Match ends, Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Leicester City 2.
BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion1LeicesterLeicester City2
Daniel Amartey scored a late winner as Leicester City came from behind to beat Brighton and boost their bid for Champions League qualification.
The defender stooped low to head into an empty net after Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez failed to claim Marc Albrighton's corner.
Kelechi Iheanacho began the fightback with his second goal in as many games.
He cancelled out Adam Lallana's first Brighton goal, which ended a 503-day drought without scoring.
Victory lifted Leicester above Manchester United and into second place in the Premier League, while extending their unbeaten away run to 10 league games.
Brighton remain three points above the relegation zone in 16th.
Foxes stay in the hunt
Leicester were on course for a top-four finish last season before falling away after the postponement because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Talisman Jamie Vardy has scored only once in his past 11 league games, but Iheanacho is producing the goals to fill the void.
Having rescued a point at Burnley on Wednesday, Iheanacho latched on to Youri Tielemans' exquisite no-look through ball to lift the ball over Sanchez for the equaliser.
Amartey was the beneficiary when Albrighton whipped in an excellent late corner and Sanchez was unable to free his arms and punch the ball clear in the melee of bodies.
Leicester have the best away record in the division, and with key playmaker James Maddison likely to return before the end of the season, their credentials are looking strong.
Seagulls flying close to danger
England midfielder Lallana arrived at Brighton last summer with the intention of securing regular football after playing a fringe roll in Liverpool's title win.
Injuries have cost the 32-year-old a consistent run in the side, but this was his best performance for Brighton.
He latched on to Neal Maupay's through ball to smash past Kasper Schmeichel from inside the area with aplomb.
Moments later, Lallana's cushioned left-footed pass set up Maupay, who was marginally offside.
Lallana was playing with confidence and was denied a second goal by a smart save from Schmeichel with the scores level.
The Seagulls are in danger of being sucked into the bottom three but keeping Lallana fit may be their best route to another season in the top flight.
'It feels sore' - what they said
Brighton manager Graham Potter told BBC Sport: "It feels sore. Overall our performance - certainly the first half - was good. We were close to getting a second.
"In the second half, Leicester responded and we didn't play as well. Still, we had some opportunities but it felt like a draw might have been the right result.
"There was no problem with the approach and intention of the team. We made a few too many errors against a team going for the Champions League. The goal at the end is a bit of a blow.
"Adam Lallana did some really nice touches, nice combinations. He helped the team, kept us going. He was a positive for us."
Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers told BBC Sport: "Brighton were better than us in the first half - we were too slow and not aggressive enough. They deservedly went in front.
"They were excellent; they are a good side. You can see why they beat top teams.
"We had to look at things at half-time. We were outstanding in the second half. The players were brilliant.
"It was a change of mindset; we needed to be more aggressive. Once we did that we had more energy on the ball."
Leicester continue to dominate - the stats
- Leicester have faced Brighton more often in the Premier League without losing than they have against any other side (eight games - W6 D2).
- Brighton have dropped 17 points from winning positions this season, their most in a single Premier League campaign. Only Southampton (18) have dropped more in 2020-21.
- No side has won fewer home points in the Premier League than Brighton this season (10), while Leicester have won four more on the road than any other side this term (34).
- Brighton scored with their only shot on target in the first half, while Leicester scored with both their shots on target in the second.
What's next?
Brighton make the trip along the south coast to face Southampton on 14 March at 12:00 GMT, while Leicester host Sheffield United at 14:00.
Player of the match
SchmeichelKasper Schmeichel
with an average of 7.15
Brighton & Hove Albion
Avg
- Squad number14Player nameLallanaAverage rating
6.37
- Squad number5Player nameDunkAverage rating
5.98
- Squad number3Player nameWhiteAverage rating
5.96
- Squad number8Player nameBissoumaAverage rating
5.81
- Squad number34Player nameVeltmanAverage rating
5.74
- Squad number33Player nameBurnAverage rating
5.60
- Squad number10Player nameMac AllisterAverage rating
5.56
- Squad number26Player nameSánchezAverage rating
5.56
- Squad number9Player nameMaupayAverage rating
5.48
- Squad number11Player nameTrossardAverage rating
5.47
- Squad number13Player nameGroßAverage rating
5.44
- Squad number18Player nameWelbeckAverage rating
4.20
- Squad number17Player nameAlzateAverage rating
4.17
- Squad number16Player nameJahanbakhshAverage rating
4.16
Leicester City
Avg
- Squad number1Player nameSchmeichelAverage rating
7.15
- Squad number14Player nameIheanachoAverage rating
6.66
- Squad number8Player nameTielemansAverage rating
6.56
- Squad number11Player nameAlbrightonAverage rating
6.26
- Squad number18Player nameAmarteyAverage rating
6.23
- Squad number21Player nameRicardo PereiraAverage rating
6.13
- Squad number9Player nameVardyAverage rating
6.13
- Squad number50Player nameSidnei TavaresAverage rating
6.00
- Squad number27Player nameCastagneAverage rating
6.00
- Squad number25Player nameNdidiAverage rating
5.98
- Squad number3Player nameFofanaAverage rating
5.95
- Squad number4Player nameSöyüncüAverage rating
5.82
- Squad number20Player nameChoudhuryAverage rating
5.32
Line-ups
Brighton
Formation 4-4-2
- 26Sánchez
- 34Veltman
- 3White
- 5Dunk
- 33Burn
- 13Groß
- 8BissoumaSubstituted forJahanbakhshat 90+1'minutes
- 10Mac AllisterSubstituted forAlzateat 68'minutes
- 11Trossard
- 14Lallana
- 9MaupaySubstituted forWelbeckat 79'minutes
Substitutes
- 15Moder
- 16Jahanbakhsh
- 17Alzate
- 18Welbeck
- 19Izquierdo
- 22Tau
- 23Steele
- 24Pröpper
- 29Zeqiri
Leicester
Formation 3-1-4-2
- 1Schmeichel
- 18Amartey
- 3Fofana
- 4Söyüncü
- 25Ndidi
- 21Ricardo Pereira
- 50TavaresSubstituted forAlbrightonat 72'minutes
- 8TielemansBooked at 76mins
- 27Castagne
- 14IheanachoSubstituted forChoudhuryat 90+1'minutes
- 9Vardy
Substitutes
- 11Albrighton
- 12Ward
- 20Choudhury
- 24Mendy
- 28Fuchs
- 33Thomas
- 38Leshabela
- 46Daley-Campbell
- 53Flynn
- Referee:
- Michael Oliver
Match Stats
Home TeamBrightonAway TeamLeicester
- Possession
- Home37%
- Away63%
- Shots
- Home7
- Away8
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away4
- Corners
- Home6
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away8
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Leicester City 2.
Post update
Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Post update
Offside, Leicester City. Wilfred Ndidi tries a through ball, but Jamie Vardy is caught offside.
Post update
Attempt missed. Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution
Substitution, Leicester City. Hamza Choudhury replaces Kelechi Iheanacho.
Substitution
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Alireza Jahanbakhsh replaces Yves Bissouma.
Post update
Attempt missed. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Kelechi Iheanacho.
Goal!
Goal! Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Leicester City 2. Daniel Amartey (Leicester City) header from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marc Albrighton with a cross following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Dan Burn.
Post update
VAR Decision: No Penalty Leicester City.
Post update
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Lewis Dunk.
Post update
Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion. Conceded by Kasper Schmeichel.
Post update
Attempt saved. Adam Lallana (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Pascal Groß.
Substitution
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Danny Welbeck replaces Neal Maupay.
Post update
Foul by Wesley Fofana (Leicester City).
Post update
Neal Maupay (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Attempt missed. Joël Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Pascal Groß with a cross following a set piece situation.
Booking
Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Comments
Join the conversation
Why? Lawro tipped a 2-0 Brighton win 😁
what are VAR looking at
just as well Leicester scored from the resulting corner
I think we also need to appreciate that we scored directly from a corner!
Please keep Utd out of second place.
Ultimately, it's about the teams from 2nd to 6th scrapping our the three remaining CL, and the Europa League place, behind City, who are all but champions. Even if Man Utd were to cause a miracle and win 5-0 tomorrow, does anyone seriously think the PM title is going anywhere else
I’m still nervous for what remains of the season for us but our apparent fragility really underlines how competitive the PL is.
Whatever happens for the remainder of the season I’m really proud of how we’ve played this season and a massive admirer of BR. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were bemoaning the lack of points despite positive performances.