Fulham's 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion showed that the home side are ready to compete this season, despite previous seasons in the Premier League.

Goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Lewis Dunk (own goal) helped the Cottagers to continue their strong start to the season. Brighton had the opportunity to go to the top of the table for the first time in their history, but a below-par performance stopped this from happening. 

Fulham manager, Marco Silva, will be able to find plenty of positives from Tuesday's win. Whilst, Graham Potter will be questioning what went wrong in West London. 

  • Mitrovic the main man once again

After scoring 43 goals last season (transfermarkt), the pressure was on the Serbian striker to deliver in the Premier League. The 27-year-old had struggled in the top division in recent years, but this year seems to be different.

The goal against Brighton took his goal tally to five after just five games this season. Stats can be deceiving, but the former Newcastle striker's performance also passed the 'eye test'. His movement within the box was impeccable, as he consistently outmuscled the Seagulls defence.

His goal was typical of a traditional poacher. He found space within the box, allowing him to pounce on a powerful ball from Neeskens Kebano. The Serbian is clearly a fan favourite at Craven Cottage, as he continues to cause havoc amongst Premier League defences. 

Mitrovic's strength and talent provided Fulham with a physical outlet upfront throughout the match. This allowed Marco Silva's men to have an effective hold-up striker on the counter-attack, whilst having a physical presence in the box for crosses from wide. 

  • Ready to compete for survival

Many tipped the Cottagers for relegation this season. Although it may still be too early to tell, the West London side are showing they will be a tough side to play against.

After just five Premier League matches, Fulham find themselves with eight points from a possible fifteen. This run has included tough matches against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, therefore earning over 50% of points should be commended by everyone.

Against Brighton, the Cottagers had just 40% possession (Fotmob), but held their own defensively. The Seagulls only had three big chances throughout the match, suggesting Fulham will be hard to break down this season. Also, Graham Potter's men attributed just 0.63xG from open play (Fotmob), showing that the home side gave little space to the visitors. 

  • Reality check for the Seagulls

After an unbeaten opening four games, many people believed Brighton would go top of the table against Fulham. A win would have seen the Seagulls go top of the table for the first time in their history, but they failed to deliver.

Graham Potter's side have been performing strongly for years, but tonight's match proves his team must stay level-headed. The result sees the south coast side stay in fourth position, proving work must be done if Brighton want to challenge for the European places.

Brighton lacked a main vocal point upfront until Deniz Undav came on. This prevented the Seagulls from having a physical presence during set-pieces and crosses. Tonight's result might prove to the management team and ownership that their side need a new striker before Thursday's 11 pm deadline. 

  • Mitoma shows talent off the bench

In the 63rd minute, Graham Potter made a triple substitution to change the dynamic of the match. One of these changes was Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma. 

The winger made his Premier League debut against Newcastle earlier this month, and, since then, he has provided an impact off the bench. Against Fulham, he created one chance with an 88% pass completion (Fotmob).

However, it was his work rate and desire which was most impressive. The winger consistently took on his man and looked to create chances, even if he wasn't always successful. Considering the 25-year-old has been in the Premier League for just a month, he has a very bright future ahead of him. 

Fulham's win against Brighton gave Marco Silva plenty of positives to take away. It showed his side will be resilient and a tough side to beat in the coming months. Meanwhile, Graham Potter will be frustrated by his side's performance, however he can be pleased by the Mitoma made off the bench.