Brighton left Sunderland with a 2-0 win, and the striking part was how calm the game stayed after they went down to ten men. Maxim De Cuyper scored in the 53rd minute from a Pascal Groß pass, Pascal Struijk was sent off in the 57th after a VAR review, and Jaouen Hadjam sealed it in the third minute of stoppage time. It made it three straight Premier League wins without conceding for Brighton.

Sky Sports reported that "High-flying Brighton and Hove Albion won 2-0 at Sunderland to make it three straight Premier League wins without conceding despite having to play more than half an hour with ten men." That sums up the shape of Sunderland vs Brighton quite well, but it also risks making it sound more chaotic than it was.

Brighton had control before the dismissal and kept enough of it afterwards. They stayed third in the Premier League with 10 points from 5 matches, and this result felt like part of a strong opening run rather than an isolated escape.

Brighton's game management after the red card

The key point is that Brighton were already ahead when the game changed. De Cuyper struck in the 53rd minute, finishing from Gross's pass, so the red card did not create the win for them. It simply changed the kind of win they had to produce.

Four minutes later, Struijk was dismissed after a VAR review for denying a goalscoring opportunity. The timing is described slightly differently across reports. The Independent placed it in the 57th minute, while Sky Sports described it as just before the hour mark. The verified detail is the 57th-minute dismissal, and that matters here because Brighton then had to handle more than half an hour a man down.

They did that without letting the match turn wild. The Independent's match report put it simply: "Sunderland 0-2 Brighton: Pascal Struijk was sent off shortly after Maxim De Cuyper's opener but the Seagulls secured all three points". That sequence is the whole story of the afternoon. Brighton scored first, absorbed the damage from the sending-off and still looked the more assured side by the end.

Hadjam's goal in the third minute of stoppage time finished the contest and gave the scoreline a shape Brighton probably deserved. A team hanging on usually leaves with one goal and relief. Brighton left with a clean sheet, a second goal and another away win.

Gross kept Brighton in charge

Gross was at the centre of the best part of Brighton's football again. His pass for De Cuyper's opener extended a run that has made him one of the main reasons Brighton have looked so settled early in the 2026-27 season.

He now has 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 Premier League appearances. Used carefully, that is a strong return for any midfielder. It also fits what the game looked like at the Stadium of Light, where Brighton needed someone who could keep the tempo where they wanted it, especially once they lost a defender.

There is a historical marker attached to the assist as well. Gross became the oldest player to provide an assist in three successive top-flight games at 35 years and 117 days, since Ryan Giggs in February 2012. Brighton do not need that stat to explain the result, but it does capture how central he is to the side at the moment.

De Cuyper's finish also continued a productive start of his own. He now has 2 Premier League goals this season, and his numbers at both ends suggest Brighton are getting more than overlap and recovery work from him.

What this win says about Brighton's start

Brighton have 10 points from 5 league matches and their recent run reads well even without dressing it up. They have won three of their last four league games, and the Sunderland result made it three straight Premier League wins without conceding.

Fabian Hurzeler will like the manner of this one as much as the points. Winning after a red card can be noisy and frantic. Brighton's was neither. They had the lead, they protected it, and they finished the game strongly enough to add another goal.

That leaves Brighton third after five matches, with Sunderland beaten 2-0 and the clean-sheet run stretched to three straight league games.

FAQ

How did Brighton beat Sunderland after going down to 10 men?

Brighton had already taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper in the 53rd minute, from a Pascal Gross pass, before Pascal Struijk was sent off in the 57th minute after a VAR review for denying a goalscoring opportunity. They then managed the game well and finished it with Jaouen Hadjam's stoppage-time goal.

Why is Pascal Gross so important for Brighton right now?

Gross created the opener at Sunderland and is producing steadily in the Premier League. He has 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 appearances, and the assist at the Stadium of Light made him the oldest player to provide an assist in three successive top-flight games at 35 years and 117 days since Ryan Giggs in February 2012.

What does the Sunderland win mean for Brighton in the Premier League table?

The win kept Brighton third in the Premier League with 10 points from 5 matches. It also extended their strong early run, with three straight league wins without conceding, so this was more than a scrappy away result.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →