Record crowd revels as Brighton batter champions Arsenal 3-0 in 125th anniversary showpiece
Brighton & Hove Albion's 125th anniversary celebrations could not have gone much better. Decked out in specially-made commemorative kit, Fabian Hurzeler's side produced a performance befitting the occasion, marmalising defending Premier League champions Arsenal in a comprehensive 3-0 win that doubled as a shock first defeat for the champions.
A record crowd of 31,944 at the Amex Stadium witnessed it, roaring their side on to the most emphatic of victories. Pascal Gross fired them in front, Charalampos Kostoulas drilled in the second on the stroke of half-time and Chema Andres' header made it three after the break. They had the chances to add to that lead, but three was more than enough, and the celebrations in the stands had started long before the final whistle.
"It was a special one, not only because we played against maybe the best team in England but because of the performance," Hurzeler told BBC Match of the Day. "The boys started really intense, they won their personal duels, played good in possession and created chances. I'm really proud of my team, hopefully they enjoy it today because these kind of moments are important to enjoy."
From near oblivion to Europe
The result was all the more remarkable given the journey that preceded it. From near oblivion to Europe and beating the champions of England on the club's milestone day, this is the Seagulls' remarkable story. It is a tale that goes to the heart of why, as they celebrate their 125th birthday, Brighton are almost unique among English clubs.
It is Thursday, 9 November 2023. Roberto de Zerbi, then Brighton manager, is addressing his players in the Amsterdam Arena before their Europa League tie with Ajax. "There's 3,000 Brighton fans in this stadium tonight," said the Italian. "But there's more than twice that number in the city who have travelled over. Remember that when you go on to that pitch."
A long-standing senior Brighton official was in the dressing room that day, a fan first and foremost who has spent almost three decades working for the club. "It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up," he recalled. "The royalty of European football. From where we've come from, to be in that environment. It was a pinch-me moment." Brighton won 2-0 that night, the high point of the first European campaign in the club's history, with more than 7,000 fans in Amsterdam.
A brush with oblivion
Formed in 1901, Brighton were a Southern League club for almost two decades before they were voted into the Football League. They had experienced only seven seasons in Division Two when they were promoted to the top flight for the first time in 1979. For years, they were known outside Sussex chiefly for "And Smith must score..." — the BBC radio commentary delivered by the late Peter Jones at a critical point during the 1983 FA Cup final, late in extra time. It was the moment when Gordon Smith, clear on goal with a chance to earn Brighton their first major trophy, saw his shot saved by Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey. United won the replay.
But in 1995, chairman Bill Archer sold Brighton's Goldstone Ground, their home since 1902, because of escalating debts that there was no obvious way of paying. Fans were not consulted and no alternative stadium was put in place. The club's final season at the Goldstone in 1996-97 had to be abandoned as thousands of furious fans spilled on to the pitch to demonstrate against the ownership; both crossbars were snapped amid the tumult. After two seasons playing 70 miles away at Gillingham, the club returned to the city in 1999 and started playing at Withdean Stadium, most famous as the home athletics track of Olympic middle distance gold medallist Steve Ovett — and whose capacity was just 6,000, fewer than the number of Brighton fans who would later travel to Amsterdam.
Ask Paul Samrah for his single most memorable moment as a Brighton fan and the answer goes to the heart of the struggle. August 2007: "After the years of campaigning, the days and nights I spent fighting for regime change and then for the stadium, the moment I heard we'd actually got planning permission, that our objectors had decided not to continue their fruitless efforts to stop the stadium," he explained. "We'd won our battle." Former FA executive director David Davies got involved, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott overturned a rejected planning application for Brighton's current stadium in Falmer, and former chairman Dick Knight stabilised a club that in 1997 came within 27 minutes of being relegated out of the Football League.
A totally different club
The contemporary Brighton exist the way they do largely because of the vision and investment of Tony Bloom. Born in Brighton, Bloom is a lifelong fan whose connection runs through grandfather Harry, a former vice-chairman, and uncle Ray, a director. He became chairman in 2009 and masterminded the rise from League One and the move into the American Express Stadium. Their recruitment model, buying players in and selling them on for vast profits, is envied across the division.
The new Brighton just beat Manchester United at Old Trafford for the fifth time in six visits. Four games into their 10th consecutive Premier League campaign, they sit fifth, and last season their average attendance was more than 31,000. In their 125-year history, Brighton have never had it so good.
"Anyone walking into Brighton today compared to even 15 years ago would not think it was the same football club," sporting director Mike Cave told BBC Sport. "The club has been on an unbelievable journey. We've got staff members and many fans who have done that journey. For those of us who weren't here 15 years ago, our responsibility is to ensure what's to come - and I think there's lots - is better than what's happened in the recent or long-distance past."
As for Bloom himself, he reflected on Brighton's 125th birthday in the programme for the Arsenal game: "Since 1901, this football club has been part of the fabric of our city and the broader county of Sussex."