2017 and 2019 but have since won just one out of 16 October games since 2020 (D9 L6), a 4-1 win over Chelsea in 2022.

And given recent form, that run may continue, as the Seagulls have drawn their last two home Premier League matches, last drawing three in a row in November 2023. Indeed, since the start of last season, no side has drawn more home games than Brighton (8).

Tottenham, meanwhile, have won their last two Premier League games, last winning three in a row in December last year. Spurs have netted three goals in each victory (3-1 vs Brentford, 3-0 vs Man Utd), but have not won three consecutively while scoring 3+ goals since April 2022.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 34.2%

Draw – 23.9%

Tottenham – 42%

Fabian Hurzeler acknowledged Brighton made "too many individual mistakes" during their 4-2 defeat against a Cole Palmer-inspired Chelsea. 

The Seagulls suffered their first loss of the season after they were on the wrong end of a six-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.

Brighton took a seventh-minute lead through Georginio Rutter's brave header, but were soon on the back foot as Palmer took command of the contest.

First, the Blues forward punished Adam Webster's loose back pass, before slotting home a penalty after Carlos Baleba fouled Jadon Sancho in the box.

He then bent a superb 25-yard free-kick into the top corner, and completed his quadruple following Bart Verbruggen's sloppy pass out from the back.

And while confident his players will learn from the experience, Hurzeler admitted they were the victims of their own downfall. 

"We had a good start and controlled the game, had dominance in possession," he told Match of the Day. 

"We scored but, afterwards, we had too many individual mistakes and with too many individual mistakes, you cannot win at Stamford Bridge.

"In possession, we were good but, to win games, you need to be good in both phases, and we didn't defend well.

"We are still in a process, and we have to learn from this quickly. Every time we made a mistake, they punished it and punished it quickly.

"We have to analyse, we have to be honest with each other, and be better next time.

"There are not many players like Cole Palmer in the Premier League, he is special."

Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga praised their clinical nature for their shock win at Liverpool and is hoping to carry into their trip to Brighton.

Forest have made an impressive start to the Premier League season, with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool – their first win at Anfield in 55 years – the pick of their results.

They are unbeaten so far, with two wins and two draws under their belts, leaving them seventh in the table.

Despite the positivity currently surrounding the club, Elanga is not getting ahead of himself.

"Since the start of pre-season, the atmosphere has been good," Elanga told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We went to Liverpool and not many teams can beat them and play the way we did – we got rewarded with it at the end.

"We have started the season well, but we have still got 35 games left – we have to go game by game.

"Last season we played the big sides and played well, it was marginal difference, and they were clinical. [On Saturday], we were clinical."

They face a Brighton side also yet to lose this season, and the Seagulls sit just one place above them in the table having scored more goals.

Brighton followed up their last-gasp win over Manchester United with two draws but bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Wolves in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Evan Ferguson returned to the starting line-up for that match, and though he failed to get on the scoresheet, Fabian Hurzeler backed him to get back to his best soon.

"I think we saw in some situations how good he can be," Hurzeler said.

"He had some shots in the first half, he worked hard against the ball. He can't be on the level already that he wants to and like he was before in the Premier League in the prime of his individual performance.

"We will try to get him there; he needs to train at 100%, and he needs to use every training session to get as fit as possible, and then I'm sure that he will help us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Jan Paul van Hecke

Jan Paul van Hecke has made the most ball carries (116) in the Premier League this season, and subsequently carried the ball the furthest distance (1149 metres) of any player so far.

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White

Morgan Gibbs-White has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (11).

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton are unbeaten so far in the Premier League this season (W2 D2) – they have never remained without defeat in their first five games of a top-flight season, last doing so in any division in the 2015-16 Championship.

Hurzeler's men have drawn their last two Premier League games. Indeed, of all teams to have played in more than one campaign in the competition, the Seagulls have seen the highest share of their games finish level (32.2% - 87/270).

Brighton have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four home league games against Nottingham Forest (W3 D1), having lost the previous two while conceding three goals each time.

Indeed, having been unbeaten in eight top-flight meetings with Brighton between 1980 and 2023 (W6 D2), Forest lost home and away against the Seagulls last season.

Forest have won their last four Premier League away games, including their 1-0 win at Anfield last weekend, more than they had in their first 36 on the road following their return to the division in 2022 (W3 D9 L24). They last won five consecutive away games (in any division) in January 1994, and last did so in the top-flight in March 1989.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 52.3%

Draw – 24%

Nottingham Forest – 23.7%

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was frustrated with the officials after watching his side draw 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium, having played the majority of the second half with 10 men.

Declan Rice was sent off for a second bookable offence after 49 minutes for delaying the restart from a Brighton free-kick, leaving Arteta to question the consistency of the referee's decision-making.

“If that happens throughout the game in a consistent way that’s fine,” he told TNT Sports in a post-match interview.

“But it didn’t happen. In the first half, there were a number of occasions where they kicked the ball away and nothing happened. 

“It’s inconsistency and it's in an area where it’s not critical. You made that call and you have to give a red card.

“If we have to play with 10, they have to play with 10 as well.”

Despite his annoyance at the red card, Arteta was able to find positives in the performance of his team.

Arsenal went 1-0 up after 38 minutes through Kai Havertz’s second goal of the season, before conceding a second-half equaliser following Rice’s dismissal.

“We started the game really good, created three or four big chances,” he said.

“We started the second half really good, had some good moments and momentum and obviously that decision changes the game completely.

“It was unbelievable the way the team reacted [after the goal] with 10 men, playing 48 minutes, we should have won the game.”

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, had a different opinion to his counterpart.

“It was a red card, he shoots the ball away. He was wasting time,” said Hurzeler in his post-match press conference.

“If Arsenal think otherwise, there are now two opinions.”

When asked about a similar incident in which Joao Pedro seemed to avoid punishment for kicking the ball away, Hurzeler suggested the two events were not like-for-like.

“You can’t compare the two situations,” he said.

“In football, two situations are never the same. I was booked because I was complaining about the tackle against Joel [Veltman] in the first half. We can accept it’s in the Premier League, it’s a yellow card, but I think no one can complain if the referee gives the red card.”

Premier League sides cruised into the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, but there was concern for Brighton over new signing Matt O'Riley.

Denmark midfielder O'Riley arrived from Celtic this week but lasted just nine minutes of his Seagulls debut, hobbling off with an apparent ankle injury against League One side Crawley Town.

That issue will leave Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler worried, though the performance from the rest of his side left little concern after a 4-0 victory.

Simon Adingra got things going in the first half before Jeremy Sarmiento, Julio Enciso and Adam Webster were on target after the interval in a routine second-round win.

In stark contrast to Brighton, Sean Dyche's Toffees are yet to win – or score – in the Premier League this season but dispatched League Two's Doncaster Rovers 3-0 at Goodison Park.

Tim Iroegbunam and Iliman Ndiaye both scored their first competitive goals for Everton before backup striker Beto sealed a routine victory, which came in similar fashion to Palace's 4-0 win over Norwich City.

Oliver Glasner's side are without victory in the top flight this campaign, too, but eased into the third round after Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice, along with goals for Eberechi Eze and Daichi Kamada, at Selhurst Park.

Leicester City, another side without a point to their name in the top division yet, also overcame Tranmere Rovers 4-0 thanks to goals from new signing Jordan Ayew, Stephy Mavididi, Wilfred Ndidi and Harry Winks.

Fabian Hurzeler hailed "special" Joao Pedro after the forward scored a late winner for Brighton and Hove Albion against Manchester United.

Joao Pedro converted Simon Adingra's back-post cross in the 95th minute to earn Brighton a 2-1 victory in Saturday's Premier League contest.

The Brazil international's goal came after Alejandro Garnacho had an effort ruled out by VAR at 1-1 as Albion went on to make it two wins from two this season.

Danny Welbeck had earlier opened the scoring for Brighton with 32 minutes played, before Amad Diallo's leveller on the hour mark.

Asked about Joao Pedro's last-gasp winner, Hurzeler told BBC Sport: "I think Joao is a player who can decide the game with one action. 

"For me, it was impressive today how he worked against the ball. He had the belief he would score and that's something that makes him special." 

No player on the Amex Stadium pitch managed more than Joao Pedro's two shots on target - level with team-mate Welbeck.

He accumulated an expected goals (xG) value of 0.52, with this his third goal in four league meetings with Manchester United.

Brighton have now won back-to-back games to begin the Premier League campaign, having eased to a 3-0 win at Everton last weekend.

Hurzeler has therefore started his tenure with successive victories and felt his side were good value for their latest win over Man United.

"It was a very emotional [win]," he said. "Always when you get the win in the last minute it is. I think we deserved to win.

"We had a good game, not a perfect game. There were also situations where United had the chance to win the game.

"After their offside goal, I think we started to control the game again. In the end, I think we deserved to win."

Only Manchester City (eight) have won more Premier League games against Man United than Brighton (seven) since the start of 2017-18.

Hurzeler added: "I'm very proud of the team. They showed the value of never giving up and that's very important to me."

Joao Pedro scored a stoppage-time winner to snatch a 2-1 win for Brighton over Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.

It looked like the points were set to be shared after Joshua Zirkzee was denied a winner, but Fabian Hurzeler's men dug deep to continue their winning start to the Premier League.

Amad Diallo had restored parity after Danny Welbeck's first-half strike, with Marcus Rashford and Zirkzee both having goals ruled out for offside.

But it was Joao Pedro who proved the difference in the end as he snuck in behind United's defence to head past Andre Onana in the 95th minute.

Brighton remain top of the early standings after two wins on six points, while United are in eighth, with rivals Liverpool next on the horizon for them.

Data Debrief: Welbeck haunts former club

While it was Joao Pedro who ultimately sealed the win for Brighton, Welbeck certainly made his mark against his former employers.

His first-half strike was the 100th goal of his club career in all competitions, while he's only scored more against West Ham (seven) than he has against United (six).

As for the Red Devils, they have lost more Premier League games thanks to goals in the 90th minute (plus stoppage time) than any other side (six) since 2022-23 - they had only lost two such games in the first 30 campaigns in the competitions combined. 

Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to be difficult to beat, as they aim to build on their opening-day win over Fulham against Brighton on Saturday. 

Joshua Zirkzee made a mark on his United debut, scoring a late winner in a 1-0 win over the Cottagers to snatch three points.

It followed an up-and-down pre-season which finished with a penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Ten Hag has laid out high ambitions for the season and, with a team they have struggled against in recent years next up, he is keen to get United's style of play nailed down early on to set the tone for the campaign.

"The project is about building, working and constructing," Ten Hag told SuperSport.

"We talk also about what we want to achieve, and we are so highly ambitious, we want to go for the highest and do it in a certain way, playing football, so we're hard to beat, dynamic, proactive and aggressive. They are the words we want to hear after our performances."

Meanwhile, Brighton are the early leaders at the top of the Premier League after a resounding 3-0 win over Everton in their first game of the season.

It means they have now won each of their last five games including their impressive pre-season run, and despite being proud of his first game in charge, Fabian Hurzeler is not resting on his laurels.

"I'm very happy, it's a good start but nothing more, and it's important to stay humble after it," Hurzeler said.

"It's a very good feeling, but I don't want to talk about myself, the players deserved it.

"It was a good result, very intense. In the end, the clean sheet was important, and we showed attitude and character."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck scored and assisted against Everton on the opening weekend, netting in a 15th consecutive Premier League campaign (16th overall).

He has also scored four Premier League goals against former side United, making him the highest-scoring player against the Red Devils to have previously played for them in the competition.

Manchester United – Joshua Zirkzee

Against Fulham, Joshua Zirkzee became the second player to come off the bench and score the winning goal on his Premier League debut for United, after Federico Macheda in April 2009.

The last player to score in his first two league appearances for the Red Devils was Antony in October 2022.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Brighton have won four of their last five Premier League games against United, though did lose the most recent meeting 2-0 at home on the final day of 2023-24.

The Seagulls have actually lost four of their last five Premier League games at home (winning the other), more than they had in their previous 25 at the Amex Stadium (won 14, drawn eight, lost three).

Brighton have won 10 of their 22 Premier League games in August (drawn three, lost nine). It is their highest win rate in a specific month in the competition (45%), while in no month have they won more games (also 10 in December).

United have struggled against Brighton in the Premier League, having lost 43% of their meetings with them (6/14), their highest loss rate against a single opponent in the competition's history.

Having beaten Fulham 1-0 in their opening match, United are looking to win both of their first two games in a Premier League campaign for the first time since 2017-18.

None of the 14 Premier League meetings between these sides have been drawn, with the Seagulls winning six to the Red Devils' eight. Only Manchester United against Wigan (16) has been played more often in the competition without ever finishing level.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 38.8%

Draw – 24.6%

Manchester United – 36.6%

Brighton have confirmed the signing of Georginio Rutter from Leeds United for a club-record fee.

The Seagulls activated his £40million release clause and the forward has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League side.

Rutter joined Leeds in January 2023, making 66 appearances in all competitions and netting eight goals.

He scored six of those in the Championship last season, though had the second-most shots of anyone in the team (122), behind only Crysencio Summerville.

His 15 assists last term were also the most of any Leeds player, while only Leif Davies provided more in the competition.

Fabian Hurzeler said: "Georginio is a player who has the capabilities to get fans off their seats and really showed what he can do in English football with Leeds last season — but I have known about him since he played in Germany for Hoffenheim.

"Now we have to integrate him into the team. We're looking forward to working with him."

Rutter is the seventh signing for Brighton under Hurzeler, following Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Malick Yalcouye, Brajan Gruda and Ibrahim Osman into the squad.

Danny Welbeck hailed Kaoru Mitoma as a "special talent" as Brighton and Hove Albion got off a flier under Fabian Hurzeler with a comprehensive 3-0 win at Everton.

Mitoma missed the final few months of last season with a lower back injury but was on target at Goodison Park alongside Welbeck and Simon Adingra as the Seagulls started the Premier League campaign in convincing fashion.

Former Manchester United and Arsenal forward Welbeck was particularly impressed by what Mitoma brought to the team.

In quotes reported by the club's official website, he said: "He is a special talent and we all know the ability he’s got.

"In one v ones there’s not many better in the Premier League and it’s great to have him back and adding to the firepower we’ve got."

Aged only 31, Hurzeler is the Premier League's youngest-ever permanent manager and he was proud of the defensive stability his side showed on Merseyside.

"It was a tough game, especially the first minutes it was exactly what we expected it to be at Goodison Park but we survived together, we defended compact, especially in the box, especially the crosses, there was a lot of crosses from Everton," he told Sky Sports.

"Then also good moments in possession, not so much in the first minutes but then after a quiet time in the game we controlled the game, had some good actions with the ball.

"In the end I think it's a deserved win for us and I'm really happy for the club."

Toffees boss Sean Dyche felt his find were punished for a lack of clinical edge in the final third.

"Certainly the way we performed in the first half was I thought decent. But we know one of the biggest challenges is finding the clinical moments which we didn't do," he said.

"The hardest thing to affect is goal scoring. We've been in a situation this summer where we've brought in players who we think can be more effective but they haven't experienced the Premier League."

Fabian Hurzeler made a fantastic start to his Brighton tenure as the Seagulls opened their Premier League campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over 10-man Everton at Goodison Park.

Having endured a difficult start on Merseyside, Brighton found their groove with goals from Karou Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra securing an impressive triumph.

Mitoma rounded off a fine first-half move after being picked out by debutant Yankuba Minteh, with Welbeck adding a second in the 56th minute. 

Everton’s chances of a comeback were all but halted 10 minutes later as Ashley Young was given his marching orders for a pull on goalscorer Mitoma, with Adingra adding a third four minutes from time before Yasin Ayari saw a goal awarded on-pitch but overturned after a VAR review

The result sees Brighton – at least temporarily – top the pile, with Everton propping up the table.

Data Debrief: Hurzeler impresses on debut

Hurzeler became the Premier League’s youngest ever coach when he replaced Roberto De Zerbi in June, and his side's performance will excite Brighton supporters. 

The Seagulls outperformed their expected goals (xG) by 1.44 from their 10 shots, nine of those came inside the box with five on target. 

Welbeck's goal and assist saw him register his 10th goal involvement against the Toffees (five goals and five assist), more than he has managed against in the Premier League.

Everton, meanwhile, were dealt their biggest defeat in the opening game of a Premier League season since 2009-10, when they lost 6-1 to Arsenal under David Moyes.