The ECHO spoke to Brighton & Hove Albion fan Tom Phillips ahead of Liverpool's huge Premier League clash with the Seagulls on Sunday

Liverpool welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday for what promises to be one of the biggest challenges to date for Andoni Iraola as head coach of the Reds.

The south coast club are enjoying their best-ever start to a top-flight season under young German manager Fabian Hurzeler, having scored more goals and conceded fewer than any other team en route to five wins from their first seven league games.

Highlights of Brighton's season so far include a 3-0 dismantling of champions Arsenal at the Amex Stadium - a ruthless display that underlined Hurzeler's credentials as one of the league's brightest tactical minds - and a satisfying 5-0 drubbing of bitter rivals Crystal Palace last weekend.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have quietly racked up three wins on the bounce in all competitions, their only defeat so far a 3-0 turnaround to Manchester City when down to 10 men, and go into this game with all of their regular attackers in a rich vein of form as they look to improve on their record of just nine goals scored in the league so far.

With Brighton looking like mounting a sustained challenge for at least the top four positions, the outcome of this game could have ramifications further down the line for both sides as the league table begins to settle.

To get the seagull's-eye view ahead of the game, the ECHO spoke to Brighton fan Tom Phillips.

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What a start it's been for Brighton. Has it changed your expectations for the season?

Far from it - it has really cemented my hope of back-to-back European qualification. We started the season without Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh and Stefanos Tzimas which was arguably going to be our front three before Tzimas' ACL changed the plans last season.

Injuries have been all too common down here on the south coast but the way we have taken the season has unlocked a whole new level from the club.

The expectation was always to get top eight again with a cup run and a European final - we need to after that lot at Selhurst Park done it last season.

Side note: no, it's not the 'M23 Derby', we just really, really, really do not like each other.

Who has stood out the most among Brighton's new arrivals from the summer?

I love the hype around Chema Andres and how he plays. I am a huge fan of the holding-role midfielder and how they can dictate the play with such calmness, brushing off the press like it is nothing.

This lad has been described as 'Baby Rodri' and it is easy to see why, and I like his mentality, too, after he dismissed that nickname really quickly - I like that mindset in a player, especially on such young shoulders.

The fact he is 21 and has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water is amazing to see, but also quite frightening with what potential is yet to be unlocked. He has been a standout performer in the midfield and made that Arsenal side look like amateurs.

However, I am going to have to go for the player we signed from Tottenham to replace Jan Paul van Hecke - Luka Vuskovic. He is a hybrid of all the finest centre-backs who have ever graced the pitch: Maldini, Nesta, Beckenbauer, Terry, Ferdinand, Ramos, Cannavaro, Baresi and more.

He just oozes class and, never mind the fact he is 19 years old, he plays like he has been on the scene for 19 years! I have had the privilege of watching every match so far this season and it is easy to see why there are rumours circulating around the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid all looking at him.

I would love nothing more than for the Albion to lift a trophy - we have come close to a couple of cup final appearances in the past but bowed out in the semi-finals. I'm a big believer that a great attack wins you matches, but a great defence wins you trophies, and Vuskovic is a huge upgrade from Jan Paul van Hecke.

A lot of Spurs fans are really lamenting seeing Vuskovic doing so well with us after a solid loan in the Bundesliga last season. I am here for it.

How do Brighton keep improving despite losing their best players?

I think when you look over Tony Bloom's time since he has become an owner you can see a growing list of first-team players going, but we always seem to have an answer to it all.

While every other owner, scout and director of football plays draughts, Bloom has become a grand master in 4D chess. Last summer is not unusual to us, we lost both Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo who were vital under Roberto De Zerbi a few years back and replaced well.

The recruitment side of things is staggering. Bloom has a dose of realism in that he understands everyone is replaceable, and he will have plenty on his ever-growing shortlist with spreadsheets that would make an accountant look nervous.

You can look at the growing list of players who have joined us, made a huge impact for us and gone off to 'bigger and better things' (on paper in some cases, anyway). Our chairman is a genius, no doubt about it.

On another note, it is credit to Fabian Hurzeler's efforts too in working under these conditions. It is never nice for a manager or head coach to see your best players go, and certain managers in the past have not liked that - Roberto De Zerbi, Oscar Garcia and Gus Poyet to name a few - but Hurzeler has bought into the club's recruitment philosophy with ease and always champions 'togetherness', which is something the fanbase has embraced after his abilities were questioned in some corners - not anymore.

Everything is perfectly balanced.

This might be a difficult choice - who have been your three best players so far?

Luka Vuskovic, Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper.

I have already said about how good Vuskovic has been for us, so he ranks up there. Hands down the reason why we have the joint-best defence in the Premier League this early on in the season.

Then, Maxim De Cuyper has just become a whole new player this season - how he has gone from a supporting full-back/wing-back to a threatening, goal-scoring winger is great to see.

When he scored against Aston Villa in the opening weekend it just unleashed this new found hunger within him, and he has not stopped scoring for us since. He has become a real threat in the box too when Diego Gomez or Gross delivers a cross in from the right-wing too.

It fits in perfectly to talk about Der Kaiser. Pascal Gross will go down as the best, the greatest, the GOAT in a Brighton & Hove Albion shirt.

I read somewhere that Gross is one of the most creative players in the Premier League since he first joined the Albion - only Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes and Mo Salah are ahead of him.

His vision and all-round performances are second-to-none, he is just such a joy to watch on and off-the-ball. Youngsters everywhere should study and watch Pascal Gross because he is a superb all-round midfielder.

I just hope we find the fountain of youth so we can dip him in and enjoy another five to 10 years of Gross in a Brighton shirt.

Where does Fabian Hurzeler rank for you among the managers Brighton have had lately? How far do you think you can go under him?

Right now, he is a close second with De Zerbi ahead of him. When the Italian replaced Graham Potter I was still livid that Potter chose to leave us - after watching two seasons of fine-tuning, good performances with zero end product and winless streaks, it finally started paying dividends. That Leicester City match was one of our best performances - and then he left.

De Zerbi, though, came in and just sky-rocketed us into the Europa League - a feat I never thought would happen, to be honest. While that was short-lived, it is still something we will cherish and remember - the football was mesmerising.

But I do think Hurzeler is very close to achieving it. Rewind to February when we lost at home to Crystal Palace. We were on a winless run and, with some fans shouting 'getting sacked in the morning' to your own manager, you know things are not great.

But Hurzeler acknowledged it and, to paraphrase, said he could give up or keep pushing - and I am glad he chose the latter. Something has clicked once again in this squad and we have everything to really make this season special.

He has decades left in his managerial career and I hope he has a few more years with us before a bigger job comes knocking - and no, I am not talking about the Manchester United job. I said bigger!

Was Diego Gomez's incredible goal against Palace last week the best Brighton goal you've seen?

We have certainly been treated to few cracking goals at the Amex - Florin Andone's solo effort against Palace, Jose Izquierdo's curling effort against West Ham and Julio Enciso's beauty against Man City, where even the visiting fans behind the goal applauded.

Got to give a shout out to Stevie Sidwell's goal from the halfway line at Bristol City too, dedicating it to Anthony Knockaert who just lost his dad was a touch of class too.

But I would say Gomez's goal will rank as one of my all-time favourites and, yes, I have bookmarked every single highlight reel on social media too. Got to archive these things, you never know when you will meet a Crystal Palace fan in the wild!

Certainly one I am going to tell my children and future grandchildren about over and over again. He has an eye for that kind of thing, too, having tried it twice at Sunderland the week prior.

As soon as I saw him take it, I noticed Benitez was stuck in no man's land. I was in the West Stand, so parallel to it unravelling, and watching the Palace fans behind the goal dropping their inflatable trophies with their heads in their hands was simply a masterpiece - hang it up in the Louvre!

Given you're currently competing for the same places, how are your fans feeling about the Man City situation?

As much as I love the idea of a title race, it is still October and we have only played two of the traditional top six (lost to Chelsea away and beat Arsenal at home).

We do put in a good shift against Man City, but the idea that we are competing with them for anything other than three matches this season feels early - back-to-back trips to the Etihad Stadium next week is not ideal.

I think with everything that is happening off the pitch surrounding Man City, it just amplifies our admiration for Tony Bloom and what he has done for the club.

He has provided a model that has helped us consistently recruit better players over time, nurture young talent and provide a solid pathway for young players to break into the first-team.

Tie that in with the infrastructure investment he has put in with the American Express Stadium, the training facility in Lancing and the new women's stadium that is due to start building soon.

It is just great to have an owner who is fan-first, and not some private equity face who will splurge £100m+ on every other purchase - hi, Chelsea.

What have you made of Liverpool under Iraola so far - and do you think you'll finish above us?

I would be very surprised to see Andoni Iraola last longer than Arne Slot. I fear this appointment is just papering over cracks at Anfield that needed addressing back when Jurgen Klopp was at the helm. Slot comes in and guides the team to a Premier League but when he started tinkering with the side, it did not work out.

Iraola has a lot to do. Florian Wirtz needs to find his footing, Alexander Isak needs to stay fit and the midfield as a whole is a shadow of what it once was - we have not even got to the style of play yet.

He needs time, but if Slot was not even given time after an impressive first season at Anfield, I sincerely doubt Iraola is going to get the patience he needs like he got at Bournemouth.

Coaches like Iraola and Hurzeler need time and backing but I just cannot see that happening sadly.

Do Brighton have any vulnerabilities you've noticed?

If I find any, I will let you know. No doubt some cracks will start to show sooner or later, but this is the best we have ever played and our defensive record this season is the best I have seen since Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk partnered up in the Championship!

Where do you see the key battles taking place this weekend and how do you think Hurzeler will set up?

In games like this, it will be the midfield that decides who comes out as victorious. Our midfield will be Pascal Gross and Chema Andres, for sure, then a choice between Jack Hinshelwood, Yasin Ayari, Matt O'Riley and Malick Yalcouye - so there is plenty of depth and options on the bench for us.

Compare that to Liverpool's depth, and it is a concern for the Reds. Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni were the midfield three in the Champions League match earlier this week and with what I saw, only one really stood out and set the tone, which was Mac Allister - though I may just be biased. No Dominik Szoboszlai is going to hurt Liverpool, as he is someone I think can battle the best in their squad.

There are definitely vulnerabilities in the Liverpool defence - you just need to look at the goals they conceded against Villareal to prove my point - and our press will not dial down just because we are away.

I think the likes of Charalampos Kostoulas, Gomez and De Cuyper are going to really frustrate the Kop at the weekend. On the other side of the pitch, Barcola is going to have a hard time with Ferdi Kadioglu, while Dunk and Vuskovic have enough to make sure whoever plays up front has a quiet shift too.

Finally, what's your score prediction?

Liverpool 0-2 Brighton (Kostoulas and Gross)