Aiming for successive PL wins for the first time since November 2022, Leeds fans will have been pessimistic after a poor start saw the visitors fall behind in the 11th minute.
A lively Yasin Ayari had already fired a warning shot when he stole possession high up the pitch before producing a tame shot, and Leeds were caught out again soon after, with Yankuba Minteh threading a delicate ball through to Mats Wieffer, whose first-time ball was tucked home by an in-from Welbeck.
Firmly in control of a rain-soaked first period at the Amex, Brighton almost doubled their advantage after half an hour when Welbeck guided an effort wide from the edge of the box.
Minteh was next to come close for the Seagulls, striding towards goal and dragging just wide after a clever dummy brought him some shooting space. It was a tough half for Leeds, whose most promising attack arrived just before the interval, only for well-timed interventions from Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke to snuff out any chance of an equaliser.
No shots on target before the break summed up the visitors’ attacking output to this point, and the pattern of play resumed after the restart as Georginio Rutter fired into the side netting for a dynamic Brighton side.
With almost an hour played, a Dominic Calvert-Lewin snapshot drifted wide in what was the closest Leeds had come to finding the net, offering the travelling support some encouragement against a side who had not kept a clean sheet in 11 PL matches.
However, Minteh’s dazzling wide play soon quashed any fightback hopes, with the Gambia international beating his man and finding Diego Gómez via Rutter’s dummy for a simple tap-in.
Full of confidence, Brighton struck again six minutes later to seal the points when Rutter punished Jayden Bogle for a loose touch, seizing possession and pulling back for Gómez to pass home his second goal of the afternoon.
From there, Brighton confidently saw out all three points to go unbeaten in nine home league games stretching back to last season (W5, D4).
Brighton are yet to taste defeat in seven PL H2Hs (W4, D3), the most times the Seagulls have faced a team in the top flight without losing, and the most Leeds have encountered a side in the division without claiming a win.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yankuba Minteh (Brighton & Hove Albion)