Brighton moved within touching distance of Premier League safety for another season as Graham Potter's hosts opened a 10-point gap to the relegation places with victory over Leeds United.
With four games to play, the Seagulls - looking to secure a fifth successive season in the top flight - climbed three places to 14th and have a significant margin to 18th-placed Fulham, who face Chelsea later (17:30 BST).
The hosts were rewarded for a positive start at Amex Stadium when Pascal Gross expertly found the bottom corner with a 14th-minute penalty, awarded following Ezgjan Alioski's clumsy foul on Danny Welbeck.
Potter's side squandered several chances to extend their advantage, but Welbeck eventually sealed an important victory 11 minutes from time with a composed finish after a sharp turn.
Welbeck later said: "Every single game is important in the Premier league, we still have a few left and anything can happen.
"We have put ourselves in a good position. With the squad we have and the club we are we want to be fighting higher.
"We want to finish the season strongly."
Gross also remarked: "Yeah, it's a really big [three points]. I think we deserved it. We played really well today. Last week was disappointing for us. It was a good performance.
"It gives relief with three points - at this stage of the season it is a really big step forward."
