MITOMA SCORES AGAIN TO GIVE BRIGHTON LAST-GASP 1-0 WIN OVER BOURNEMOUTH

In a South Coast Premier League rivalry on Saturday, Kaoru Mitoma scored for Brighton & Hove Albion for the third time in a row to secure a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth, who were in danger of being demoted.

In the 87th minute, Mitoma snuck into the area and soared high while backpedaling to head in Jeremy Sarmiento’s cross at the near post as time was running out and Bournemouth appeared to be leaving the Amex Stadium with a crucial point.

The dynamic Japanese winger’s goal wasn’t one of his hallmark finishes, but it was enough to secure three points, moving Brighton back up to sixth position with 34 points, while Bournemouth is in 19th place, one point outside of the safety zone.

Deniz Undav of Brighton had an earlier opportunity to start the scoring when he capitalized on Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto’s errant ball. However, the forward’s first shot was blocked, his second was saved, and his final attempt hit the post.

Pervis Estupinan, a defender for Bournemouth, shoved Dango Ouattara to the ground in the area without trying to play the ball, but the referee and video assistant judged it to be a valid challenge and no penalty was issued.

Despite Arsenal’s interest, midfielder Moises Caicedo was benched by Brighton when they refused to budge on his request to leave during the January transfer window. However, everything appeared forgiven when he entered the game in the second half to a warm greeting from the crowd.