Ipswich0 - 2Brighton

The Seagulls bossed possession in the first half, but were made to wait until the second half to break the deadlock, as Kaoru Mitoma struck to put the visitors into a deserved lead.

Ipswich tried their best to find an equaliser, but their resistance was finally broken as Georginio Rutter scored a second for the visitors with a swivelling effort to seal a much-needed win for Albion.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

The question surrounding Ipswich heading into the season was whether they would be competitive at Premier League level, having won back-to-back promotions to earn their place at the top level.

For just under an hour, like many other times this season, they showed that they can give anyone a good game in this league.

However, Brighton's second-half performance was a joy to behold, as their class eventually showed against the Tractor Boys, to move the Seagulls up to ninth in the standings in the Premier League table.

IPSWICH VS. BRIGHTON HIGHLIGHTS

Kaoru Mitoma goal vs. Ipswich (59th min, Ipswich 0-1 Brighton)

Brighton take a deserved lead at Portman Road - the visitors had cranked up the pressure at the start of the second half, and their persistance has paid off.

A lovely ball by Joel Veltman plays in Yasin Ayari down the right and he finds Matt O'Riley in the box, who unselfishly plays the ball to Mitoma to fire Brighton in front.

Georginio Rutter goal vs. Ipswich (81st min, Ipswich 0-2 Brighton)

That should seal the win! After a long VAR check to see if Lewis Dunk was offside, Rutter's strike from an Ayari free-kick looks to have secured the three points.

MAN OF THE MATCH - GEORGINIO RUTTER

Rutter capped off a fine cameo display with a lovely strike to seal the victory for Albion tonight.

He put in a commanding performance tonight as he helped change the game from the bench, as the visiting fans showed him some love by singing his name throughout the evening at Portman Road.

IPSWICH VS. BRIGHTON MATCH STATS

Possession: Ipswich 47.2%-58% Brighton

Shots: Ipswich 5-11 Brighton

Shots on target: Ipswich 3-5 Brighton

Corners: Ipswich 1-9 Brighton

Fouls: Ipswich 13-14 Brighton

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Both teams have a short turnaround with fixtures against the two Manchester sides coming up on Sunday.

Brighton make the long journey north to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United, aiming to complete a double this season against the Red Devils, while Ipswich host Manchester City, hoping to cause an upset against the champions.

Written by

Tom Humphrey