Brighton and Hove Albion vs Fulham. Premier League.
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Report and free match highlights as Manor Solomon scored late on to see Fulham snatch all three points; Solly March and Deniz Undav both had goals correctly ruled out for offside; Fulham move into sixth, a point behind Tottenham and three ahead of Brighton, who slip into seventh
Saturday 18 February 2023 18:59, UK
Manor Solomon's late strike saw Fulham complete a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at Brighton, despite another dominant performance from the Seagulls.
Both teams went into the game locked on 35 points as they chase a European spot but a late strike from Solomon - scoring in the 88th minute for a second Premier League game in a row - sees Fulham leapfrog their opponents into sixth place.
It is a frustrating result for Brighton, who see their five-match unbeaten league run come to an end. They were dominant throughout, registering 21 shots and 65 per cent of possession.
Both Solly March and Deniz Undav had second-half goals ruled out for offside, while two penalty calls - the first more likely to have been given than the second - went unanswered. They also faced an impressive Bernd Leno, who seemed to continuously stop each of the 20 shots Brighton sent his way.
But it was Solomon's late strike into the far corner that saw Fulham head back to London with the victory. They are now on 38 points, one behind Tottenham - who face West Ham on Super Sunday - and three points ahead of Brighton, who slip into seventh.
After the game, Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi confirmed to Sky Sports that he had been shown a red card in the tunnel after a discussion with the referee. He is now expected to be banned from the touchline for Brighton's next match against Stoke in the FA Cup on Tuesday February 28.
He said: "I told the referee this week, we had a meeting with his boss and I lost time in my work, in my job because I think the level of refereeing in the Premier League is very bad.
"To progress, we have to be with a different attitude and the referee today wasn't in a good attitude. But it's not a problem. I didn't say any bad words, but I told him my opinion.
"I lost time to prepare my team. It was the last time I will have a meeting [with the PGMOL]."
He later added: "One time I lost time, it will never happen again. I'm not in England just let me fool around with the meeting."
It was a bright start from the in-form Seagulls. Evan Ferguson saw a shot inside two minutes fired wide, before March - picked out by a sensational diagonal ball from Karou Mitoma - curled an effort past the post.
But the half soon lost its zip, although Brighton continued to see half-chances. Joel Veltman's shot was blocked by Tim Ream's shoulder, while some good goalkeeping from Leno saw the ball away from Ferguson's feet before he could slot into an open net. The 18-year-old had another half-chance late in the half blocked behind by the impressive Issa Diop.
The second period was far more entertaining and began with Lewis Dunk nodding just wide from a March corner. Soon after, Brighton had a penalty shout turned down after Veltman caught the legs of Antonee Robinson. There was arguably a case for a review, but VAR did not intervene.
The hosts did have the ball in the net for the first time in the 57th minute as March slotted past Leno, but he was correctly flagged offside. Two minutes later, Brighton saw one of the best chances of the game.
After a lightning-quick break, March sent in a cross from the left. Alexis Mac Allister was there to send the ball on target with his first touch, but Leno made a superb, leaping save to keep the effort out.
Brighton had another penalty shout turned down just after the hour. Mitoma clattered into the back of Tete, who did a good job of marking the in-form winger throughout. The referee again waved away the claims, which looked to be the right call.
The Seagulls continued to be frustrated and had another goal ruled out in the 77th minute. It was a much tighter offside this time, needing a VAR intervention. Mac Allister slotted Undav in down the left of the area, whose squared pass was slotted home by Facundo Buonanotte. The flag was up and the goal ruled out, and VAR confirmed Undav was offside.
Fulham pulled off the ultimate smash-and-grab with 120 seconds of normal time to play. Carlos Vinicius won the midfield battle before sweeping the ball forward for Solomon's run. The Brighton defenders could not keep up as he hit a low, hard shot into the far corner as Fulham secured the win.
There were a few impressive performances from Fulham in defence. Diop and Ream made some superb blocks, Tete had the hard task of marshalling Mitoma, Estupinan and then Lamptey, which he did effectively.
But as the game went on, Leno was needed more and more as Brighton peppered his goal with shots. The snapshot save saw him deny Mac Allister, but he was consistently in the right place at the right time to frustrate Brighton and keep a clean sheet.
Fulham manager Marco Silva:
"It wasn't our best performance, we definitely didn't perform at our best level. I have to be honest, Brighton played better than us. We showed the resilience and the belief, I have congratulated our boys for the resilience they showed this afternoon, the belief and organisation.
"I'm not so pleased with our performance on the ball, we were not at our level. Before the match, we knew Brighton had capacity to be dominant on the ball, they did it against all the teams they've played so far.
"First half, they were clearly better than us, we were not at the level. We improved after half-time, our organisation was slightly better, on the ball clearly wasn't it.
"The team improved with substitutions we made… And our back line was there. Leno there every time and there were some great moments with our full-backs.
"Overall, it's a great three points. Brighton probably deserved more from the game. But we have so many games where we played better than the opposition and in the last minutes, we lost - I remember Tottenham and Manchester United and much more as well.
"These three points, they are clear for players, for the resilience they've shown, for the fans as well in a great number, it's a massive win for us.
"It's a good thing when we show the capacity to win football matches, even if we don't perform at our best level. Even if during the match, the opposition were more front foot and more dominant. Even so, we were able to keep another clean sheet - four in five away from home. It's a very good achievement from ourselves, we have more determination to win games at this level."
Brighton's trip to Newcastle next weekend has been postponed due to their opponent's participation in the Carabao Cup final, meaning their next outing is away to Stoke in the FA Cup on Tuesday February 28; kick-off 7.15pm.
Fulham's next game is at home to Wolves on Friday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm. Marco Silva's side then host Leeds in the FA Cup on Tuesday February 28; kick-off 7.45pm.
