It was the visitors who made the better start, with Forest perhaps feeling the effects of their latest European adventure on Thursday.
Yasin Ayari’s early effort from just outside the area rose over the crossbar, before a good move saw the ball worked to an unmarked Mats Wieffer inside the area, but the Dutchman dragged his effort wide of the left post when he really ought to have at least tested Matz Sels from close range.
Having soaked up the Seagulls’s early pressure, the hosts created their best chance of the first half with 30 minutes played when Nicolás Domínguez’s cross into the area from the left found Morgan Gibbs-White unmarked, but he sliced his first-time effort just wide of the right post.
He was made to pay for this miss when, in the first of two first-half added minutes, a through ball from Georginio Rutter found Maxim De Cuyper. Unmarked, he was able to run onto the ball before firing past Sels from close range to give Brighton a half-time advantage with their maiden away goal prior to the interval in the PL this season.
The Seagulls suffered a PL club-record 7-0 defeat at the City Ground last season, but they were competing far better this time around, and five minutes after the restart Fabian Hürzeler’s men fashioned a good opportunity to double their advantage.
The ball was worked to Ayari just outside the area, but his tame effort bobbled harmlessly wide of the left post.
Having missed the midweek 3-0 victory over Malmö in the UEFA Europa League, Gibbs-White would have been keen to make a contribution, yet his first-time goal-bound effort was blocked by teammate Ibrahim Sangare as the chance went begging.
The home supporters certainly saw an improved display from their team in the second half, as they applied lots of pressure in search of an equaliser, but they continued to struggle from an attacking perspective and when substitute Stefanos Tzimas capitalised on a defensive mix-up with two minutes of normal time remaining, the contest was put to bed.
Having missed the opportunity to open up a buffer to the relegation zone, Nottingham Forest remain 16th and just one point above the bottom three, while high-flying Brighton climb three places to fifth, with Seagulls supporters dreaming of a potential run for the UEFA Champions League places this season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton and Hove Albion)
