MITO MAGIC

De Zerbi's super sub just two good

- MIKE WALTERS

KAORU MITOMA was the dish of the day as Brighton served up a treat for Sunday lunch and climbed to third in the Premier League.

The Japanese winger scored within 15 seconds of coming off the bench at the interval as the Jekyll-and-hyde Seagulls recovered to make it five wins from six in the league.

After a Greek tragedy against AEK on their European debut on Thursday, for 45 minutes they were heading for a bleak sabbath.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi made nine changes that is 22 in the last three games - and they played like strangers.

If he has learned anything from his first Thursday-Sunday cycle, it should be that rotation is for tumble dryers, not football managers.

As soon as De Zerbi's most destructive forward, Mitoma, entered the fray in the south-coast "derby" Bournemouth could not handle him.