'He can be' - Brighton boss makes 'great' claim about starlet
Stefanos Tzimas was described by his manager as a ‘great football player’, after the teenager scored Brighton’s crucial second goal in the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
There were wild celebrations on the touchline, after the Greek striker doubled Brighton’s lead with his first Premier League goal, on Sunday (November 30).
With Maxim De Cuyper’s 45th minute goal the difference between the sides for most of the second half, Tzimas’ poacher’s finish – albeit a tad scrappy – was vital to securing the points.
Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Match of the Day after the victory.
"We are all happy for him because he is a hard worker and deserved it,” the German said, when asked about Tzimas’ goal.
"He is adapting. Everyone in the locker room was really happy for him. He's a great character and a great football player. If he keeps pushing he can be a good player for us this season."
Tzimas, 19, signed for Brighton within 48 hours of their 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in February 2025 – the Seagulls’ heaviest defeat for 67 years.
His move was made public on February 3 – two days after Brighton’s painful humbling at the City Ground. The striker remained in Germany for the second half of the season before linking up with his new teammates this season.
Asked if the result at the same ground last season made him think again about his decision to sign for the club, Tzimas replied: “No, of course not.
"It was Brighton. It was and it is the best option for me because the most important thing for me is to develop and I think I'm in the right environment.”
The striker said ‘we talked a lot’ about last season’s match before the trip on Sunday (November 30) and the team ‘showed our character’ to get revenge.
Hurzeler was also asked if last season's defeat provided extra motivation.
The 32-year-old said: "In general what you can say is that we are players with big self confidence and personality on the pitch today.
"There was something in the air we needed to clear not only for us but the supporters. Overall it was a different game with different players.
"We got on the pitch with players who had great character and I think that was the main thing."
The BBC revealed that Brighton and Hove Albion attempted nine shots in the opening 20 minutes against Nottingham Forest – their most ever in the opening 20 minutes of a Premier League match.
The last team to attempt more in this time period in an away match was Manchester City at Fulham in March 2019 (12).
“They were great chances,” Hurzeler said. “We always want to score but you need to create chances to score.
"We were good in structure and therefore we are happy with the performance. Goals are the most important and we weren't able to score but we stayed patient and kept defending.
"We always were very stable in the defence and therefore a clean sheet was so important in this phase. This was crucial.
"We are happy with the result. The first half the performance also because we dominated against a good opponent, we controlled the game, created chances, defended quite well.
"In the second half we suffered a bit but stuck together and defended the box quite well. I thought in the end it was a deserved win."
Brighton are now four games unbeaten and sit fifth in the Premier League table. They are just three points behind second-placed Manchester City.
"We don't use the word momentum because every game is hard work and you start always from point zero,” Hurzeler said.
"I see a team that sticks together, a team that's working hard, a team that's getting an understanding more and more for each other.
"It takes time. We are still not where we want to be but it's a process and we focus on that. Every Premier League game is hard and that's what we have to do."