United dominated early proceedings in possession and territory and regularly sought to expose a high Brighton line through pacey wingers Mantato and Lusale.
The visitors, however, were well-organised and prevented many clear-cut chances. A Lusale pull-back was deflected over the crossbar, Kukonki’s header from a left-sided corner was saved, a James Overy pull-back was blocked and the same fate met one from Ibragimov. That was all in the opening 15 minutes.
Brighton struggled to find openings of their own, with a strong Overy tackle ending hopes of a fast counter-attack 35 minutes in. Five minutes on, Albert Mills couldn’t meet a well-delivered corner properly, with it dropping suddenly onto his shoulder and deflecting over the bar.
His centre-back partner Kukonki made the most of another opportunity shortly before the break, as Jim Thwaites’s left-sided delivery dropped into space on the edge of the six-yard box, where Godwill thrashed it home.