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‎Brighton climbed to fifth place in the Premier League after earning a hard-fought victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
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‎Maxim de Cuyper put the Seagulls ahead in first-half stoppage time, and 19-year-old Greek forward Stefanos Tzimas came off the bench to secure the win, his goal marking Brighton’s second away triumph of the season, following their 3-1 victory over Chelsea in September.
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‎Brighton started strongly, applying heavy pressure and creating multiple chances that kept the Forest defence stretched and the home crowd anxious. Despite the early dominance, Forest managed to withstand the initial waves of attack.
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‎Both Ibrahim Sangare and Morato produced vital goal-line clearances to keep Brighton out, while Forest nearly stole a moment against the run of play when Morgan Gibbs-White connected cleanly with a volley from Nicolas Dominguez’s cross.
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‎Brighton’s breakthrough finally arrived on the cusp of halftime. Belgian full-back Maxim de Cuyper drifted into the box unmarked and calmly finished from a Georginio Rutter pass, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
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‎The second half saw Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels make a brilliant save to deny Diego Gomez from close range, before Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen responded with a similar stop to keep out Igor Jesus at the opposite end.
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‎Forest showed greater attacking urgency after the interval but struggled to produce clear-cut opportunities to draw level.
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‎With just two minutes remaining, Morato’s misjudged defensive header fell kindly for Tzimas, who punished the mistake by scoring his first Premier League goal and sealing the result for Brighton.
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‎The win moves the Seagulls up to fifth on 22 points, level with Sunderland but ahead on goal difference. Nottingham Forest remain 16th, just one point clear of the relegation zone.
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