Brighton held to goalless draw by Sunderland | OneFootball

Brighton & Hove Albion were held to a 0-0 draw by Sunderland at the Amex Stadium, in the first-ever Premier League meeting between the two sides.

Sunderland looked the more dangerous in the first half, with Brian Brobbey and Chris Rigg missing chances after mistakes from Brighton’s new centre-back pairing of Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola.

The hosts struggled to create clear opportunities, and neither side managed a shot on target before the break.

The second half offered a few moments of excitement, most notably Omar Alderete’s header for Sunderland, superbly tipped onto the crossbar by Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen.

The Seagulls improved late on, with Yasin Ayari squandering a gilt-edged chance and substitutes Kaoru Mitoma and James Milner failing to find a breakthrough. Sunderland defended resolutely to earn a valuable point, climbing to fifth place with 27 points from 17 games, while Brighton slip to ninth after a four-game winless run.

Incidents: The story of the match

1':

The match begins

14':

Opportunity wasted. Georginio Rutter of Brighton and Hove Albion attempted a header from the right side of the penalty area, but it sailed high and to the right of the goal. The cross was provided by Mats Wieffer.

43':

Opportunity wasted. Chris Rigg from Sunderland took a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it went wide to the left.

45':

Missed opportunity. Yankuba Minteh from Brighton and Hove Albion attempted a shot with his right foot from the middle of the penalty area.

47':

Opportunity wasted. Yasin Ayari from Brighton and Hove Albion attempted a right-footed shot from the middle of the penalty area, but it sailed over the bar. The assist came from Joël Veltman, who delivered a cross.

49':

Missed opportunity! Trai Hume from Sunderland took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it went wide to the left. The assist came from Enzo Le Fée.

53':

Missed opportunity! Trai Hume from Sunderland took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it went wide to the left. The assist came from Enzo Le Fée.

55':

Opportunity wasted! Yasin Ayari from Brighton and Hove Albion took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sailed over the bar. The assist came from Brajan Gruda.

65':

Opportunity wasted! Enzo Le Fée of Sunderland attempted a header from the middle of the penalty area but failed to convert. The cross was delivered by Trai Hume.

77':

Opportunity wasted! Yasin Ayari from Brighton and Hove Albion took a right-footed shot from the center of the box, but it sailed over the goal. The assist came from Charalampos Kostoulas.

86':

Opportunity wasted. Charalampos Kostoulas of Brighton and Hove Albion attempted a header from the center of the box but failed to convert. The assist came from Kaoru Mitoma, who delivered a cross.

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match