Brighton’s firepower at their fortress repels Swansea raiders

Just call it Fortress Amex. If Brighton, as seems increasingly likely, stave off an immediate return to the Championship, the foundations for survival will have been laid by a formidable record in front of their own raucous support.

This ultimately stylish dispatch of fellow strugglers Swansea means that Albion have lost just three times in 14 league outings at home. Only starladen Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have had the necessary class to leave Sussex with all three points.

Swansea brought with them a run of 10 games in all competitions without defeat but were, in the end, brushed aside as Brighton hit four goals for the first time in a Premier League match. Glenn Murray’s early penalty sent them on their way. When Murray scored again, followed closely by Anthony Knockaert’s neat finish, Chris Hughton’s side were able to celebrate taking a significant step away from danger.

Despite Lewis Dunk’s own goal, the home side were able to finish with a flourish, Jurgen Locadia, the record £14.1million signing from PSV, stepping off the substitutes’ bench to score in his first league match.

“We are on a good run of form at the moment,” said Hughton, “but we had to go through a difficult period when they showed what a good side they are and went for it. That opened the game up and we capitalised on that.”

Fast-raiding Albion had already posed a goal threat before Murray, in the 18th minute, broke into the visitors’ penalty area where he was clipped by Mike van der Hoorn but stepped up to smash home the spot-kick.

Nevertheless, for more than an hour it was a tense affair between two sides perched just above the relegation zone, both in a good run of form but grimly aware of the high cost of defeat.

It might have all been different had not Mathew Ryan, Brighton’s goalkeeper, flung himself to his right to push away Ki Sung-yueng’s low drive early in the second half as Swansea sought a way back.

It was, however, the home side who conjured a moment of inspiration in the 69th minute, a slick build-up crowned by Murray’s confident finish. Albion were suddenly rampant, and victory was beyond doubt four minutes later when Knockaert kept his poise to place the ball calmly beyond Swansea No1 Lukasz Fabianski.

Dunk was unfortunate to divert Tammy Abraham’s shot past his own goalkeeper but Locadia underlined Albion’s supremacy in added time.

Carlos Carvalhal, the Swansea coach, said: “At 1-0 down we took some risks. We almost scored twice, but you either win a lot of money or lose a lot. We gambled and if it works the manager is a genius but Brighton deserved to win.”