December 26, (THEWILL) – Brighton produced a commanding attacking display to defeat Southampton 3-1 on Monday, ruining Nathan Jones’ first English Premier League home game as Southampton manager.
The strong play from the visitors was eventually rewarded in the opening 15 minutes when Adam Lallana scored his first goal against his former club as he directed a cross from Solly March past Bazunu, giving Brighton the lead.
Southampton were unable to convert their chances and soon found themselves two goals behind following a rapid counter attack from Brighton. Pervis Estupinan delivered a cross into the box which was flicked by Gavin Bazunu into Romain Perraud, resulting in an own goal.
The atmosphere at St Mary’s became increasingly anxious as March scored the third goal for Brighton with a powerful strike from outside the box. Southampton did manage to pull a goal back when Edozie won a penalty, which was saved by Sanchez but rebounded to Ward-Prowse, who scored on the rebound. However, Jones’ side were unable to mount a comeback as Brighton comfortably saw out the final minutes of the match.
The win takes Brighton up to sixth in the EPL table, six points off UEFA Champions League places, while Southampton remain in 19th place with four consecutive losses. Both sides return to action in Saturday with the Saints away to Fulham as Brighton host League leaders Arsenal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
