Brighton's head coach Fabian Hurzeler has set his side a difficult tactical puzzle for the league's top teams. After exiting the Carabao Cup at the hands of Manchester City, Hurzeler's side responded the following Saturday with a 1-0 victory over the same opponents, who failed to score at home for the first time in 23 matches. Brighton now sit third in the Premier League, behind only City and leaders Arsenal, both of whom they have beaten this season.
Their success rests on a bravery and front-footedness that top sides have not always been used to facing. With 24 goals in nine games, Brighton are the league's top scorers, but it is their defensive work that has underpinned their underdog victories. They have conceded just seven goals this season, with only Arsenal conceding fewer.
From opposition goal-kicks, Brighton press high in a man-to-man fashion, and their intensity across the pitch makes them better at executing this than most. The key trick is that one attacker curves his run to press the opposing keeper, cutting off the passing angle back to the defender he was marking. Against Arsenal, Charalampos Kostoulas first pressed Gabriel Magalhaes before curving his run to press David Raya, cutting off the pass back to Gabriel.
Brighton also accept that an opposing player may occasionally be left unmarked, usually a full-back or winger on the far side. This is often a deliberate choice: they judge that an extra presser near the ball is worth more than the risk, and by keeping the free player far from the action, they make him hard to find. Brighton's defensive approach is what makes them so difficult for elite teams to unpick.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing