Recap

Stefanos Tzimas scored his first Premier League goal to clinch an impressive 2-0 victory for Brighton and Hove Albion at Nottingham Forest.

Forest went into Sunday’s clash at the City Ground on the back of three straight wins in all competitions, having beaten Liverpool 3-0 in their last top-flight outing.

Yet Sean Dyche’s team saw their five-game unbeaten run snapped, with youngster Tzimas grabbing a decisive second for the Seagulls to put the game to bed in the 88^th minute.

Maxim De Cuyper put Brighton ahead late in the first half, with both Matz Sels and Bart Verbruggen making big saves after the break.

Yet Tzimas capitalised on Morato’s error to settle the contest, sending Brighton into fifth, while Forest remain 16^th, a point above the bottom three.

How the match unfolded

Brighton created two fantastic chances within the opening couple of minutes as Yankuba Minteh sneaked in behind the Forest backline but failed to round Sels, before Diego Gomez went agonisingly close to reaching De Cuyper’s whipped cross.

Georginio Rutter’s close-range strike and Gomez’s towering header were each cleared off the line by Forest pair Ibrahim Sangare and Neco Williams, respectively, though the hosts did go close when Morgan Gibbs-White flashed a volley just wide.

But Brighton got the goal they deserved in the first minute of first-half stoppage time – Rutter’s pass deflected to De Cuyper, who swept a composed effort into the bottom-right corner.

Forest started the second half brightly, but always looked vulnerable on the counter-attack, and Sels produced an extraordinary double save to deny Gomez and Ferdi Kadioglu.

Verbruggen had to be equally as alert at the other end moments later, sticking out a leg to keep out Igor Jesus’ low drive.

But Forest’s hopes were extinguished when Morato bizarrely attempted a backheel in his own box, and with Sels sprawled on the turf, Tzimas prodded into an empty net.

Forest’s lack of cutting edge proves costly

Forest entered this contest brimming with confidence, but they started on the back foot, allowing their opponents to dominate proceedings in the early stages.

Gibbs-White’s volley was their only noteworthy chance of the first half, and their defence was fortunate not to have been breached long before De Cuyper waltzed into the centre of the box unchallenged and applied a neat finish to break the deadlock.

Forest huffed and puffed after the interval, with Sangare inadvertently blocking a goalbound effort from Gibbs-White in the 61^st minute, while Jesus’ eyes lit up when he was put through, only to be denied a maiden Premier League goal by Verbruggen’s eye-catching save.

But until Morato’s costly error in judgement, Forest had kept themselves in the game, and Dyche, renowned for his no-nonsense approach and organisation, will no doubt be infuriated by his defender’s lapse in concentration as he suffered his first home defeat since replacing Ange Postecoglou.

Dyche heads back to his former club Everton next weekend, but first, Forest will look to get back on track when they face lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.

Brighton avenge last season’s City Ground humbling

In February, Brighton suffered their heaviest league defeat in 67 years, when they were thrashed 7-0 in the corresponding fixture last season.

But Fabian Hurzeler’s team swiftly set about righting that wrong, setting the tone early with those chances for Minteh, Gomez and Rutter. They just lacked some composure when it counted, but De Cuyper – a natural left-back playing higher up on that flank – showed calmness in abundance when he coolly dispatched their opener.

In the second half, the Seagulls dug deep and defended resolutely, with Verbruggen making that key save to deny Jesus, before Jan Paul van Hecke produced a brilliant block to intercept Callum Hudson Odoi’s dangerous low cross.

Tzimas’ strike put the gloss on a fine all-round performance that was well worthy of three points, and Brighton head into a hectic December with the top four very much in their sights.

Third-place Aston Villa visit the Amex Stadium on Wednesday, before Brighton host West Ham United.