Rutter opened the scoring in the 41st minute and struck again eight minutes into the second half. Jack Hinshelwood added a second just before the interval, while Matt O’Riley completed the scoring on 67 minutes after combining with Younes Ibrahim.
Hürzeler used Rutter’s performance to underline the importance of training habits and making the most of opportunities when they arrive.
“It's important that he proves himself and that he proves that if you're good in training and create good habits in training, then the game shows the truth and reflects how you train and which performance you can bring on the pitch,” the Brighton manager said.
“I think it's very important that you always use every training session to get better. And then to use the match day to show it on the pitch, he's a prime example of that. So hopefully this gives him belief, confidence in his quality and especially in his training sessions because this will be key for us - that every training session is on the highest level for every individual player and for us as a group.”
The German was equally satisfied with the collective display, pointing to the clean sheet and the number of players who made an impression.
“I'm really pleased for Georgi, but in general also for the whole group. We showed a good performance, a very disciplined performance, a performance where we kept a clean sheet and a performance where a lot of players used their opportunities.”
Hürzeler added that competition for places would matter during a demanding season, with the team needing reliable alternatives across different situations.
On squad availability, he said Zadok Yohanna would not be rushed back while recovering and adapting to Brighton’s intensity. The manager explained that the player had experienced a difficult start after arriving with a similar issue, and that patience was necessary as he rebuilt his fitness.
Malick Yalcouyé, by contrast, had earned his place in the matchday squad through his reliability and versatility. Hürzeler described him as someone the club could use in different games and circumstances.
Kauno Žalgiris coach Željko Sopić accepted that Brighton had been the better side, while taking pride in his team’s effort against stronger opposition.
“I can only say I'm proud of my guys, how they fight and how they play. Football is about levels and today I must shake the hands of the better team. I'm realistic and the better team won the game; maybe I'm a bit disappointed with the first goal but if it wasn't like that it would have been another way because Brighton were the better team.”
Sopić said the experience would help his young side develop, adding that they would have better opportunities to collect points in future matches.
Brighton’s emphatic opening win gave Hürzeler both a result and further evidence that his squad can contribute across the campaign.