Brighton win 2-0 at Sunderland despite playing with 10 men at the Stadium of Light
Brighton defeated Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light in a Premier League match on October 10, 2026, holding on after Pascal Struijk received a second-half red card. The visitors took the lead through Maxim De Cuyper and sealed the win when Jaouen Hadjam lashed a second beyond Robin Roefs.
Fabian Hürzeler’s side moved to 13 points and strengthened their hold on third place, a follow-up to their 3-0 victory over Arsenal before the international break. Sunderland remain on four points with only one Premier League victory this season. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus watched from the directors’ box after adding the title ‘chief executive’ following Tom Burwell’s abrupt departure five months into the interim CEO role, and the club is searching for a front-of-shirt sponsor following the breakdown of a proposed deal with Visit Ghana.
The first half ended 0-0 and the period produced few clear chances, though deep into stoppage time Pascal Struijk nodded a header against an upright with Roefs beaten. Enzo Le Fée provided the game’s more skillful moments; his deliveries created openings for Wilson Isidor, who was deputising for the hamstrung Brian Brobbey, and for Thomas Meunier. Le Fée has recently signed a new contract.
Meunier’s subsequent injury led to the introduction of Malick Fofana on the left, which moved Nilson Angulo to the less-favoured right wing. Some Sunderland supporters had been underwhelmed when Régis Le Bris named two full backs on the right side of his starting XI, and a dangerous Meunier attack was only stopped by a tremendous block from Olivier Boscagli in front of Trai Hume. The side’s reliance on wide options prompted the assessment that a specialist right winger appears a priority in the January transfer window.
Brighton took the lead after Sunderland failed to clear a danger: a clever through ball from Pascal Gross set up Maxim De Cuyper to sweep a low, first-time shot between Roefs and a post. The 35-year-old Gross recorded his seventh direct goal involvement in his last five Premier League appearances to give Hürzeler’s team a deserved lead. Jaouen Hadjam’s driven second beyond Roefs then prompted a mass exodus from the Stadium of Light and drew a smattering of boos.
Pascal Struijk was sent off after shoving Isidor as he accelerated toward the penalty area, an action that denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity; referee Tom Bramall initially did not penalise the challenge but a VAR review instructed him to check the pitch-side monitor and award a red card. Despite playing with 10 men, Brighton appeared relatively comfortable thereafter. Granit Xhaka was unusually sloppy in possession during the match; the article reports that the authorities in Lucerne have issued Switzerland’s captain with a suspended £136,000 fine for obtaining a fake Covid vaccination certificate, and social media footage on Friday showed Xhaka demonstrating commendable restraint in the face of jibes from Newcastle fans while out shopping with his wife near their home in Gosforth.
Sunderland will head for Thursday night’s Europa League meeting with Torreense, while Brighton remain on 13 points in third place after this Premier League victory.
