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'I've seen him score better in training' – Dunk unsurprised by Kostoulas heroics

  /  autty

Lewis Dunk was unsurprised by Charalampos Kostoulas' stunning overhead kick that earned Brighton a share of the spoils against Bournemouth, claiming the teenager has scored better goals in training.

Fabian Hurzeler's side looked set to suffer their first defeat of 2026 when Marcus Tavernier put Bournemouth in front from the penalty spot on Monday.

The Cherries then put on a resolute defensive performance throughout the second half, but in the first minute of stoppage time, substitute Kostoulas controlled Jan Paul van Hecke's header on his chest before unleashing an acrobatic attempt into the left side of the goal.

Kostoulas' goal was Brighton's ninth to be scored by a substitute in the Premier League this season – the most of any club.

It was the 18-year-old's second goal in the English top-flight, having also netted in a 4-2 defeat at Manchester United in October, but Dunk said it was far from his best.

The Brighton captain told Sky Sports: "I've seen him score better in training, but that was unbelievable. He's a special talent. 

"You've seen glimpses, and there'll be many more things to come from him. 

He's adapting to the country, to a new league, and he's shown what he can do. That showed exactly what he can do."

Kostoulas – who arrived from Olympiacos in a €35m (£29.8m) deal last June – was delighted with his goal but was still irked that Brighton dropped two points.

"For you, it's the first time you see it, but Lewis has seen it a lot of times in training," he said of his acrobatic strike. "I like this way of scoring or trying to score. 

"Today, the ball went into the net. I'm happy for this goal, but the result could be better for us. We needed three points to keep pushing until the end of the season."

Brighton will feel a point was the least they deserved, having enjoyed 66.3% of the possession and out-shot their visitors by 17 to 12. 

Bournemouth won the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.33 to 1.05, though 0.79 of the Cherries' tally came from Tavernier's 32nd-minute spot-kick.

That spot-kick came when Bart Verbruggen caught Amine Adli late, with the Bournemouth man initially booked for simulation, only for that decision to be overturned following a VAR review.

Fabian Hurzeler was unhappy with that call and was later booked for his complaints – his nine bookings since joining Brighton in 2024-25 are the joint-most of any manager in the Premier League during that time (level with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca).

In his own interview with Sky Sports, Hurzeler said: "It's difficult to speak to the referees. They always have their own opinions, and it's difficult to have a conversation.

"At the end of the day, they made a decision, and we don't agree, but we had to accept it. Sometimes these things happen, and that's football."