Clinical Albion cruise to victory against Leeds

Brighton & Hove Albion emphatically made it back-to-back Championship wins with a 4-0 victory at home to Leeds United this evening.
Beram Kayal. Picture by Angela BrinkhurstBeram Kayal. Picture by Angela Brinkhurst
Beram Kayal. Picture by Angela Brinkhurst

After a 4-0 victory at Bristol City last week, the Seagulls were again clinical in front of goal as they moved to within two points of leaders Burnley, with a sixth win in eight matches.

The visitors had an early penalty appeal waved away when Souleymane Doukara theatrically went down in the penalty area but Albion quickly took full control and scored four times in just 21 minutes.

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The opener came on 17 minutes when Liam Rosenior was bundled over just inside the penalty area by Scott Wootton and Tomer Hemed coolly dinked the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle.

Beram Kayal then had a skidding low shot well saved by Leeds keeper Marco Silvestri, before the hosts doubled their advantage on 21 minutes. After a one-two with Dale Stephens, Sam Baldock’s shot was turned into his own net by Leeds defender Liam Cooper.

Doukara had a shot deflected wide at the other end, before Silvestri denied Jamie Murphy, who opted to shoot despite having Kayal up in support.

With Leeds’ defence all at sea, Brighton made it 3-0 on 28 minutes when Sol Bamba’s clearance fell to Hemed, who clinically fired home under Silvestri for his 11th goal of the season. The goal was Hemed’s fifth in six matches this month, after a run of just one goal in the previous four months.

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Cooper should have got a goal back for the visitors when he headed a corner wide from close range and Albion then added a fourth on 38 minutes. Lewis Dunk, Brighton’s top scorer last season, met Stephens’ inswinging corner at the back post and emphatically headed into the top corner for his first goal of the season.

Stephens shot wide from Murphy’s cross in the early stages of the second half, before the Seagulls took their foot off the gas. However, Leeds failed to test Albion keeper David Stockdale as Alex Mowatt fired over on three separate occasions and Lewie Coyle sent a speculative dipping effort just wide.

Substitute Jiri Skalak had a great chance to score his first goal for Albion late on but was tackled by Bamba as he went to round Silvestri but it mattered little as Albion eased to victory.

BRIGHTON: Stockdale; Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Rosenior; Knockaert, Kayal (Sidwell 77), Stephens, Murphy; Hemed (Wilson 77), Baldock (Skalak 74). Subs: Maenpaa, Greer, Calderon, Zamora.

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LEEDS: Silverstri, Bamba, Wootton (Carayol 45), Cooper, Mowatt, Doukara (Erwin 75), Diagouraga (Murphy 84), Taylor, Cook, Bridcutt, Coyle. Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Antenucci, Adeyemi, Beradi.

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