Southampton produced an commendable comeback to rescue a point away at the AMEX as they held Brighton to a 1-1 draw.
The Seagulls had taken a deserved lead in the first half after Kaoru Mitoma rushed onto the end of Tariq Lamptey’s whipped cross to head home at the back post.
Embed from Getty ImagesA resilient Southampton side rallied after the break and in the 59th minute Adam Armstrong’s strike rebounded to Flynn Downes, who lashed the ball into the net on the half-volley to level for the away side.
Downes was at the centre of controversy moments later when he stopped a Brighton counter on the edge of his own box. Already on a booking, Southampton’s midfielder appeared sheepish as the Albion crowd called for a red. None came.
The Saint’s advantage could have been doubled when Cameron Archer appeared to put his side ahead. However, following a lengthy VAR delay, the goal was ruled out for his striking counterpart Armstrong straying offside.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrighton will be disappointed with the result having been the better side for the majority of the game. The Seagulls were especially rampant in the first half with winger Geroginio Rutter seeing his strike come back off the post and Mitoma sliding his effort wide of an empty goal with Joe Lumley stranded off his line.
Hurzeler’s men move up to second place with the point but will fall down the table with all the teams around them yet to play. Meanwhile Southampton remain rooted in the relegation zone, facing high flying Chelsea next week.
