Seagulls Soar to Fifth with Commanding Away Win
Brighton & Hove Albion exacted perfect revenge for a heavy February defeat by securing a convincing 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday. Goals in each half from Maxim De Cuyper and substitute Stefanos Tzimas earned the Seagulls their third win in four Premier League matches, propelling them up to fifth place in the table.
De Cuyper Breaks the Deadlock
The visitors dominated the opening exchanges, pinning Forest back in their own half and creating a palpable sense of nervousness around the stadium. Ibrahim Sangare made a crucial block to deny Georginio Rutter, while Morgan Gibbs-White's wayward effort summed up a frustrating first quarter for the hosts.
After Forest weathered the early storm and began to grow into the game, with Nicolas Dominguez forcing a save from Bart Verbruggen, Brighton struck a decisive blow on the stroke of half-time. A long ball found Rutter, who delivered a teasing cross into the box. A clever run from Danny Welbeck created space for De Cuyper to finish expertly beyond Matz Sels for his second goal of the season.
Forest Frustration and Tzimas Seals the Points
The second half saw Forest pushing for an equaliser, but their efforts were thwarted by a combination of poor finishing and resilient Brighton defending. The home side's hopes were kept alive by their goalkeeper, Matz Sels, who produced a stunning double save to first deny Diego Gomez and then Ferdi Kadioglu from close range.
At the other end, Bart Verbruggen proved equally important, making a key stop to deny Igor Jesus. As Forest committed men forward in search of a late leveller, Brighton capitalised on a defensive error. A misjudged header from Morato allowed Stefanos Tzimas to pounce and slot home his first league goal of the campaign in the 88th minute, sealing the three points.
League Table Implications
This hard-fought 2-0 victory was a sweet turnaround for Fabian Hurzeler's team, who suffered a 7-0 thrashing at the same ground back in February. For Nottingham Forest, the defeat under manager Sean Dyche ended their five-game unbeaten run across all competitions. It was only their second league loss since Dyche's arrival, leaving them hovering just a single point above the relegation zone.
