Leeds United’s trip to the south coast ended in embarrassment as Brighton & Hove Albion, despite a mounting injury list, produced a dominant display to sweep aside a disjointed and lifeless Leeds outfit. The Whites’ dismal record at the Amex extends back to 2009, and on the evidence of this performance, that barren run looks set to continue for some time. Brighton entered the contest on the back of two consecutive defeats and with little recovery time after their midweek exertions, yet they showed far greater energy, precision, and purpose throughout. Leeds, by contrast, looked bereft of ideas and confidence, with their decision-making and defensive organisation again under scrutiny.

The tone was set early when Danny Welbeck, continuing a rich vein of form, opened the scoring in the 11th minute. The veteran striker finished off a slick move involving Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer, volleying home from close range for his sixth goal of the season and fourth in three league outings. It was a goal built on tempo and understanding, qualities Leeds never came close to matching. A rare moment of opportunity for the visitors arrived just before half-time when Sean Longstaff’s shot was blocked inside the box by Jan Paul van Hecke, but that fleeting threat summed up their insipid attacking efforts. Even their approach to set pieces baffled commentators and fans alike, as a first-half free kick in a dangerous area was inexplicably played backwards rather than swung into the box.

Any hopes of a Leeds recovery after the interval were swiftly extinguished by a quickfire double from Diego Gómez. Making his return to the starting lineup, the Paraguayan midfielder tapped home on 64 minutes after excellent wing play from Minteh, then drove in his second six minutes later from a Georginio Rutter cutback. Those strikes sealed Brighton’s fourth win in ten games and their first clean sheet of the campaign. In the pouring rain, Fabian Hürzeler’s side looked sharp and confident, while Leeds looked disinterested for much of the game.

	Line Up		Nat	Match Events
	1	Perri, Lucas Goalkeeper			6.8
	2	Bogle, Jayden Defender			4.2
	3	Gudmundsson, Gabriel Defender			5.9
	6	Rodon, Joe Defender			6.0
	15	Bijol, Jaka Defender			4.3
	4	Ampadu, Ethan Midfielder			4.4
	8	Longstaff, Sean Midfielder			3.4
	22	Tanaka, Ao Midfielder			5.8
	11	Aaronson, Brenden Midfielder			5.3
	19	Okafor, Noah Midfielder			★7.3
	9	Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Forward			5.5
	Subs		Nat	Match Events
	18	Stach, Anton Midfielder			7.1
	7	James, Daniel Midfielder			4.3
	14	Nmecha, Lukas Forward			5.6
	20	Harrison, Jack Midfielder			4.0
	24	Justin, James Defender			5.0
	26	Darlow, Karl Goalkeeper		Unused Sub
	5	Struijk, Pascal Defender		Unused Sub
	44	Gruev, Ilia Midfielder		Unused Sub	5.9
	10	Piroe, Joel Forward		Unused Sub	5.0