Brighton and Hove Albion have started this season tremendously, scoring goals for fun, keeping clean sheets regularly and battering the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa.

However an away trip to Czech side FK Jablonec in the UEFA Europa Conference League proved to be a difficult game, with the Seagulls not able to find a way through in a goalless draw.

The hope was that Brighton would fight against Liverpool and put on a statement performance against the Reds, however a 2-0 loss at Anfield meant another goalless result for an attack which has the most goals in the league, and the second most in Europe's top five leagues.

Where have the goals gone, is this the Seagulls being brought back down to reality after an amazing six weeks, or does this show warning signs for the season ahead?

According to Fotmob, Brighton have dominated the possession in their last two games, with 72% on Thursday against Jablonec and 64% at Anfield against Liverpool on Sunday. This meant Brighton were in their comfort zone of being allowed time on the ball, however it was down to how the opponents approached the game and how they didn't let Brighton have many good chances.

Jablonec defended their space really well for 75 minutes of the game, being able to prevent the wingers of Ibrahim Osman and Matt O'Riley from creating good chances out wide, and defending early crosses from the likes of Olivier Boscagli and Pascal Gross too.

Throughout the game, the Czech side allowed zero "big chances" for the Albion, and if not for Bart Verbruggen heroics, could easily have scored two or three goals themselves. It was a performance from the hosts that exposed Brighton's weaknesses of not being able to break down a sitting low block, and being able to hit back on the counter attack.

This setup may have inspired Andoni Iraola's side, who selected a very pacey but also physical side. Brighton looked shakey in the opening minutes, however regained control and almost took the lead themselves, had Ayari kept the ball low enough to be in.

However Liverpool scored two goals in four minutes to take a commanding lead, and despite all of Albion's possession and being a feared side to play against, they again created zero "big chances" after conceding, and often lost the ball and allowed Liverpool to counter attack.

Fotmob also show that one thing to note in both games is the number of lofted crosses into the box by the wingers and fullbacks. Against Liverpool, Brighton were only able to find another player with a cross on just 5/23 occasions, a 21.7% accuracy. It was a similar story against Jablonec, just 8/41 crosses finding another Albion man, a 19.5% accuracy.

Brighton's tallest striker and the perfect man to have a chance at getting to these crosses is Promise David, who stands at 196cm (6 ft 5in), however he has been getting limited minutes, with Charalampos Kostoulas shining in his role.

The Sussex side have created the most big chances in the Premier League this season, with 31, however have also missed the 4th most big chances, not scoring 18 of the 31. This shows that Albion must do better and be more clinical and ruthless in front of goal, as they are able to create, but must now execute too. 

Another thing that Fotmob shows is that many of Brighton's goals this season have been low xG chances, such as Lewis Dunk's screamer against Coventry (0.03 xG), Diego Gomez's halfway line goal against Crystal Palace (0.01 xG) and Gross against Arsenal (0.05 xG). This could show that while Brighton can create good chances, they can also score from moments of magic, and outperform their xG.

Kauno Zalgiris found the formula to stop Brighton for a decent amount of time, 42 minutes until Georginio Rutter broke the deadlock, however Brighton gained confidence after that. Jablonec used that setup to frustrate the Seagulls and used it almost to perfection, and Iraola tweaked it to make sure his side claimed all three points.

Overall, Brighton's ultimate weakness has been found and exploited, and Fabian Hurzeler must patch the hole before it's too late. A clinical edge in front of goal is needed, with crosses and final third chance creation needing to be inch perfect for Kostoulas - or anyone else - to be able to reach the ball before defenders can clear it. Defending counter attacks must also be better, or the Albion are in for a long long season.

It isn't every game that you'll beat the Premier League champions, smash your rivals 5-0, or come back from two goals down to win at Old Trafford.

Some games will be a lot tougher, with teams sitting in a mid-to-low block, defending with more players and learning Brighton's weaknesses as the season develops. And with Albion (for now) still in all 4 competitions, the fixtures will pile up as the Sussex side look to try and win their first major trophy.

Brighton's Premier League finishes over the past 4 seasons have been 6th, 11th, 8th, and 8th. It shows that the club is fully established as mid-table, European hopefuls each season, rather than the archetype that Aston Villa or Newcastle are, smashing through the ceiling to reach Champions League football themselves.

While the performances against Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and others were impressive and joyous experiences, the hype train could be ending as brilliantly as it started. The flame the burns the brightest dies out the quickest, and that saying may be true for Brighton. Big changes could be needed to take that next step into pushing for Champions League, especially in this grueling fixture schedule.

Okay, now we're clutching at straws here, but there's reasoning.

Under Graham Potter, the Seagulls went 11 games without a win in the 20/21 season, from September to December. Then in the next season, from February to March, his Brighton side lost six games in a row. Under Roberto De Zerbi, the team also went winless in six matches from March to April in 2024, his second and final season with the club.

And who could forget last season, where Fabian Hurzeler won two of just 17 games in all competitions from December to February, and has never won a game in December with Brighton (11 opportunities and counting!).

But what does all this prove? Well, when previously asked about his lack of results in the winter months, Hurzeler responded saying that because the weather was colder, the mood starts to drop and the energy levels drop too, which is essential to keep high, especially this season with the style of play.

It was a crisp 5 degrees in Czechia on Thursday when Albion played, and at Anfield, Storm Boelo almost got the game cancelled all together.

This may provide some small insight into why Brighton's performances start to dip around this time of year, especially as evidenced by managers before Hurzeler as well. But one thing is for certain; much better performances are needed in the upcoming games against Manchester City and Getafe if Brighton truly want to prove a point to the world.

Brighton haven't scored in 2 games, which really shouldn't be a worry. Albion still sit 3rd in the league, and just outside the top 8 in the Conference League. Today's Carabao Cup game and Sunday's Premier League game, both being played at the Etihad against Manchester City, will tell us how determined the players and coaching staff are, and how we will approach this season going forwards.