Brighton v Watford fans at Amex Stadium Brighton News

Neal Maupay hung on to Yves Bissouma’s interception for his second goal in as many games, as Brighton got a perfect start to the league with two out of two wins.

Frenchman Maupay was forced to a halftime stop with a suspected shoulder injury, however, the only scourge of an extremely impressive change from Graham Potter’s men.

Duffy’s first Premier League goal since November 2019 put Brighton in charge, with the Irish defender being a popular scorer after 18 months of testing.

The 29-year-old spent the last term on loan at Celtic after making just 12 starts in two years under boss Potter at Brighton.

But his father’s death and other issues off the field led to a strewn error-strewn stint in Scotland, and Duffy didn’t start for the Hoops after February.

Duffy returned to Brighton at the end of the season, expecting him to return on loan, only for his Seagulls status to turn completely upside down.

Ben White’s £ 50million move to Arsenal and injuries to Dan Burn, Adam Webster and Lewis Dunk opened the door – and Duffy started positively through the frame with his sparkling form.

Duffy may have impressed in last weekend’s 2-1 win at Burnley, but his imposing header here cemented his hard-earned return to form.

Alongside Webster and the defending skipper Dunk, Duffy helped Potter’s men rule out a Watford team that couldn’t cope with Potter’s tactical plan.

Brighton started at breakneck speed and could have taken the lead from kick-off.

A promising raid ended, but the Hornets ignored the immediate warning signs and the Seagulls refused to give in to that punishing pace.

Pascal Gross’s whipped wedge demanded a powerful connection and Duffy delivered in style.

The revitalized center-back thundered his head at home under the bar, leaving Watford stunned by the hosts’ precocious ferocity.

Potter’s fluid setup posed constant problems in the first half for a stressed and stretched Watford, with Leandro Trossard, Alexis Mac Allister and Gross all threading passes to deselect visitors.

Brighton finally made this domination pay thanks to Bissouma’s relentless transplant.

The Malian midfielder punished Watford’s botched attempt to play from behind, with a sweeping interception that quickly turned into an assist.

Maupay ran on Bissouma’s shrewd intervention, stabilized and turned against Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann to double the home side’s lead.

The French striker has doubled his total for the season, having scored in last weekend’s victory at Burnley.

Aaron Connolly replaced Maupay in the interval and quickly fended off incredible luck, skewing high and wide with the goal at his mercy eight yards away.

Emmanuel Dennis believed he brought Watford back to the draw after rushing past Robert Sanchez, only to realize he had long been flagged offside.

But bright sparks were rare for a Watford side apparently caught up with Brighton’s hybrid formation.

The Seagulls 3-4-4, 4-3-3 mix will quickly become familiar to the Hornets given its current popularity, and manager Xisco Munoz will need to craft a smarter counter-plan than the one offered on the South Coast.