Happy 125th birthday to Brighton - they absolutely destroyed Arsenal - opinion

So if Carlsberg did 125th birthdays this would probably be it.

Adjectives, superlatives, whatever, the bottom line was in the wake of Albion’s emphatic 3-0 win against Champions Arsenal, Brighton fans of all generations sat down, many still at the Amex and asked themselves, “Was this the most complete Albion performance in living memory?”

Obviously I’m only only 53 years out of the 125, so anything before 23 April 1973 is effectively not on my watch.

Brighton’s best displays

But in my time there have been a number of contenders.The second half seven goal demolition of Walsall in October 1976?

A 4-1 Sunday lunchtime play off semi final cracker against Millwall in May 1991? The 5-0 Fans United display against Hartlepool in February 1997?

Another Amex 4-0 demolition, this time against Manchester United, complete with a smirking, yet embarrassed Ronaldo, in May 2022?

More recently going toe toe in an enthralling first 45 minutes with Champions elect Manchester City, with Julio Enciso scoring the ‘Goal of the Season’ in the process in April 2023?

Or perhaps even the Old Trafford comeback in the League Cup only last week? And indeed on reflection there are probably so many more contenders.

But after the dust settled on Sunday morning I came to the realisation, that unless we lift that elusive trophy in Turkey next June, is this actually as good as it gets?

Arsenal win tops the lot

Hopefully not, but ultimately what the record Amex crowd witnessed on Saturday, and millions more with TV highlights over the weekend, it was for me the most complete performance by an Albion match day squad in all my years watching the club.

Fabian Hurzeler’s men destroyed the Champions of England, currently the second best team in Europe, in fact arguably one of the best club sides on the planet.

In the end, 3-0 flattered the Gunners, testament to this, and perhaps the tin hat for me, was a simple, but personal text I received on Monday morning from a genuine Arsenal legend “You battered us! Well done.”

Yet still in certain quarters almost immediately after the final whistle it was more about how badly Arsenal played rather than how good Brighton were?‘

Big Six arrogance’ perhaps? White noise to my mind, and frankly irrelevant.

A landmark day

A performance of that magnitude on any given Saturday, or Sunday, or Tuesday, Wednesday even, would have been great, but being on such a landmark birthday makes all the more special, and memorable.

Hopefully the club will be here in another 25 years time, still playing the beautiful game. I will be 87 and god willing I will be sat at the Amex with my grandsons, long after they’ve discarded their Dad’s team.

Spurs (currently bottom of the EPL for the next three weeks, just saying ) and I will be reminiscing, “Boys you were too young, but on the 125th anniversary we had one of the greatest games in the club’s history.”.

And from this moment on, whatever happens to the Seagulls, Saturday will never, ever be taken away from us.