Brighton ace Lewis has long been south-coast star .... soon he could be new Southgate star

IN a blustery tale of Dunk and disorderly, Brighton took a giant leap towards safety – and dozy Saints sleepwalked towards danger.

Lewis Dunk, commanding and inspired, led the Seagulls towards a deserved first win in seven games.

And those groans you can hear amid the ides of March are coming from concerned relegation rivals on Tyneside and along the Thames footpath near Putney Bridge.

If Dunk’s form has not registered on England coach Gareth Southgate’s radar, his sonic system is on the blink.

Brighton manager Graham Potter said: “Thankfully, it’s not my problem, but Lewis was fantastic again today and he’s been an unbelievable player for us. He’s a massive part of what we are trying to do at this club, and now it’s over to Gareth.”

Saints have unwrapped a curate’s egg of a season. Top of the league for a few hours in November but slaughtered 9-0 at Old Trafford, they have veered from feast to famine.

Four points from a possible 36 is the stuff of form falling off a cliff – Beachy Head, not just any old embankment – and all coastguard leave has been cancelled ahead of next weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final at Bournemouth.

But this was a huge win for Brighton, and sweet revenge for their last-gasp defeat in the reverse fixture at the Amex.

The club who have turned unlucky defeats into an art form – from the 100th-minute penalty against Manchester United after the final whistle had sounded to West Brom’s goal living a more charmed life than a snake in a basket – were due some fortune.

Not for the first time, Dunk was immense at the back, while former England star Adam Lallana – back on familiar territory – was assured and unflustered.

Albion now have a threepoint cushion above the dotted line, plus a game in hand, and they took just 16 minutes to announce themselves at St Mary’s as Neil Maupay’s rising drive was well tipped over by former England keeper Fraser Forster.

When Pascal Gross whipped the resulting corner towards the near post, Dunk rose high above rival skipper Ryan

Bertrand to head the Seagulls in front.

Although Bertrand is no midget, the wisdom of a 5ft 10in left-back marking a 6ft 4in giant at set-pieces is not obvious, but take nothing away from Dunk’s execution.

The Saints captain had to wait only 10 minutes to make his presence felt in the air, however, heading Stuart Armstrong’s centre across the six-yard box. Che Adams watched it like a hawk before volleying his third goal in as many games for the equaliser.

But that was as good as it got for struggling Southampton, who were a bigger let-down in the second half as a tired bunch of flowers from the garage on Mother’s Day. Forster’s critical save three minutes before the break, to divert a Gross shot wide when the German should have scored, denied Albion renewed momentum.

And that miss, in a nutshell, is why Brighton have been scrambling for the lifeboats this season instead of reaching for the stars.

But the Seagulls made amends for Gross’s timid effort 11 minutes into the second period with the best move of the match.

Lallana’s pass and Danny Welbeck’s touch drove a coach and horses through the home side’s defence and, this time, Leandro Trossard’s finish was emphatic. Trossard’s switch to a No.10 role, instead of foraging for scraps on the left flank, was accommodated by manager Graham Potter’s forced change of formation at the break because of defender Dan Burn’s tight hamstring.

But the Belgian’s third goal of the season – a poor return for a player of such talent – was a handsome dividend.