BRIGHTON BOUNCED BACK from European embarrassment at the hands of Roma by scraping a 1-0 Premier League success over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Albion returned to the Amex Stadium with their maiden Europa League adventure in dire straits following Thursday’s 4-0 thrashing in the Italian capital.
But Andrew Omobamidele’s first-half own goal got the Seagulls back to winning ways ahead of Thursday’s last-16 second leg with the Serie A club in Sussex.
An unconvincing victory for Roberto De Zerbi’s side ended a three-match winless run in the top flight to lift them to eighth in the table.
Struggling Forest, who dominated the second half, felt aggrieved that Brighton midfielder Jakub Moder avoided a 67th-minute red card for a lunging challenge on Neco Williams.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men remained just three points above the drop zone after Divock Origi squandered their best opening of a soggy Sunday afternoon outing on the south coast.
De Zerbi made seven changes from the nightmare trip to Stadio Olimpico in search of fresh energy, while Forest’s two alterations included a first appearance since January for striker Chris Wood.
Evan Ferguson started for the home side but was replaced after 60 minutes.
Albion began with intent craved by their Italian head coach and threatened through headed opportunities for Moder and Ansu Fati before edging ahead in the 29th minute.
Pascal Gross’ inswinging free-kick from the left caused indecision inside Forest’s six-yard box and, with the flapping Matz Sels under pressure from Moder, Ireland international Omobamidele nodded into his own net at the near post.
Backed up by VAR, referee Michael Salisbury dismissed appeals for a foul on Belgian keeper Sels before Forest wasted a golden opening for an instant response.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s perfectly weighted pass sent Origi through on goal but his low effort was repelled by the legs of Seagulls keeper Bart Verbruggen.
The lowly visitors began the second half with renewed purpose during a prolonged nervy period for the home side.
Striker Origi lashed narrowly over from a tight angle, before Murillo thumped a free-kick straight at Verbruggen.
Brighton were struggling to get out of their own half and their cause could easily have become more difficult had Moder not escaped with only a booking for a late challenge on Williams.
Former Albion loanee Wood then forced a fine fingertip save from Verbruggen as the largely one-way traffic continued, with Forest now effectively playing with four in attack following the introductions of Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Substitute Julio Enciso flashed marginally wide from long range in the 87th minute during a rare Brighton break forward.
And the Seagulls successfully survived six minutes of added time to warm up for a seemingly impossible Europa League task by condemning Forest to a sixth defeat in eight league games and a third on the spin.
Elsewhere, Danny Ings scored his first Premier League goal in more than a year as West Ham came from two down to snatch a 2-2 draw against his former club Burnley.
The ex-England striker had probably his best game for the Hammers despite only coming on as a substitute in the 82nd minute.
Ings had a goal disallowed, then scored the equaliser and hit the crossbar in stoppage time at the end of a barmy match.
A long-range strike from David Datro Fofana and an own goal by Konstantinos Mavropanos had put Burnley, who kicked off rock bottom in the Premier League and had not scored for a month, two up at half-time.
West Ham, on the back of a not particularly arduous 1-0 Europa League defeat in Freiburg, were lethargic and sloppy for 45 minutes but, inspired by Lucas Paqueta and Ings, hit back for a point.
They fell behind after only 11 minutes, although there did not appear to be any danger when Fofana picked the ball up 40 yards out. But the Chelsea loanee strolled through powder-puff challenges from Nayef Aguerd and Kalvin Phillips before launching a rocket from 25 yards into the top corner.
West Ham’s abject first-half display was summed up neatly when their former youngster Josh Cullen crossed low from the left and Mavropanos stuck out a foot to divert the ball past Alphonse Areola.
James Ward-Prowse and Jarrod Bowen are also on Southgate’s radar, but both had days to forget. The latter headed his only chance wide and the former, along with Phillips, was hooked at half-time.
Edson Alverez and Michail Antonio were thrown on instead and within a minute West Ham had halved the deficit, Paqueta pouncing on some sloppy Burnley possession, striding forward and confidently beating James Trafford.
Mohammed Kudus should have equalised when he collected Bowen’s cross and had a free shot after Lorenz Assignon opted to go down clutching his face rather than defend his goal, but luckily for him the Ghana winger blazed over from 10 yards.
West Ham thought they had equalised when Ings prodded home but a VAR check showed Antonio was a fraction offside when he chested the ball into his team-mate’s path.
Yet at the start of eight minutes of stoppage time, a product of Burnley’s almost incessant time-wasting, Ings collected a pass from Kudus, turned and fired through Trafford.
Ings almost won it moments later but his shot crashed back off the crossbar.
