The largest crowd at the Amex Stadium this season saw Brighton & Hove Albion beat Birmingham City 2-1 this afternoon thanks to Bobby Zamora's fourth goal for the Seagulls since returning to the South-Coast club.
The result means Chris Hughton's side remain unbeaten in the Championship this season and move to the top of the table.
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Zamora had a pair of early chances to break the deadlock after being teed up on both occasions by the lively Solly March, but he failed to find the target with either opportunity.
March then showed his teammate how to do it as he pounced on Liam Rosenior's cross, eventually bundling the ball home at the second attempt to put the Seagulls ahead.
The lead was shortlived though as Jon Toral levelled the game with a close-range header, before a nasty injury to Rosenior caused a long delay.
After the restart, the hosts thought they had retaken the lead when Tomasz Kuszczak seemed to drop the ball in the back of his own net, only for the goal to be disallowed.
Just two minutes into the second half, though, Zamora pounced after March's shot had been saved, firing home at the back post to put Hughton's team ahead once again.
A quick attack from Brighton then cut Birmingham apart on the hour mark, but Kuszczak stepped up to rescue his side and keep them in the tie with a low save from Tomer Hemed's shot.
Despite Brighton's attacking prowess, their one-goal lead always looked precarious, and Demarai Gray almost exposed the frailty of their lead when he saw his short clawed away by David Stockdale at the near post on 75 minutes.
However, Brighton dug deep to hold on for a precious win that keeps them in the hunt for the title.
Joe Sharratt
