Sunderland 0-2 Brighton: Seagulls stay third in Premier League after third straight league win without conceding

Fabian Hurzeler's side backed up their dominant 3-0 home victory over champions Arsenal before the international break with an equally impressive display on Wearside thanks to second-half goals from Maxim De Cuyper and substitute Jaouen Hadjam.

Captain Pascal Gross once again controlled the game from midfield, creating the key opener eight minutes into the second period to become the oldest player to provide an assist in three successive top-flight games - at the age of 35 years and 117 days - since Ryan Giggs in February 2012.

Despite Pascal Struijk being shown a straight red card just before the hour mark - after the VAR Neil Davies decided the centre-back had hauled down Wilson Isidor as the Sunderland striker broke clear on goal - the visitors were rarely troubled thereafter, before sealing the win in stoppage time.

8: BIG CHANCE! Terrible first touch by Danso allows Gomez in on goal, but Roefs does well to stand up tall and make a block.

22: POST! Xhaka feeds Le Fee in space down the left and from his pull back, Isidor's effort is deflected on to the outside of the near post with Verbruggen at full stretch.

45+2: POST! Gross curls a free-kick into the heart of the hosts' area and the totally unmarked Struijk plants a header on to the foot of the post with Roefs motionless.

53: GOAL! The visitors lead as De Cuyper, in acres of space in the box after being found by Gross, drills a low shot past Roefs at his near post after the hosts failed to deal with a long throw.

57: RED CARD! On review, referee Bramall decides Struijk has pulled Isidor to the ground as the striker broke clear on goal and issues a straight red.

90+3: GOAL! Hadjam finds the net after a brilliant counter involving Rutter, who initially does well to hold the ball up, before feeding his fellow sub in space in the box, and from a tight angle the Algerian finds the bottom right-hand corner.

'Sending-off very harsh - on-field decision correct'

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean on Soccer Saturday:

"I do not think it is a sending off. It is very harsh.

"There is a slight barge, I understand that. The referee [Thomas Bramall] has looked at it and thought, 'no, not enough for me'.

"The ball has then gone through to the goalkeeper, he is never going to get the ball, the Sunderland striker [Wilson Isidor], and for me the on-field decision is correct.

"It is not clear and obviously wrong, so why should the VAR [Neil Davies] get involved in my opinion?"

"We felt we were not efficient at that moment.

"It's a learning process. We went with Malick (Fofana), 21, Dayann [Methalie], 20 and Jocelin [Ta Bi], 21, so it's not an easy task to start [your career] in the Premier League in that situation, but this is the challenge.

"We are in our process, the league is tough, the league is relentless, fine details change the momentum and today it wasn't for us."

"No. I never did it [look at the table] and I will never do it because results create judgment. Positive or negative results always create judgment.

"Performances increase improvements. I think that's the main focus for us, we still want to improve, we still want to keep going and we always need to understand it's about doing the basic things right.

"It's about starting from point zero, I mentioned before the game there's no momentum because every team has something special in this league. Every team has a different approach.

"From point zero we have to start again and do the same things again. I think that's crucial and trying to focus on performances, focus on the process and not too much let us (be) affected by the results."

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris will be praying Brian Brobbey's hamstring injury is not too serious after his side drew a blank against the 10 men of Brighton.

The striker, who scored a brilliant hat-trick in the Black Cats' previous outing at Manchester City, picked up the knock while recently on international duty with the Netherlands, meaning a first Premier League start of the season for Wilson Isidor.

The Haiti international nearly gave the hosts an early lead when his sliding opportunity was deflected, while after the break he was involved in Pascal Struijk's dismissal, having been brought down by the Brighton defender while through on goal.

However, Isidor was unable to find the net, meaning Sunderland have now lost back-to-back league games on Wearside without scoring for the first time since April/May 2017 as they slip to 16th in the table.

What the result means and next fixtures...