Brighton Week in Review, Monday 2nd November: Albion Lose Carabao Cup Shootout at City, Then Win League Trip in Style
What a fortnight at the Etihad. Brighton made the trip to Manchester City twice in the space of a week - first in the Carabao Cup, then in the Premier League - and the two results could hardly have been more different (Football365) (ESPN).
In midweek, Fabian Hurzeler made wholesale changes for the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie, with SussexWorld counting nine changes to the starting side and Sports Mole later confirming 16 changes in total to the matchday squad (SussexWorld) (Sports Mole). The game finished 2-2 after normal time, but City goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was the hero in the shootout, saving spot-kicks from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk as City won 4-3 on penalties to reach the quarter-finals, according to The Guardian and Sky Sports (The Guardian) (Sky Sports). Football365 noted it was a painful watch for Albion at a half-empty Etihad (Football365). Hurzeler was honest afterwards, saying City had been "lucky" on the night, while also praising the travelling Brighton fans for sticking with the team through an expensive and busy fortnight on the road (The Argus) (SussexWorld). Captain Georginio called the exit a missed opportunity, and Hurzeler urged his players to put it right quickly (The Argus) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). True to his word, he then insisted the squad had to switch focus straight to Saturday's league fixture rather than dwell on the cup disappointment (The Argus).
They didn't have to wait long for revenge. Brighton returned to the Etihad for the Premier League clash and produced what BBC Sport and The Argus both called a landmark victory, winning 1-0 to claim their first ever away league win over Manchester City (BBC Sport) (The Argus). Yasin Ayari was once again at the centre of things, scoring the winner, while Bart Verbruggen was outstanding in goal, with Sky Sports and BBC Sport both singling him out as a key figure in the win (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). The Guardian and ESPN reported that the win moved Brighton to within two points of the top of the table, with BBC Sport also noting it took them up to third (The Guardian) (ESPN) (BBC Sport). The result sparked plenty of media chatter about a possible title challenge, with Sky Sports and the Mirror both raising the question, and BBC Sport's Match of the Day pundits praising the balance and bravery of Hurzeler's side (Sky Sports) (talkSPORT) (BBC Sport) (Mirror). True to form, Hurzeler himself played it down afterwards, refusing to get carried away despite the significance of the win (The Argus).
On the injury front, it was a week of ins and outs for Hurzeler. Ahead of the City games, SussexWorld reported on the club's crowded treatment room, with updates on Kaoru Mitoma's recovery timeline, two further fresh injuries described as "very painful", and news on Yankuba Minteh's fitness (SussexWorld) (SussexWorld) (SussexWorld). There was better news regarding Mats Wieffer, with Hurzeler explaining his role in the squad once back from injury, and on Stefanos Tzimas, who was reported close to a return to first-team training (SussexWorld) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). Brighton's official site later confirmed that Chema, Konstantinos Kostoulas and Kadioglu were all in contention to return for the City game, while SussexWorld reported a double injury boost before kick-off (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (SussexWorld). There was also a lighter injury story, with one Brighton player's absence from the Liverpool match explained as being for a positive reason rather than a fitness concern (SussexWorld).
Away from the first team, there was transfer speculation to sift through. SussexWorld relayed a report suggesting a Brighton star could leave next summer for a fee in the region of £25m, while TeamTalk reported Brighton's interest in a young German playmaker on loan in Serie B, as a potential "masterful signing" (SussexWorld) (TeamTalk). As ever with reports of this kind, nothing is confirmed, but they'll be ones to watch. Former Albion boss Gus Poyet also offered his verdict on the club and Hurzeler following talk of a Manchester United approach, and separately issued what Sports Mole called a Champions League warning to the Seagulls after their win over City (SussexWorld) (Sports Mole). Elsewhere, former Brighton defender Shane Duffy was reported by talkSPORT to have found a surprise return to football at an injury-hit Championship club (talkSPORT).
On the women's side, Brighton's official site confirmed kick-off times for two WSL fixtures in December (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com), and fans were pointed towards the 1901 Pub as a venue to watch the Albion women take on Liverpool in the WSL (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com). There was also a striking result to report from the development ranks, with Brighton thrashing Wolves 6-0 in the Subway Players Cup, a performance captain Arturo Ruiz reflected on afterwards (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com) (BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com).
With Manchester City now safely negotiated twice over, attention turns to what comes next for Hurzeler's in-form side.
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