Brighton up to third after Mitoma double inspires 3-1 win over Bournemouth

BRIGHTON, England: Substitute Kaoru Mitoma made an instant impact off the bench as Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday (Sep 24), with Roberto de Zerbi's side climbing up to third place in the Premier League.

Brighton have 15 points from six games, one point more than Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who played out a 2-2 draw on Sunday. Bournemouth, who are without a win in their league campaign, are 17th.

The match promised to be a battle of wits, with managers De Zerbi and Andoni Iraola having earned plaudits for their tactical prowess, and it did not disappoint on that front.

From the whistle, Brighton opted to sit deep and looked to attract a press while Bournemouth worked hard to cut off passing lanes.

Bournemouth drew first blood in the engaging contest when Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, stranded several metres from his goal, under-hit a pass which was intercepted by Ryan Christie before Dominic Solanke lobbed the ball into an empty net.

Despite being stung, Brighton persisted with their game plan and much of the first half was played in the middle of the park, with chances at a premium.

Brighton found the leveller just before halftime through a slice of luck, when Billy Gilmour's cross bounced off defender Milos Kerkez's head and looped past goalkeeper Neto for an own goal.

De Zerbi made a double change at the break with Mitoma and Ansu Fati introduced and both players were immediately involved in a sweeping team move which the Japanese winger finished off 17 seconds after the restart.

Brighton hit their stride after going ahead and Mitoma added the third goal when he found space in between the Bournemouth defence to nod home a Pervis Estupinan cross, ensuring