Ipswich 2-3 Brighton: Seagulls go top after victory

Brighton moved above Ipswich to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table after Tomer Hemed's two goals helped the Seagulls to a 3-2 victory at Portman Road.

Chris Hughton's men looked to be cruising after goals by Kazenga LuaLua and Hemed inside the opening 12 minutes, but Ipswich narrowed the deficit through Freddie Sears' second-half strike.

David McGoldrick's 64th-minute penalty levelled matters but Brighton restored their lead almost straight away as Hemed headed home LuaLua's cross to give the visitors a deserved three points.

Brighton started sharply and it did not take long for LuaLua to grab the game's first goal after he was set clear by Gaetan Bong's long ball, with the former Newcastle winger firing into the bottom corner after just 10 minutes.

And it was soon 2-0 when Dale Stephens' inswinging free-kick from the touchline got the briefest of touches from the head of Hemed and nestled in the far corner of Dean Gerken's goal.

The visitors were well worth their two-goal lead and they should have made it three in the 23rd minute when another Bong through ball caught the Town defence cold but striker Sam Baldock poked a golden chance just wide.

Sears was Ipswich's brightest spark in a dismal first-half display and he fired a neatly-worked free-kick just wide in what was the home side's best moment of the first 45 minutes.

Making two changes at half-time, Ipswich looked brighter but they still looked vulnerable at the back and they survived a massive scare when Stephens' low drive cannoned off the far post.

Ipswich got themselves back in the game when an incisive break involving substitute McGoldrick and Ryan Fraser released Brett Pitman and while his shot hit the post, Sears was on hand to fire home the rebound.

Hemed fired a shot into the side netting after another quick counter attack from the away side before Liam Rosenior and Beram Kayal both went close to a third.

Ipswich themselves were posing more of a threat and grabbed the equaliser from the penalty spot when Bruno Saltor brought down Fraser with McGoldrick finding the corner from 12 yards.

But parity lasted just 120 seconds as Hemed met LuaLua's cross to powerfully head past Gerken.

LuaLua came close to adding a fourth after some excellent play by the impressive Baldock while at the other end David Stockdale got a diving hand to Sears' cross and was fortunate that the rebound fell to a team mate.

Brighton still looked the greater threat and Tommy Smith headed another Hemed header away from his own goal-line while Fraser went close for Ipswich with a shot from 25 yards.

Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy:

"I think Brighton are a very good side, they started well and were the better team. In the first half they were excellent - you have to give them credit. But I thought our response in the second half was great. Then their third goal came off a deflected cross which wrong-footed my defenders, though we also made a few little errors leading up to it."

Brighton manager Chris Hughton:

"It was a super game and a very good spectacle for the Championship. We were the better team at 2-0, but the only disappointment for me was that we allowed them to come back to 2-2, which I didn't think was a fair reflection of the game."