Brighton & Hove Albion were held to a goalless draw by FK Jablonec in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday. The result at Stadion Strelnice ended a six-game winning run for the Seagulls but preserved their unbeaten streak across all competitions, which now stands at five wins and a draw in their last five matches. The team's strong domestic form sees them third in the Premier League with 16 points from seven games, comprising five wins, one draw and one loss.
Fabian Hurzeler made eight changes to the side that thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0 last weekend, though Bart Verbruggen, Olivier Boscagli and Pascal Gross retained their places. Brighton dominated with 72 per cent possession and created 20 attempts on goal, but a combination of wayward finishing and resilient Czech defending kept the scores level.
Antonin Rusek had the hosts' best opportunity after half an hour, firing wide. Brighton's pressure grew after the break, with a fierce drive from Giorgi Tchanturishvili saved at 79 minutes. At the other end, Verbruggen produced a sensational one-handed stop to deny Jablonec with 15 minutes remaining. The visitors thought they had found a breakthrough when Simon Slama picked out Ondrej Cedidla's run late on, but his shot flew wide of the near post.
Hurzeler used his bench extensively in the second half, introducing Andres, Vuskovic, David and Yasin Ayari among others. The draw was the manager's 100th match in charge of the club. Around 1,000 travelling Brighton supporters witnessed the stalemate.
What the result means
The point keeps Brighton unbeaten in their Conference League group stage. More broadly, the team's form remains strong, sitting third in the Premier League with 16 points from seven games. They have scored 23 goals and conceded just five in the league this season, putting them five points behind leaders Manchester City. Their top scorer this season is Charalampos Kostoulas with three goals in seven appearances.
Attention now turns swiftly to a Premier League trip to Anfield. Brighton face Liverpool on Sunday 25 October, a side they beat 2-1 in the last meeting in March. Liverpool currently sit fifth in the table. Hurzeler's men will aim to bounce back from their first blank in ten games and maintain their position near the top of the standings.
