Brighton 0 Aston Villa 0
Brighton had the better chances but found Villa keeper Emilio Martinez in defiant form.
We are now unbeaten in 6 games and have a 11 point cushion over Fulham with a superior goal difference.
With the two remaining games in February against bitter rivals Crystal Palace next Monday and then WBA we may be all but mathematically safe by the end of the month.
When one of the big boys like Liverpool have injuries it’s a big story and an even bigger excuse.
The Seagulls had 3 crucial absentees – Adam Webster, Qadir Lamptey and Solly March – through injury and others unavailable were Jabakshan, Propper, plus Lallana and 
Izquierdo have often also been unavailable.
The loss of Webster could have been especially crucial but Dan Burn in his place had an excellent game and only an agile acrobatic leap from Martinez prevented his header from being a goal.
Although the stolid play was often reminiscent of Chris Hughton we are at the business end of the season and another season in the Premiership more than 
covers the loss of £62m recently announced and the funding to improve the squad.
Head coach Graham Potter would not just have succeeded through survival he has overhauled the side with young talent like Ben White, Stephen Alzate, Alex MacAllister and keeper Roberto Sanchez.
