PL 2026/27: Brighton are soaring high
Brighton & Hove Albion have made a sensational start to the new Premier League season. They are currently sitting third in the table behind Manchester City and Arsenal with ten points in five games, having managed three wins, a draw, and a loss.
Barring the loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a high-scoring thriller, Brighton have been exceptional, especially in attack. They have scored the highest number of goals in the league, having already netted 16 times in five games, three more than the table-topping Man City.
Although it’s early days, the Seagulls have already defeated two top teams: before going into the international break, they defeated Manchester United in the third round of the League Cup and Arsenal in the Premier League right after.
Both games were contrasting in nature, as Brighton came back from a 2–0 deficit to defeat Man United 3–2 in exciting fashion, while against Arsenal they registered an emphatic 3–0 victory, dominating proceedings from start to finish. The Arsenal game was particularly incredible to watch, as they constantly put pressure on the usually solid Arsenal defence to force them into submission, while not giving the defending champions any chance to score.
Brighton have always been a team who have secured upsets over the traditional Top 6 in recent years. A massive threat when they attack, the Seagulls can never be underestimated.
Their record against the likes of Man United, Liverpool, Man City, and Arsenal has been more than decent in the last few years. For context, in the past three seasons they’ve beaten the Premier League champions at home. In 2023/24 they defeated City at the Amex, in 2024/25 they defeated Liverpool 3–2, and this season they’ve already got the better of Arsenal, winning 3–0 at home. This was also the biggest margin of defeat handed to Arsenal since the 2022/23 season, and even the last time it was Brighton who beat them at the Emirates.
Brighton have been playing front-footed, high-press, high-intensity football, suffocating the opposition and inducing errors. What makes these performances even more special is that their head coach, Fabian Hürzeler, hasn’t made any excuses for injuries to several of his key players and has utilised the ones available to him. Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood, Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Lewis Dunk, and Pascal Struijk are all out with injuries. Despite that, with crucial players like Carlos Baleba and Jan Paul van Hecke having left in the summer alongside experienced squad members like James Milner and Adam Webster, Brighton have started the season brilliantly.
New signings have made an instant impact, with Greek forward Charalampos Kostoulas and Ivorian midfielder Malick Yalcouyé having impressed with two goals each. Former Spurs defender Luka Vuškovic has replaced Van Hecke in the backline and already looks comfortable. However, it’s the Belgian left-back Maxim de Cuyper (one goal, three assists) and the German midfielder Pascal Groß (three goals and assists each) who have been the standout players for Brighton so far.
Groß has been at the heart of practically all attacks the South Coast side have produced, embodying the adage “ageing like fine wine”. He was struggling to find regular time at Borussia Dortmund last season and decided to return to Brighton in January. He has had an outstanding start to the season, holding the Brighton midfield together, controlling the tempo, providing assists, and also scoring some exquisite goals.
Brighton are also in the Conference League this season, their second European campaign after the 2023/24 Europa League. They have a great chance to win the Conference League, a tournament English teams have dominated since its inception, with West Ham United, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace having emerged victorious in three of the last four seasons.
There’s still a long way to go, and things could possibly change once Brighton start playing three games a week as the European season heats up. If they don’t fix their injury issues, the performances could begin to deteriorate, and all their great early work could well be nullified.
For now, though, Brighton look like a team with massive confidence and belief that they can attack and dominate oppositions with their high-intensity and high-press playing style. They are going to be a very challenging opposition for the rest of the Premier League, especially at the Amex.
The Seagulls are flying high and looking impressive at the moment, but the Premier League is fiercely competitive and brutal, and no game can be taken for granted. They must therefore remain focused and avoid complacency, otherwise their wings could be clipped in no time.
