Rotherham United 2 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion: Rotherham ease relegation concerns with victory over stuttering Seagulls

Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2016 by PA

Rotherham became the first side to beat Brighton at home this season with a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship win at New York Stadium.

The out-of-form Seagulls may be faltering after a superb start to the campaign, but they were still undefeated on the road in the league until they came up against the impressive Millers.

Neil Redfearn's men scored a goal in either half through Danny Ward and Matt Derbyshire to register a third successive home win and ease their relegation worries.

In keeping a clean sheet, they extended Brighton's drought to six games without a goal and ensured that Chris Hughton's men are now winless in eight games in all competition.

Rotherham sniffed a chance to take their fragile visitors to task and they were the better team from off.

But, while struggling at one end, Hughton's men have remained fairly tight at the other end and the Millers struggled to create anything clear-cut in the opening half-hour.

As the first half wore on, though, they began to get sights of goal and Derbyshire had two chances, curling wide and then being denied by David Stockdale, before a deserved breakthrough came at a perfect time - in the 45th minute.

Joe Mattock surged down the left and whipped in a cross which Seagulls defender Lewis Dunk was unable to cut out and Danny Ward volleyed low into the bottom corner from 12 yards.

It capped a miserable 45 minutes from the Seagulls, who managed just one off target shot and looked far from a side challenging for promotion.

The second half was immediately better for them, though, and after cutting Rotherham open for the first time they should have been level in the 52nd minute.

Dale Stephens was sent clean through but somehow he put his shot wide when the whole ground expected him to score.

Hughton threw on Bobby Zamora just after the hour and he made a difference in Brighton's attack, with his presence and hold-up play setting up Jamie Murphy's low drive which Lee Camp saved well.

As the visitors began to lay siege on Rotherham's goal, Zamora had two opportunities of his own to draw his side level.

First he chose to square the ball to no man's land when breaking clear on the left before planting a header just wide.

And Rotherham capitalised by grabbing a decisive second four minutes from time as Bruno Saltor headed a ball straight into the path of Derbyshire who gratefully slammed home from six yards.

Beram Kayal hit the post from close range as Brighton frantically searched for a way back into the game, but this was not their evening.