Brighton Vs Nottm Forest — Welbeck on target as Seagulls heap pressure on Forest
brighton vs nottm forest produced a frantic opening at the Amex Stadium as three goals flew in inside the first 15 minutes and Brighton recovered to beat Nottingham Forest, a result that eases pressure on Fabian Hürzeler while deepening concerns for Forest’s new boss Vítor Pereira.
Three goals inside 15 minutes set the tone
Diego Gómez opened the match after six minutes with an angled strike that followed two missed clearances by Neco Williams, the ball hammered past Matz Sels from the edge of the area. Forest replied in the 13th minute when Morgan Gibbs-White hammered in a leveller from the edge of the box after a move that began with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s clever dummy on the touchline to free Igor Jesus, whose pass picked out Gibbs-White for a shot that flew past Bart Verbruggen with the outside of his boot.
Brighton Vs Nottm Forest at the Amex: Welbeck restores lead
Brighton restored their lead just 105 seconds after the equaliser when Danny Welbeck turned cleverly and finished after Kaoru Mitoma’s cross was headed into his path by Jack Hinshelwood at the back post. Welbeck’s strike was his 10th Premier League goal of the season and matched his tally from last season; noted the 35-year-old forward equalled his career-best total for the campaign.
Seagulls press but chances wasted
Brighton set the tempo after the third goal and should have scored more, with Mitoma denied by an excellent save when he threatened a third. A sloppy pass from Murillo inside his own half almost gifted Welbeck another opportunity. James Milner, who made his 655th Premier League appearance after breaking the record last week, lasted almost the whole match and provided experience as Brighton recorded their first home victory for two months.
Forest’s late push and missed chances
Nottingham Forest pushed for a late equaliser but substitute Taiwo Awoniyi squandered what was described as their best opportunity when he sent a bullet header well wide. Forest struggled to break forward and create meaningful chances, and the visitors’ lethargy in front of goal was a recurring problem across the match.
Managerial pressure and fixture congestion
Vítor Pereira, only four matches into his spell as Nottingham Forest’s fourth permanent manager this season, remains without a Premier League win. His position was described as precarious given the owner Evangelos Marinakis, and the defeat leaves Forest only two points clear of the drop zone while they face a daunting trip to Manchester City on Wednesday. Pereira said, “Even the strongest players in the world, if you are playing one day then travelling, playing after three days, travelling … you start to be tired, even mentally. But this is our reality, this is what we need to face. It’s important to balance the team and to prepare the team to face this schedule. It’s tough, but we need to be ready. ”
Brighton’s momentum and Hürzeler’s turnaround
After ending a six-game winless run with victory at Brentford last week, Brighton have now scored four goals in their last two matches after managing just three in the six-game run that preceded that win. A couple of weeks ago a small section of Brighton fans had directed boos and chants of "getting sacked in the morning" at Hürzeler, but the head coach left the pitch to cheers as his team moved up to 11th in the table, just three points behind eighth-placed Everton. Hürzeler said, "We wanted to create an energy so everyone would follow us. They helped us to get over the finish line. " The win was noted as a timely boost for Hürzeler, though observers said Brighton could have made the victory more comfortable.
