Sunderland 0-2 Brighton: ten-man Seagulls hold firm at the Stadium of Light
Maxim De Cuyper and a stoppage-time Jaouen Hadjam goal gave Brighton a third straight clean-sheet win despite Pascal Struijk's red card.
Brighton beat Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and did it with ten men for more than half an hour. The result extends a strong run for the visitors and deepens a difficult spell at home for Sunderland.
The goals and the red card
It was goalless at half-time, and Sky Sports records that Sunderland had the better early chances: Roefs blocked after Gomez was through in the eighth minute, and Wilson Isidor's effort hit the near post in the 22nd. Brighton's Pascal Struijk headed a Pascal Gross free-kick against the post in first-half stoppage time.
Brighton broke through in the 53rd minute. Sunderland failed to clear a long throw and Maxim De Cuyper scored from close range, with Gross credited with the assist.
Four minutes later, Struijk was sent off. After a VAR review, referee Thomas Bramall showed him a straight red for pulling down Isidor, who was through on goal. Sky notes that former referee Mike Dean described the decision as harsh.
Sunderland could not turn their numerical advantage into a goal. In the 93rd minute Brighton counter-attacked, with Rutter involved, and substitute Jaouen Hadjam made it 2-0.
What it means
Brighton, who beat Arsenal 3-0 before the international break, are third in the table. Sky says this is their third straight league win without conceding, something they have done only once before in the Premier League. Gross's assist made him the oldest player to assist in three successive top-flight games, according to the same report.
For Sunderland, now 16th, it is a second consecutive home league defeat without scoring, the first time that has happened since April and May 2017. Sky adds that Brian Brobbey picked up a hamstring injury on international duty, which handed Isidor his first Premier League start of the season.
The managers
Sunderland's Regis Le Bris said his team "felt we were not efficient at that moment." Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler talked about focusing on the process rather than results.
The picture is of two different trajectories: a Brighton side with three clean sheets in a row, and a Sunderland side that, on the evidence of the early chances, created enough to score but did not.