[h=3]By PA Sport[/h]Last Updated: 12/01/16 11:07pm
Highlights of Rotherham's 2-0 win over Brighton in the Sky Bet Championship
Rotherham became the first side to win at home to Brighton this season with a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship victory at New York Stadium on Tuesday evening.
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 the off.
Brighton's James Wilson battles for the ball with Smallwood and Mattock
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.
Danny Ward gave Rotherham the lead
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.
Rotherham boss Neil Redfearn said:
"We deserved it, I don't think anybody could doubt that. From the first minute we played some good football, we were always on the front foot, I thought that we played at the right tempo, we pressed them at the right times.
"Brighton played their part, but I thought the difference was the front two. I thought the front two were magnificent and they were a real threat for 90 minutes. The fact that you have got that energy up front helps you defend from the front."
Brighton manager Chris Hughton said:*
"Sometimes it's about momentum, sometimes it's about margins. Arguably there's stuff we're not getting away with at the minute that we were in our good run. We are getting punished for mistakes.
"They were better than us in most departments. The lack of goals is a big worry at the minute, because it's impossible to win football matches unless you are scoring goals."
More...
Highlights of Rotherham's 2-0 win over Brighton in the Sky Bet Championship
Rotherham became the first side to win at home to Brighton this season with a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship victory at New York Stadium on Tuesday evening.
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 the off.
Brighton's James Wilson battles for the ball with Smallwood and Mattock
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.
Danny Ward gave Rotherham the lead
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.
Rotherham boss Neil Redfearn said:
"We deserved it, I don't think anybody could doubt that. From the first minute we played some good football, we were always on the front foot, I thought that we played at the right tempo, we pressed them at the right times.
"Brighton played their part, but I thought the difference was the front two. I thought the front two were magnificent and they were a real threat for 90 minutes. The fact that you have got that energy up front helps you defend from the front."
Brighton manager Chris Hughton said:*
"Sometimes it's about momentum, sometimes it's about margins. Arguably there's stuff we're not getting away with at the minute that we were in our good run. We are getting punished for mistakes.
"They were better than us in most departments. The lack of goals is a big worry at the minute, because it's impossible to win football matches unless you are scoring goals."
More...