Fabian Hurzeler hails ‘unpredictable’ Yankuba Minteh after Wearside winner | OneFootball

Fabian Hurzeler praised Yankuba Minteh after his goal gave Brighton a 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The 21-year-old, who was formerly on the books of Sunderland’s rivals Newcastle, scored in bizarre fashion as his attempt from a tight angle squeezed in at the near post in the 58th minute to seal three points and helped Brighton claim three wins from four league outings.

Minteh was handed his first start this calendar year after being injured at the end of 2025 and following a series of appearances from the bench, Hurzeler was pleased to see the forward take his opportunity.

“We know he can do unpredictable things, he has quality not a lot of players have and I’m really happy for him,” the Brighton boss said.

“He overcame a difficult phase he went through, he understood what it needs to come back on the pitch and was waiting for his chance.

“Today he got his chance and he used it in a really positive way.

“We have to work with him to keep doing unpredictable things offensively but keep being more reliable defensively, keep doing the easy things right in our half.

“We keep working with him, he understood more and more what it needs to work for the team and not only be a great offensive player, but to be there as a defensive player.

“Therefore he’s going through an interesting process and I’m really happy with how he’s doing it.

“It’s always important when you have tough moments to also have a positive experience and this goal should give him another boost, should give him confirmation that he’s on the right way.”

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris believes the game boiled down to “key moments” as his team slipped to a third straight loss at home.

An entertaining first half saw both sides go close as Jack Hinshelwood was superbly denied by Melker Ellborg and Lewis Dunk made a fantastic goal-line stop from Chemsdine Talbi only moments later.

Chris Rigg had the ball in the net for Sunderland early in the second half, but the goal was ruled out by VAR as Omar Alderete was offside in the build-up and Minteh soon struck at the opposite end.

Reflecting on the game, Le Bris said: “Key moments once again. First of all I think it was a good Premier League game against a strong opponent, well-established in the Premier League with a clear identity.

“We had good intentions to manage the way they build up the play, struggled a bit probably for 20 minutes because they created one or two chances.

“After that the lads kept going with the same intentions, I think the final part of the first half was good, we were dominant, we didn’t score but I think it was a good part of our game.

“We had an opportunity at the beginning of the second half to change the game and the opposite happened.

“It is what it is, football is sometimes a bit harsh and unpredictable but I appreciated the willingness, the desire to stay consistent until the end, we tried.