Fran Kirby joined Brighton in the summer after nine years at Chelsea
Brighton continued their impressive start to the Women's Super League season with a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace thanks to Bruna Vilamala's first-half finish.
The on-loan Barcelona forward toe-poked into an open goal in the 35th minute, although home keeper Shae Yanez felt she had been fouled after colliding with Seagulls striker Nikita Parris following a lofted ball into the box.
"I'm happy with the win but we had to grind it out," said boss Dario Vidosic. "We were probably our own worst enemies for a lot of that game with so many simple mistakes. We had to be a bit more patient in possession.
"They played with five at the back and that low block is hard to break down but we made a lot of wrong decisions and, on the transition, they were always dangerous, although we were pretty solid defensively. I thought we could have had a penalty in the second half when Vicky Losada was brought down."
Fran Kirby came close to doubling Brighton's lead after she charged into the box, but her left-foot strike was palmed behind.
Three minutes into the second half, American Yanez was called into action again to claw away Vicky Losada's audacious chipped effort.
Substitute Michelle Agyemang came within inches of a goal too, but her 89th-minute effort was blasted over the crossbar.
Annabel Blanchard thought she had levelled for Laura Kaminski's side in stoppage time after she expertly worked space for a left foot drive, but visiting keeper Sophie Baggaley somehow tipped the ball over.
Brighton, who have three wins from their first four WSL games, will next host Manchester United on Saturday, October 19 while Palace travel to Liverpool a day later.
Defensive steel highlights Seagulls improvement
Four games have now been completed in the WSL for the majority of the teams and fourth-placed Brighton are level on nine points with defending champions Chelsea and Manchester United - one behind leaders Manchester City.
Only City have come away with three points against the Seagulls so far following a narrow 1-0 win at the Joie Stadium.
Incredibly, Brighton only need two more victories to equal the five they managed last season. That is what you call improvement.
Vidosic's side brilliantly put four past Everton and Aston Villa before showing their grit and determination against Palace in what was a below-par performance at the VBS Community Stadium.
The hosts, buoyed by their first ever WSL win last weekend at Leicester City, pushed forward at every opportunity, but the Brighton backline stood firm.
With the signings of forwards Kirby and Parris, it was clear Brighton would have flair in attack this season, but as they failed to perform at their free-flowing best here, boss Vidosic was pleased to see a display of defensive steel to seal victory.
He added: "We have a lot to learn, but it's also probably hard for me to think that we're going to play 22 perfect games this season in the WSL. It's important that when we do have a day off, that we still find a way to win."
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