Brighton 0-0 Ipswich Town: Hosts frustrated by dogged display from newly promoted Tractor Boys

• e-mail

The last time Brighton hosted Ipswich in the top flight back in August 1982, Survivor’s smash hit Eye of the Tiger sat number one in the charts.

More than four decades on, Ipswich proved to be the survivors of an afternoon of Brighton domination thanks in no small part to their goalkeeper, Arijanet Muric.

His six saves earned the visitors their first clean sheet of the season and marked a positive end to a difficult week in which the 6ft 5in shot-stopper was sent home early from international duty by Kosovo for breaking team rules.

Kieran McKenna considered the matter closed and it proved a wise decision to stick by his man.

Only a few minutes in Muric was alert to push away Carlos Baleba’s crisp volley before Kaoru Mitoma was unable to apply the finishing touch to an intricate passing move.

Brighton and Ipswich battled hardily but neither was able to get the upper hand on Saturday

Both sides had chances but the visitors did well dealing with the considerably more potent threat from their hosts

Kieran McKenna will be delighted to have a claimed a point from a testing Premier League tie

Then came Muric’s stand-out moment, 10 minutes from half time. A terrific, instinctive double-save to deny Georginio Rutter and Mitoma in quick succession when a goal looked inevitable.

‘Where we are, as a team coming into this division, finding a goalkeeper who can win you points on certain days is absolutely massive because every point is valuable,’ said McKenna.

‘He’s still very young for a goalkeeper, still learning and adapting to what we want from him, but I think today was a big step forward and showed everyone why we brought him to the football club.’

In the second-half, Rutter saw a shot from the edge of the area blocked by a double deflection before Welbeck, the focal point of Brighton’s attack in the absence of Joao Pedro, who picked up a knock while away with Brazil, curled a free-kick inches wide.

‘I think my team did everything on the pitch to win this game,’ said Hurzeler. ‘We defended, we had enough chances to score. We were very dominant so that’s why it feels disappointing.’

Liam Delap almost stole victory for the visitors, turning on the after-burners to surge away from Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke before his shot smashed the post.

But Brighton remained in the ascendency, ending with 70 per cent possession but no goal to show for their dominance as Ipswich and the magnificent Muric kept them at bay.