Guy Butters? early goal condemned Rangers to defeat in a dire Boxing Day encounter at the Withdean Stadium.
Butters headed Richard Carpenter?s seventh-minute free-kick past Jake Cole and Rangers never looked like finding an equaliser.
Cole, making his full debut in the absence of the suspended Simon Royce, then kept out Gary Hart?s shot and saved Alexandre Frustos? effort with his legs.
Ian Holloway replaced Stefan Moore and Marcus Bean with Marc Nygaard and Lee Cook on the hour mark.
Cook?s shot brought a save from Michel Kuipers, who was also tested by Richard Langley?s free-kick.
But other than that Rangers failed to threaten and Cole denied Brighton a second goal by saving well from Colin Kazim-Richards.
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