Brighton and Hove Albion maintained their impressive Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday, extending their run to three consecutive league wins without conceding — all while finishing the match with ten men.

Second-half goals from Maxim De Cuyper and substitute Jaouen Hadjam sealed the three points at the Stadium of Light, keeping Fabian Hurzeler's side firmly in third place in the table.

De Cuyper opens the scoring

Brighton controlled the opening exchanges and were rewarded eight minutes into the second half when De Cuyper broke the deadlock. The assist came from captain Pascal Gross, who made history in the process — at 35 years and 117 days old, he became the oldest player to provide an assist in three consecutive top-flight matches since Ryan Giggs achieved the same feat in February 2012.

Struijk's red card changes the game

The contest shifted dramatically in the 57th minute when Pascal Struijk was shown a straight red card. VAR official Neil Davies intervened after Struijk hauled down Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor as he broke clear on goal, leaving Brighton to defend with ten men for more than half an hour.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors held firm and rarely looked in danger of surrendering their lead. Sunderland pressed but could not find a way through a resolute Brighton defensive shape.

Hadjam seals it in stoppage time

Any lingering doubt was erased in the 93rd minute when substitute Hadjam added a second to put the result beyond question. The goal capped a dominant display from Brighton, who backed up their 3-0 dismantling of champions Arsenal before the international break with an equally composed performance on Wearside.

Three wins, three clean sheets, and third place in the Premier League — Brighton's early-season form under Hurzeler continues to turn heads across English football.