After 114 minutes of football, Brighton and Southampton left the Amex sharing the spoils as their fiery clash ended 1-1.
The Saints came alive in the second half, applying relentless pressure. Flynn Downes finally equalised after a moment of pinball inside the Brighton box. Smelling blood, Cameron Archer thought he’d snatched a winner for Southampton just moments later. But in came VAR, ruling it out for offside, crushing the away fans’ celebrations.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe first half was Brighton’s, with Georgino Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma testing Southampton’s defence. In the 28th minute, Tariq Lamptey’s curling cross on his first start of the season found Mitoma, who powered home a header to give the Seagulls a 1-0 lead at halftime.
The second half descended into chaos. A barrage of yellow cards was handed out, including to both managers, as tensions flared both on and off the pitch. Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler and Southampton boss Russell Martin squared up on the sideline in a heated exchange.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe last 15 minutes saw Southampton dominate, with Brighton’s defence faltering under intense pressure. Even the home crowd appeared stunned as their team missed the composure expected of a side fighting for the top of the table.
At the end of the day, Hurzeler was left scratching his head, wondering how his side had squandered the chance to secure their second place in the Premier League standings, while Martin’s Saints departed with a well-earned point and plenty of frustration.
