Follow live coverage as Brighton & Hove Albion face Southampton today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Brighton & Hove Albion FC 1 - 0 Southampton FC
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:51HALF-TIME: BRIGHTON 1-0 SOUTHAMPTON
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:49Brighton are closing out the half with the ball at their feet, which has been the story of much of this half. They will just want to get in at the break ahead and build upon the lead in the second half.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:48There will be four added minutes!
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:46CHANCE! Sugawara fired a low cross towards the front post of Verbruggen’s goal, and Archer was there waiting for it. He doesn’t make good contact on the ball, and the finish is untidy in the end, but it is a positive sign at the end of the half.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:46Southampton earn themselves a corner late on in the half, which Fernandes swings in. Armstrong met it at the front post but ended up sending his header upwards, rather than backwards.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:43We’re into the final five minutes of the half, and Brighton look to be going into the break with a goal advantage! It has been one-way traffic so far.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:41Brighton are continuing to knock the ball around with ease, despite a half-hearted Southampton press. They can’t get anywhere near the home team at the moment, let alone think about attacking.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:38Rutter is back up on his feet, and he returns to the action.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:37Rutter is down after landing on his shoulder, after a tackle by Dibling. The medical team are trying to help him.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:37Southampton show more miscommunication as Manning runs straight into Walker-Peters, which ends up with them losing possession and both players throwing their arms in the air in frustration.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:34Fabian Hurzeler has also been booked, meaning he will serve a touchline ban when Brighton next play in the Premier League.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:32Yellow Card Kyle Leonardus Walker-Peters
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:31Assist Tariq Kwame Nii-Lante Lamptey
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:30Goal Kaoru Mitoma
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:29Southampton have a chance to swing a long ball into the Brighton box, with Manning stood over the ball. Unfortunately for them, Verbruggen came and claimed the cross with ease.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:27Welbeck heads his shot wide of the goal after a great cross from Estupinan. He rose highest in the box, but he met the ball at an odd angle, and couldn’t twist quickly enough to guide it on target.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:26Southampton have begun to take a more direct approach to Brighton’s counter-attacks by fouling them at any given opportunity. It has been scrappy on that front since kick-off, but Southampton have been putting in some strong tackles.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:23Brighton are now slowly but surely moving their possession further up the pitch, and it seems like only a matter of time before they fashion another good chance to go ahead.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:22Dibling goes down again, this time under pressure from Mitoma. He has been Southampton’s best player so far and has drawn some free-kicks in nice areas.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:20Brighton are enjoying a period of controlled possession in the middle of the park, as they look to seek out the gaps in the Southampton defence.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:19OFF THE POST! It’s Rutter again with the cut inside followed by a left-footed shot. This time, the shot was much better but lacked a touch of curl as his strike thundered back off the upright. Brighton are getting closer!
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:16Welbeck looked to be in some discomfort after that tackle, but he is back to his feet now and the game has resumed.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:14Yellow Card Flynn Downes
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:13Southampton have made 21 errors directly leading to opposition shots in the Premier League this season - at least 10 more than any other side. This was evidenced within the first 10 minutes as Sugawara failed to sense Mitoma closing him down.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:12Only moments after, Rutter cuts inside on his left foot as tries a reverse shot, only to see his effort go wide of the same post that Mitoma’s effort did.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:11That was a shockingly quick break from the home team, as they progressed from back to front within a matter of seconds and managed to get themselves a good chance. Southampton have to be more resilient than that.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:09CHANCE! Southampton get themselves a corner, and Brighton do well to clear their lines quickly. Mitoma sneaks round the back of Sugawara as Brighton broke quickly, and the winger shoots early with only Lumley to beat, but the shot goes wide! Early danger signs for Southampton.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:07Brighton make their first advancements up the pitch, with Welbeck and O’Riley playing some wonderful passing football on the edge of the box. The final pass escaped Welbeck, and his attempt to backheel the ball didn’t come off.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:05Southampton have started brightly, with Dibling and Sugawara combining nicely on the right side. Brighton sniffed out the danger and promptly cleared their lines, with possession sitting in midfield now.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
20:02KICK-OFF! Southampton get the ball rolling, and the game is under way!
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:59The teams are out on the pitch, and we’re nearly ready for kick-off here in Brighton!
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:54Fabian Hurzeler makes two changes to his side that faced Bournemouth, with one of them being forced upon him due to suspension. Carlos Baleba picked up two bookings in his last game, so is unavailable for selection. Joel Veltman is replaced at right-back by Lamptey. There is no room for Ferguson, Adingra or Minteh in attack due to the fine form of those starting here. For Southampton, Russell Martin makes four changes to the team that lost to Liverpool. Lumley starts in goal and makes his Premier League debut after a poor showing by McCarthy and Paul Onuachu is injured, so Archer takes his place up front. Adam Lallana and Fraser are also replaced by Manning and Sugawara, respectively. Welbeck captains Brighton, and Stephens captains Southampton.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:54SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Alex McCarthy, James Bree, Nathan Wood, Ronnie Edwards, Joe Aribo, Ben Brereton Diaz, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ryan Fraser, Samuel Amo-Ameyaw.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:54SOUTHAMPTON (5-4-1): Joe Lumley; Jack Stephens, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Kyle Walker-Peters, Ryan Manning, Yukinari Sugawara; Adam Armstrong, Mateus Fernandes, Flynn Downes, Tyler Dibling; Cameron Archer.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:49BRIGHTON SUBS: Jason Steele, Jacob Slater, Lewis Dunk, Ruairi McConville, Julio Enciso, Mats Wieffer, Evan Ferguson, Simon Adingra, Yankuba Minteh.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:49BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Bart Verbruggen; Pervis Estupinan, Igor Julio, Jan Paul van Hecke, Tariq Lamptey; Yasin Ayari, Matt O'Riley; Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro, Georginio Rutter; Danny Welbeck.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:43Russell Martin, unlike his counterpart, will be devastated by his side continuing to perform poorly. Southampton sit bottom in the Premier League and have still only won a single game. Their only win came against a weak Everton side, and their draw came against fellow strugglers, Ipswich. They recently threw away a lead against Liverpool after coming from behind, with that game finishing 3-2 to the away side. Southampton will more than likely see this as a tough game, but after proving that they can score goals against strong opposition, anything can happen.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:43Fabian Hurzeler’s team are performing brilliantly in this Premier League campaign; he will be pleased with the fact that his side are currently sitting in a European spot, with the potential to go even higher. They have won six of their 12 games so far, with four draws under their belts as well. A win last time out against Bournemouth will have only added to the feel-good factor on the South coast, and they will want to add to their tally here. The home team will see this game as a very winnable fixture, and with a win, they could temporarily move into second place in the Premier League.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:38The last time these sides faced each other in the Premier League, the points went to Brighton in a 3-1 win back in 2023. In the same season, Brighton also won the reverse fixture 3-1, but historical records show that Southampton are on top in the head-to-head. Since that season, Southampton have been relegated and promoted in back-to-back campaigns, whereas Brighton have featured in a European competition. Brighton have remained a strong top-half side since then, and they have also started this season strongly, unlike their opponents in this game.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:33Hello, and welcome to live text commentary on this Premier League clash between Brighton and Southampton at the AMEX Stadium!
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
19:30Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
18:00Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
