Ipswich Town 0-2 Brighton: Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter fire Seagulls to first Premier League win in EIGHT matches – as Tractor Boys drop back into the relegation zone

Fifty-four days since they last tasted victory in the Premier League, Brighton returned to winning ways at Ipswich thanks to second-half goals from Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter.

Victory for Fabian Hurzeler’s side, their first in the league since November, took them to ninth while defeat for Ipswich saw them slip back into the bottom three on goal difference.

Pre-match, the mood at Portman Road was optimistic, not least after Ipswich started the day outside the relegation zone for the first time since November and the club-record signing of Jaden Philogene from Aston Villa for £20M was confirmed.

Kieran McKenna’s side had backed up their long-awaited first home win of the season against Chelsea just before the turn of the year, with a draw at Fulham and then swept aside Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup.

The Ipswich boss started Kalvin Phillips – who scored on the weekend – in place of club captain Sam Morsy, with Dara O’Shea taking the armband instead.

With Phillips suspended from playing his parent club Manchester City on Sunday, it was a move made with the weekend in mind.

For Phillips, It was a 11th start in the Premier League this season, already two more than he managed across the last two seasons combined.

Ipswich’s optimism was only boosted by the return from injury of Omari Hutchinson, who was the hero against Chelsea, while Ben Godfrey was on the bench after his loan move for Atalanta. Philogene wasn’t registered in time but the 22-year-old is expected to make his bow this weekend.

As for Brighton, winless in eight league matches going into this clash, Joao Pedro passed a late fitness test to start up front and there was space for Danny Welbeck on the bench after recovering from an ankle injury.

It was their longest winless run since 2021 under Graham Potter but in fairness to the Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, six of those eight games were draws.

Ahead of the game, McKenna spoke of carrying on the momentum at home from that memorable night against Chelsea though his side started on the back foot, with the visitors enjoying most of the possession.

For all their dominance however, Brighton failed to create any clear cut chances with Kaoru Mitoma’s shot from outside the box and Pedro’s header both comfortably saved by Christian Walton.

At the other end, Ipswich striker Liam Delap didn’t touch the ball until the 22nd minute but when he finally did, the 21-year-old showed his threat with a sublime touch and pass to tee up Nathan Broadhead, who forced a good diving stop from Bart Verbruggen.

Broadhead’s effort was Ipswich’s first touch inside the Brighton box and it was the closest any side came to breaking the deadlock in the first half, with Delap also testing Verbrugggen from range but his strike was straight down the middle. Just before the break, Hutchinson’s attempt from outside the box was well kept out by the Brighton keeper as the home side finished the half on the front foot.

Neither manager made changes at break but there was some added spice from the start of the second half with Delap booked by referee Tony Harrington for shoving Joel Veltman from behind in an off-the-ball incident. Four minutes later, Pedro was booked for shoulder-charging straight into Walton as he tried to press the Ipswich keeper, with the home crowd furious that it was only a yellow.

Ipswich should have taken the lead when Jan Paul van Hecke’s clearance fell kindly for Wes Burns but he fired wide from inside the box when he simply had to test Verbruggen and just shy of the hour mark, they were made to pay.

Yasin Ayari was released down the right by Veltman and he found Matt O’Riley, who unselfishly teed up Mitoma and the Japanese international’s strike from inside the box wasn’t the best but it took the slightest of deflections of Leif Davis and squeezed past Walton.

Hurzeler looked to his bench first, making a triple change before Pedro forced a brilliant save by Walton and though McKenna introduced both Morsy and Jack Taylor with 20 minutes to go in a bid to restore some control, they never came close to equalising.

With eight minutes to go, substitute Rutter swivelled brilliantly inside the box and finished past Walton for his third goal in his last two games to secure a much-needed three points for the Seagulls.

And Ipswich’s misery was summed up late on when ex-Brighton keeper Walton accidentally passed the ball out for a corner and was met with chants of ‘He’s one of our own’ from the travelling Brighton support. That was the cue for the home crowd to head for the exits.

Up in the hospitality boxes at Portman Road, Philogene watched on. Expect to see him against Pep Guardiola’s side come Sunday with his pace and ball-carrying ability. The England Under-21 international is McKenna’s 15th signing of the season and ultimately this Ipswich display was further proof that they’re in desperate need of more quality in the final third, if they are to stay up.

For Brighton, who head to Old Trafford on Sunday, the hope will now be to kick on and push for a return to European football in Hurzeler’s first campaign in charge.