Matt O'Riley suffers life after Celtic gut punch as Brighton boss follows up brutal substitution with stinging verdict

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Spiky Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has taken a veiled dig at Matt O'Riley over his fitness levels after pulling him off after just 45 minutes against Arsenal.

The 31-year-old raised eyebrows among the Seagulls supports when he hauled off the £25million summer signing after an impressive first half display against the Gunners - with Georginio Rutter coming on for the former Celtic man at the break.

One punter branded the call 'incomprehensible' while another stated that it was a "baffling call" by the German boss - but in the end he would be vindicated.Brighton would take a vital Premier League point off of Mikel Arteta's side back when Joao Pedro scored from the spot after winning the penalty in the second half to avoid defeat and deal a major blow to Arsenal's changes of catching Liverpool at the top of the English top flight.

And post-match Hurzeler was in bullish form.Asked about the changes at half-time in his post-match interview - with Brajan Grude also hooked after 45 minutes - he fired back at sceptics and took a veiled swipe over fitness levels of the duo: "It is a big challenge for us to play consistently with this intensity.