Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Seagulls stun Tricky Trees to go fifth

Brighton & Hove Albion have moved to within touching distance of the Premier League's top four after silencing the City Ground with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas scored the goals as the Seagulls bagged their third Premier League win in four games to continue their epic rise up the standings.

For Forest boss Sean Dyche, this marked just his second defeat since replacing Ange Postecoglou in the dugout, and the first at home.

More importantly, the defeat leaves Forest just one point above the bottom three, with a packed European and domestic schedule to come over the festive period.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Nine months is a long time in football. Back in February, Brighton endured a Premier League club record 7-0 defeat at the City Ground - a result which bamboozled even the best of experts.

The Seagulls showed no signs of PTSD as they took full advantage of what appeared to be a somewhat run-down Nottingham Forest side.

Dyche and his men are doing their best to balance European and domestic duties, but it seemed like their 3-0 Europa League win over Malmo on Thursday had an impact on their performance against Brighton.

One of the most worrying parts of Sunday’s game for Forest was seeing their captain, Morgan Gibbs-White, limp off in the second half of the game.

Things will only get more hectic for the Tricky Trees as we enter the manic Christmas period, and with the team sitting just one point above the bottom three, they will be determined to find a resolution to their problems.

Brighton, on the other hand, continue to go from strength to strength. Fabian Hurzeler’s men have jumped up to fifth as a result of Sunday’s win - a result which strengthens their bid for European football.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS. BRIGHTON HIGHLIGHTS

Maxim De Cuyper goal vs. Nottingham Forest (45th min, Nottingham Forest 0-1 Brighton)

Maxim De Cuyper scores his second Premier league goal for Brighton! ? pic.twitter.com/5TNsfMeKBz
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 30, 2025

Brighton make the breakthrough just before the interval!

De Cuyper picks up the ball just inside the box after a through ball from Georginio Rutter and delivers a tremendous low finish inside the right post.

Stefanos Tzimas goal vs. Nottingham Forest (88th min, Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton)

Morato’s mistake gifts Stefanos Tzimas his first Premier League goal! pic.twitter.com/ug2xGd6tcm
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 30, 2025

Game over!

Forest defender Morato heads the ball back to goalkeeper Matz Sels, but it is a poor ball and allows substitute Tzimas to pounce and find the back of the net with a scruffy finish.

MAN OF THE MATCH - MAXIM DE CUYPER

Brighton delivered a tremendous performance away at the City Ground, but there is no doubt who the chief protagonist was - De Cuyper.

As well as scoring the opening goal, the Belgian defender created two big chances, produced seven passes in the final third, won most of his ground duels and also made a couple of interceptions.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS. BRIGHTON MATCH STATS

Possession: Nottingham Forest 52% - 48% Brighton

Shots: Nottingham Forest 19-17 Brighton

Shots on target: Nottingham Forest 3-6 Brighton

Corners: Nottingham Forest 9-2 Brighton

Fouls: Nottingham Forest 11-10 Brighton

BEST STATS

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton move up to fifth in the Premier League table with this 2-0 win at Forest courtesy of goals from Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas. pic.twitter.com/yHAaChKyLz
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 30, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Brighton will be looking to further enhance their position in the Premier League table when they host Aston Villa this Wednesday night. They also have games on the horizon with West Ham, Liverpool and Sunderland, before going into the festive period.

Nottingham Forest enjoyed a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions before facing this fresh disappointment. Dyche and his men will have an opportunity to bounce back when they take on bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Wednesday. They will follow that up with a game against a bruised Everton side three days later.