Brighton 2-1 Nottingham Forest: Early goals propel Seagulls to three points

There were three goals in the first 15 minutes down on the south coast on Sunday, and it was home side Brighton who scored the first and the third en route to a much-needed 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.

WATCH — Brighton v Nottingham Forest full match replay

Diego Gomez opened the scoring in the 6th minute when he struck an arrow into the bottom corner from an unlikely angle, but Forest were level just seven minutes later as Morgan Gibbs-White smashed one of his own into the top corner from 25 yards out. The 1-1 scoreline lasted mere seconds before Danny Welbeck hooked the winner home almost immediately after the restart.

The victory sends Brighton (37 points) up to 11th in the Premier League table and makes it back-to-back wins for Fabian Hurzeler’s side after going six without a win. Nottingham Forest (27 points) remain 17th and are just two points above the relegation zone with 10 games left to play.

What’s next?

• Brighton vs Arsenal — Wednesday, 2:30 pm ET
• Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest — Wednesday, 2:30 pm ET

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest live updates - by Andy Edwards

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest final score: 2-1

Goalscorers: Diego Gomez (6'), Morgan Gibbs-White (13'), Danny Welbeck (15')

GOAL! Brighton 2-1 Forest: Welbeck scores straight off the restart (15')

Welbeck strikes Brighton 2-1 in front of Forest

Danny Welbeck turns and shoots to give Brighton a 2-1 lead over Nottingham Forest less than a minute after Morgan Gibbs-White's equalizer.

GOAL! Brighton 1-1 Forest: Gibbs-White lashes one out of Verbruggen’s reach (13')

Gibbs-White smashes Forest level with Brighton

It's game on at the Amex as Morgan Gibbs-White delivers a sensational finish from distance to bring Nottingham Forest back to level terms with Brighton.

GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Forest: Gomez smashes one inside the far post (6')

Gomez drills Brighton in front of Forest

It's a wonderful finish from Diego Gomez, whose low-driven strike finds its way into the back of the net to give Brighton a breakthrough against Nottingham Forest.

Brighton starting XI

Verbruggen - Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu - Milner, Hinshelwood, Gross - Gomez, Mitoma, Welbeck

Nottingham Forest starting XI

Sels - Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams - Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White - Hutchinson, Hudson-Odoi, Jesus

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How to watch Brighton vs Nottingham Forest live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 9am ET Sunday
Venue: Amex Stadium — Brighton and Hove
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock

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The Seagulls ended a long wait for a win in Week 27 when they went into Brentford and won 2-0, and now will seek just a second home win of 2026 with this visit from the Tricky Trees.

Forest have just two points from their last four Premier League matches and had to deal with fixture congestion this week as they outlasted Fenerbahce to advance to the Europa League Round of 16. Now boasting their fourth manager of the season in Vitor Pereira, Forest are just two points clear of the bottom three with 11 matches left on the Premier League docket.

Brighton team news, focus

OUT: Adam Webster (knee), Stefanos Tzimas (unspecified) | QUESTIONABLE: Yasin Ayari (shoulder), Solly March (knee)

Nottingham Forest team news, focus

OUT: Willy Boly (knee), Matz Sels (groin), Nicola Savona (knee), John Victor (knee), Chris Wood (knee)

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest prediction

Home field advantage may not be what it once was in the Premier League but that combined with Forest’s busy week might just be enough to push the Seagulls further away from the bottom three. Brighton 1-0 Nottingham Forest.