Brighton were ‘horrible to play against’ in emphatic Arsenal win, says Fabian Hurzeler

Brighton produced the intensity and unity required to beat Arsenal 3-0 at the Amex, with manager Fabian Hurzeler praising his side for being “horrible to play against”.

The Seagulls ended Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season in emphatic fashion, after goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres.

Arsenal arrived on the south coast having won their opening nine league matches, but Brighton’s aggressive approach disrupted Mikel Arteta’s team from the outset.

Gross put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute, finding the net with a shot from the edge of the penalty area which went in off the post.

Arsenal came close to an immediate response before half-time. Bukayo Saka found space after a deflected effort from Martin Odegaard, but was unable to finish.

Brighton instead extended their lead moments later. Kostoulas turned inside the area before scoring to give the home side a 2-0 advantage.

The result was effectively secured 12 minutes after the interval when Chema Andres headed in from a Gross corner.

Hurzeler was delighted by the way Brighton competed against the Premier League champions.

“It was a special win. Not only because we played the best team in England but because of the performance,” the Brighton manager told BBC Match of the Day.

“I am really proud of my team. It’s always important to enjoy these moments. We were horrible to play against.”

The German said the victory had been founded on Brighton’s ability to maintain their intensity and win individual contests across the pitch.

“Intensity, intensity, winning the personal duels… we have to have the belief to compete with the best teams in the league,” he said.

“My players really trust each other on the pitch. If one player is out then another can replace him.

“Overall we wanted to be really good in every phase. We needed to be at the highest level.”

Hurzeler also highlighted the importance of Brighton carrying out the fundamental aspects of the game effectively.

“Beating the current champions and the best team in England is something special,” he said.

“But it’s not because the result is special, it’s the performance. The boys showed real togetherness and intensity.

“They were horrible to play against today and that’s because we did the basic things right. Overall I was very pleased with the performance.”

Despite the scale of the victory, Hurzeler told his players to remain humble, with a demanding schedule to come after the international break.

“We go game by game,” he said. “After wins like this we have to stay humble and understand why we had this win. We have to keep on going.”