Brighton can still dream of life in the Premier League. Unbeaten after 18 games the Seagulls replaced Derby County at the top of the Championship with a deserved victory on a foul afternoon on the south coast in front of the season’s biggest crowd.
Goals from their stand-out, player Solly March, in the first half and Bobby Zamora just after the break secured the points for Chris Hughton’s side against one of his former clubs. Jon Toral, the Spanish midfielder on loan from Arsenal, scored for Birmingham who could mount a promotion challenge of their own next spring but the Blues were second best here.
Victory came at a cost with Brighton’s left-back Liam Rosenior carried off on a stretcher midway through the first half with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Hughton said: “We won’t know for a couple of days how serious it is but it’s an obvious concern. It was an entertaining game and Birmingham played their part. They have a lot of pace in their side.
“To be unbeaten going into December has surpassed all my expectations. If there is a negative it is that we need to be more clinical but Solly March was outstanding. It seemed that every time he got the ball he did something with it. He’s a young, exciting English winger and he’s still developing.”
Brighton have not won a game by more than one goal this season and a lack of goals may yet undermine them but the transformation this season is remarkable and in Lewis Dunk and captain Gordon Greer they have the best centre-back pairing in this competitive division.
Hughton had also strengthened his squad during the week with the loan signing of Manchester United’s James Wilson. The striker, who will be 20 on Tuesday, has taken the same route from Old Trafford to Sussex as Jesse Lingard, sent on loan to Brighton two seasons ago. Wilson was on the bench, coming on with 25 minutes to play, and could have wrapped up the game when he struck the post after a through pass from Beram Kayal with his one chance near the end.
Birmingham, looking like Belgium in their red, yellow and black shirts, were on the defensive for much of the first half with the former Brighton player Tomasz Kuszczak easily the busier of the two goalkeepers. When Jamie Murphy gave Rosenior the chance to beat three Birmingham defenders and cross to the far post, March cleverly found space to squeeze the ball between the Polish goalkeeper and his near post.
March continued to make life difficult for Birmingham’s defenders but within five minutes the visitors were back in the game. David Stockdale stopped Jacques Maghoma’s angled shot but Toral was quickly on the spot to head home the rebound.
There was a long delay as Rosenior was carried off after a challenge by the Dutchman Maikel Kieftenbel. Brighton then looked to have regained the lead with Tomer Hemed tapping home after a March free-kick but Kuszczak was judged to have been fouled.
Two minutes after the break and with March continuing to menace the Birmingham defence Brighton scored the winner. Kuszczak saved March’s shot after a run by Murphy but Zamora joyfully rammed home the rebound. Hemed then had half a chance to put the game beyond Birmingham’s reach but scuffed his shot.
Wilson came on to a huge cheer and it was not long before he had the chance to run at the visitors’ tiring defence. Hughton, meanwhile, is poised to sign the Dundalk midfielder Richie Towell. The young Irishman joins a squad unrecognisable from that which struggled to avoid relegation for much of last season.
