Brighton and Southampton performed out a pulsating 1-1 draw on the Amex Stadium on Friday Night time.
It was a sport that featured moments of brilliance, VAR controversy, and practically quarter-hour of added time on the finish of the match.
Brighton dominated the early exchanges, and Kaoru Mitoma was on the coronary heart of their attacking intent.
The Japanese winger missed a golden alternative within the ninth minute after capitalising on a Southampton error, solely to shoot large with simply goalkeeper Joe Lumley to beat.
Moments later, Georginio Rutter struck the submit with a curling effort, underlining Brighton’s early dominance.
The breakthrough got here within the twenty ninth minute when Tariq Lamptey delivered a elegant cross from the suitable wing.
Mitoma ghosted in on the again submit and nodded previous Lumley to present Brighton a deserved lead.
A vivid second half earns a degree 🤝
May’ve been extra… pic.twitter.com/fC7lSUSX0b
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 29, 2024
Southampton, nonetheless, confirmed flashes of intent by way of Cameron Archer and Tyler Dibling however did not capitalise on their restricted possibilities within the first half. The rating remained 1-0 on the interval.
Southampton got here out reinvigorated within the second half, and their persistence paid off within the 59th minute.
After a chaotic sequence within the Brighton field, Flynn Downes rifled house a free ball, levelling the rating.
The aim sparked a tense and dramatic interval. VAR denied Southampton the lead within the 72nd minute when Cameron Archer’s strike was dominated out because of Adam Armstrong’s interference in an offside place.
Brighton responded with a flurry of possibilities, together with an audacious overhead try by Rutter and a close-range header from Lewis Dunk that sailed over the bar.
Because the match entered its last phases, Brighton pushed relentlessly for a winner.
Mitoma’s low cross within the one centesimal minute was inches away from being turned in by substitute Simon Adingra, whose effort clipped the submit.
The 14 minutes of added time supplied further drama however no decisive breakthrough.
A late free kick from Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh was headed large by Jan Paul van Hecke, and referee Robert Jones signalled the tip of a fiercely contested encounter.
