Alious
Brighton return to Premier League duty this Sunday when they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, with kick-off set for 2:05pm. Sitting sixth in the table after a 2–1 win over Brentford, the Seagulls enter the fixture with new confidence — but also an unwanted memory.
For manager Fabian Hurzeler, this ground is tied to one of the bleakest moments of his Brighton tenure — last season’s crushing 7–0 defeat to Forest, the club’s heaviest loss in nearly seven decades. The match quickly spiraled: everything that could collapse did collapse. Hurzeler lamented afterwards that he didn’t have a single midfielder fit enough to last a full match, and the weakness in the center of the pitch proved fatal.
Here’s the XI from that disastrous day — the players many Brighton fans would rather not be reminded of:
1. **Fabian Hurzeler (manager)** — Oversaw the meltdown from the sidelines as his team suffered the massive 7–0 humiliation.
2. **Bart Verbruggen (GK)** — Hard to fault for the first six goals, though his poor distribution contributed to the seventh.
3. **Joel Veltman (RB)** — Not heavily targeted on his flank, but still part of a defensive unit that disintegrated.
4. **Lewis Dunk (CB)** — The captain had a nightmare outing, starting the scoring with an own-goal and struggling to contain Chris Wood throughout.
5. **Jan Paul van Hecke (CB)** — Another defender tormented by Forest’s movement; unable to prevent Wood from completing a hat-trick.
6. **Tariq Lamptey (LB)** — Forced into left-back duty and heavily exposed defensively. Conceded a penalty after fouling Gibbs-White.
7. **Jack Hinshelwood (CM)** — The only functioning midfielder Brighton could field, yet he was swamped and outnumbered.
8. **Yankuba Minteh (RW)** — Offered almost nothing going forward and even less tracking back.
9. **Georginio (DM/CM hybrid?)** — Intended to provide support centrally, but tactical confusion reigned — no one seemed sure what role he was actually fulfilling.
10. **Joao Pedro (AM / No. 10)** — Barely registered a presence; unable to change the flow or relieve pressure.
11. **Kaoru Mitoma (LW)** — Rarely got the ball in dangerous areas and couldn’t give Lamptey any defensive support.
12. **Danny Welbeck (CF)** — Hit the underside of the crossbar in first-half stoppage time — Brighton’s closest moment to a goal in the entire match.
Alious
