Brighton sweep past Sunderland to stay hot on the heels of Arsenal and Manchester City

Brighton continued their impressive start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory away at Sunderland in Matchday 6 at the Stadium of Light. The win cemented the Seagulls' excellent run of form, keeping them flying high in third place, just behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

This marked another stellar outing in Brighton's fine streak across all competitions, which has already seen them defeat Arsenal (3-0) and Coventry (5-0) in the league, alongside a 3-2 victory over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.

Following a goalless first half where both sides hit the woodwork, the second period brought plenty of drama. Maxim De Cuyper opened the scoring for Brighton in the 53rd minute from a Pascal Gross assist. However, the visitors were dealt a blow just four minutes later when defender Pascal Struijk was sent off with a straight red card following a VAR review.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Brighton showed great defensive discipline and remained dangerous on the counter. The visitors, who hit the frame of the goal during one of their 13 attempts, put the contest to bed in stoppage time (90+3') when substitute Jaouen Hadjam slotted home from a Georginio Rutter pass.

The defeat leaves Sunderland in 16th place with four points on the board.