Brighton Take Vital Step Clear of Relegation Zone

The threat of relegation has never been far from Brighton & Hove Albion since they earned promotion in 2017. Both Chris Hughton and now Graham Potter have failed to make the club an established mid-table side, and instead they have flirted with the drop zone in each of their top-flight campaigns, and the current season is no different.

That’s why the win over Southampton at the weekend was so crucial. Brighton were level on points with 18th-placed Fulham when they took to the field at St. Mary’s, but 90 minutes later they were three points clear of the relegation zone after a 2-1 win over their south-coast rivals, with Fulham having lost 3-0 to Manchester City the previous evening. The combination of results meant that Brighton looked a little more favourable to avoid the drop on the English Premier League odds page from Betfair.

Southampton have been a team in poor form of late, failing to match the consistent level of performance they showed in the first half of the season, so Potter undoubtedly saw it as a chance for Brighton to take points. The Seagulls have struggled for goals and attacking creativity all season, but this was a rare purple patch for Brighton’s forward players, as they played with more fluency than usual, as if Potter had loosened the shackles at last.

Lewis Dunk gave the visitors the lead at St. Mary’s with a towering header, before Ché Adams pegged Brighton back with a fine volley before half-time. However, Potter’s side were not to be denied, and Leandro Trossard’s sensational finish into the top corner gave them a vital victory which granted breathing space from the relegation zone, and also twisted the knife into Fulham after their defeat the night before.

“We’ve had to suffer recently but we got the reward for the performance,” Potter said after the match. “These three points gives us confidence and renewed belief. It’s a fantastic reward for the players and will help them keep going. We have belief in ourselves and believe that if we keep performing like we have been we can get results. It’s nice to have that reinforced.”
The challenge is to sustain that kind of form. The result will have been a kick in the teeth for Fulham and Newcastle, and if Brighton could build some confidence and string a few wins together, then the relegation zone would be just a small speck on Brighton’s rear-view mirror as far as the English Premier League tips go.

But the Seagulls have not exactly been renowned for their consistency this season. They have given away 17 points from winning positions in matches, which is staggering when you think about where Brighton could be in the table if they had a bit more solidity to them. While it felt at the beginning of his reign that Potter was building something at Brighton, it’s still difficult to see any discernible end product rising up beneath the scaffolds.

The former Swansea City boss will be desperate to build a good run of form between now and the end of the season, to prove if nothing else that Brighton are progressing under his stewardship, and that the club aren’t swimming in circles the way they were under Hughton. The win against Southampton was a good start, but it’s time to roll up the sleeves and streak clear of that drop zone.