Brighton 4-0 Plymouth

Brighton increased their lead at the top of League One with a convincing victory as Plymouth Argyle's week went from bad to worse.

Albion's top scorer Glenn Murray opened the scoring, slipping the ball under David Button from close range.

Chris Wood added a second with a long-range effort which beat Button.

Murray scored his second with a great turn and finish from the edge of the box and Fran Sandaza sealed the win from inside the area.

Argyle, who have now lost seven games in a row, suffered a 10-point deduction on Monday after issuing a notice of intention to appoint an administrator, a move which dropped them to the bottom of the League One table.

In contrast, Albion came into the game top of the table and having not lost at home in the league since April .

And it was the hosts who started the brighter, with Wood forcing a decent save from Button following a great ball from Gary Dicker.

Ashley Barnes blasted high and wide from close range from Gordon Greer's ball and the opening goal went with the run of play, Murray converting from close range after a pass from strike partner Wood took a ricochet.

Albion continued to dominate, with Barnes heading just wide from Murray's cross before Wood's long-range effort beat Button to make it 2-0.

Elliott Bennett forced another save from the busy Button, with Barnes firing over the rebound when he should have scored.

The last kick of the first half proved to be Plymouth's best chance, but Carl Fletcher's free-kick was saved by Casper Ankergren.

The second half continued in the same manner as the first, with Murray taking less than three minutes to score a fine goal, his 16th of the season.

Button then denied Wood his second with his feet.

Joe Mason had a rare chance for the visitors, but his weak shot was easily saved by Ankergren.

The game looked set to end 3-0 before Spanish substitute Sandaza cut inside and scored an injury-time fourth.

The result leaves the Seagulls four points clear of second-placed Bournemouth with three games in hand.

Brighton boss Gus Poyet told BBC Sussex:
"It was a tricky game. We were playing against a team who are suffering a lot outside the pitch and it affects the team. We needed to win and the performance was very good.

"The team came out in the second half to go and finish it. They weren't nervous at all and didn't try and hold it at 2-0.

"They kept going and kept trying to score goals I think we were very good going forward."

Plymouth Argyle manager Peter Reid told BBC Radio Devon:
"We were second best all over the park in terms of winning tackles, passing the ball and not doing our job defensively.

"The run we're in now is a shocking run and we're getting beat too easy. I wanted to make it tight tonight but we were opened up to easily.

"We weren't good enough, we didn't make them work hard enough in my opinion."

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