EPL: Brighton Hold On for 2-1 Win Over Bournemouth

Brighton Edge Bournemouth 2-1 Despite Late Pressure

Bournemouth, meanwhile, slips to 13th position following their second...

Brighton moved up to fifth in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, courtesy of goals from Pedro and Mitoma.

Brighton maintained their impressive start to the season, defeating Bournemouth 2-1 despite being reduced to 10 men. Goals from Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma sealed the win.

Pedro opened the scoring in the fourth minute, tapping in after Kepa Arrizabalaga parried Georginio Rutter's strike. Bournemouth responded strongly, creating several first-half chances through Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo.

Mitoma doubled Brighton's lead shortly after halftime, running onto Pedro's pass and sweeping a shot into the bottom corner.

Brighton faced a challenging final 30 minutes after Carlos Baleba received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Milos Kerkez, reducing them to 10 men.

Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma scored as Brighton continued their impressive start to the season, defeating Bournemouth 2-1 despite being reduced to 10 men.

Pedro opened the scoring in the fourth minute, tapping in after Kepa Arrizabalaga parried Georginio Rutter's strike from the edge of the area. Bournemouth responded well, creating several chances in the first half, with Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo testing goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Mitoma doubled Brighton's lead shortly after halftime, running onto Pedro's pass and sweeping a shot across Arrizabalaga into the bottom corner.

Brighton's task became more challenging when Carlos Baleba received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Milos Kerkez, forcing them to play with 10 men for the final 30 minutes.

Substitute David Brooks scored in injury time to reduce the deficit, but Brighton held on for a 2-1 win despite a nervy finish. Antoine Semenyo came close to equalizing with the last kick of the game, but his effort brushed the crossbar.

The victory propels Brighton to fifth place, level on 22 points with Chelsea and Arsenal after 12 matches.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, slips to 13th position following their second consecutive defeat. The loss comes after they entered the international break on the back of a 3-2 defeat to Brentford.

Bournemouth and Brighton had both beaten Manchester City before the international break, but it was Brighton's clinical finishing that secured a 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium.

Joao Pedro played a crucial role in Brighton's victory, continuing his impressive form after scoring against Manchester City. He started and finished the move for Brighton's opener, linking up with Danny Welbeck and Georginio Rutter.

Pedro's clever flick and movement allowed Rutter to take aim, and Kepa Arrizabalaga's save fell kindly for Pedro to tap in. The Brazilian was also instrumental in Brighton's second goal, threading a delightful ball through Bournemouth's defense for Kaoru Mitoma to score.

Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth side responded well to Pedro's early goal, creating numerous scoring opportunities and testing the Brighton defense.

Evanilson had a golden chance to equalize, but he chose to shoot from an angle instead of passing to the unmarked Semenyo or Kluivert, allowing Verbruggen to make a comfortable save.

Evanilson thought he had leveled the score just before halftime, but a VAR review confirmed he was offside in the build-up, denying Bournemouth the equalizer.

Antoine Semenyo posed a threat for Bournemouth, but he will miss their next match against Wolves after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season for a reckless tackle on Georginio Rutter.

Despite having an extra man advantage for the final 30 minutes, Bournemouth struggled to capitalize, managing only five shots on target from 19 attempts, as the Brighton defense held firm to secure the win.