‘No surprise’: Brighton boss pays Sunderland compliment in verdict on 0-0 draw

Sunderland earned a hard-fought point after holding Brighton & Hove Albion to a 0-0 draw at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler admitted it was “no surprise” to see Sunderland sitting high in the Premier League table, following a contest in which his side finished strongly but failed to make their pressure count. The hosts went closest late on when Yasin Ayari missed a gilt-edged opportunity, though Sunderland arguably shaded the opening hour and were good value for their clean sheet.

Reflecting on the game, Hürzeler felt there were positives to take but conceded Brighton could not afford long spells below their best level.

“We played in the first half against a really good Sunderland side,” he said. “It’s no surprise they are where they are in the table. We weren’t at our highest level early on, but in the second half we reacted well and created a lot of chances.

“In the end it’s frustrating when you create that many opportunities and don’t score. We have to address our consistency — starting well, finishing well and performing for the full 90 minutes. Against a team like Sunderland, playing well for just 40 minutes is not enough.”

Despite expressing satisfaction at keeping a clean sheet, Hürzeler was disappointed by Brighton’s wastefulness in front of goal and stressed the need for continued improvement.

Both sides were dealing with absentees, with Sunderland missing five players due to Africa Cup of Nations commitments, while Brighton were without Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck. However, Hürzeler was adamant that injuries and suspensions were no excuse.

“No excuse,” he said. “Those players are important, but we still have a strong squad.”

Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris agreed that a draw was a fair outcome, pointing to two distinct phases of the match.

“Until 65 or 70 minutes, we were dominant, especially for an away team,” Le Bris said. “We showed quality, character and control, and we had chances to score. When you don’t take those chances away from home, you expect the opponent to push at the end — and they did.

“They crossed the ball a lot, as we expected, and we were prepared for that. Our players were really determined to defend the box and the goal, and they did it well. That consistency helped us keep the clean sheet.”

In the end, Sunderland’s resilience matched Brighton’s late pressure, ensuring the points were shared on the south coast.