Fans think Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler aimed 'humble' dig at Erling Haaland in post-match interview

Whether it was intentional or not, Fabian Hurzeler has gone viral after the Brighton manager asked his team to "stay humble" following their dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester City.

Hurzeler, who succeeded Roberto De Zerbi in the summer, has made a strong start to life at the Amex, recording home wins over Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

And on Saturday afternoon, Brighton pulled off their biggest win of the season to date against defending Premier League champions Manchester City.

Erling Haaland opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola's side, who were looking to bounce back following consecutive defeats to Spurs, Bournemouth and Sporting Lisbon.

It looked like the visitors would secure a much-needed three points but in a dramatic ending to Saturday's game, late goals from Joao Pedro and Matt O'Riley sealed a memorable 2-1 win for the Seagulls.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, Fabian Hurzeler urged his team to "stay humble" – a comment that received plenty of reaction from fans on social media.

"I've had great experiences at my former clubs, so I wouldn't say it's the biggest win of my career – but it's an important one," he said in his post-match interview. "Last week, we talked about a great performance but not the result against Liverpool. Today we got a result, so I'm happy."

Hurzeler added: "On the one hand, it's important to gain self-confidence from games like this. On the other, it's important to stay humble, keep focusing on the hard work and keep focusing on the process."

The comment in question, of course, was used by Erling Haaland in September, when he was heard telling Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to "stay humble" before calling Gabriel Jesus a 'f*****g clown" following their 2-2 draw with the Gunners.

Haaland's comment came after he appeared to deliberately throw the ball at the back of Gabriel's head.

"It's so important to stay humble"

Fabian Hürzeler after beating Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham at the Amex this season 👏 pic.twitter.com/LnOcYniF8y

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 9, 2024

Here's how fans on social media reacted to Hurzeler's 'stay humble' comment in the above post-match interview.

One said: "Hürzeler has basically just said 'stay humble eh?'," while another commented: "He is mocking Haaland."

A third wrote: "Keeping a straight face as he said it, I’m here for it."

A fourth said: "Hahahahahah Fabian fair enough you’ve got game on and off the pitch," and a fifth added: "Just clocked this guy owns Manchester."

Thoughts on Manchester City's form of late? What's going wrong? Let us know in the comments.