Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler heaps praise on his side’s “important” 2-1 victory over Man City in the Premier League, but he does not believe it is the biggest win of his managerial career.
Brighton & Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler has heaped praise on his side’s “important” 2-1 comeback victory over Manchester City in the Premier League, but he does not believe it is the biggest win of his managerial career.
At the age of just 31 – the youngest manager in Premier League history – Hurzeler has made an impressive start to life as Brighton boss since securing Bundesliga promotion with former club St Pauli last season, with his new Seagulls side collecting 19 points from their opening 11 league matches.
Brighton had already beaten Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, and also picked up a point at Arsenal, under the tutelage of Hurzeler this term before claiming another high-profile scalp over reigning champions Man City, condemning them to a fourth straight loss.
Erling Haaland scored the game’s opening goal – his record-breaking 75th in Premier League – midway through the first half and Brighton were trailing by a solitary goal heading into the final 12 minutes.
However, Hurzeler called upon Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley – who both recovered from injury to make the matchday squad – to provide the goods off the substitutes’ bench, with both players scoring in the space of just five second-half minutes to turn the contest on its head in dramatic fashion.
Victory for Brighton represents just their second in the Premier League against Man City and they have climbed above both Arsenal and Chelsea into fourth place in the table, just four points behind the Citizens in second.
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Hurzeler aiming to “challenge the establishment” after “special” Man City win
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day in a post-game interview, Hurzeler said: “I’ve had great experiences at my former clubs, so I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest win of my career – but it’s an important one.
“Last week, we talked about a great performance but not the result against Liverpool (a 2-1 defeat at Anfield). Today we got a result, so I’m happy.”
In a separate interview with Sky Sports, Hurzeler said: “It is something special of course. Every game is really challenging in the Premier League and it is really hard to compete with all of the managers who have a clear style of play.
“Manchester City is one of the best teams in the world and Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world, but the victory against them only get three points. It’s so important to be happy, proud, to stay humble, to stay grounded.”
Asked what Brighton can achieve this season, the German said: “With the potential of the squad, with the support from our loyal supporters, I think we can play a season to remember, we can challenge the establishment.
“It’s so important to have ambitions and clear goals in your life. Goals and clear visions always makes yourself a promise not to give up and give you a clear orientation of where we want to go. That’s so important in life and let’s see what happens.”
Brighton will return to Premier League action after the international break when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on November 23.
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