Brighton and Southampton played out a pulsating 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on Friday Night.
It was a game that featured moments of brilliance, VAR controversy, and nearly 15 minutes of added time at the end of the match.
Brighton dominated the early exchanges, and Kaoru Mitoma was at the heart of their attacking intent.
The Japanese winger missed a golden opportunity in the 9th minute after capitalising on a Southampton error, only to shoot wide with just goalkeeper Joe Lumley to beat.
Moments later, Georginio Rutter struck the post with a curling effort, underlining Brighton’s early dominance.
The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Tariq Lamptey delivered a sublime cross from the right wing.
Mitoma ghosted in at the back post and nodded past Lumley to give Brighton a deserved lead.
A bright second half earns a point 🤝
Could’ve been more… pic.twitter.com/fC7lSUSX0b
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 29, 2024
Southampton, however, showed flashes of intent through Cameron Archer and Tyler Dibling but failed to capitalise on their limited chances in the first half. The score remained 1-0 at the interval.
Southampton came out reinvigorated in the second half, and their persistence paid off in the 59th minute.
After a chaotic sequence in the Brighton box, Flynn Downes rifled home a loose ball, levelling the score.
The goal sparked a tense and dramatic period. VAR denied Southampton the lead in the 72nd minute when Cameron Archer’s strike was ruled out due to Adam Armstrong’s interference in an offside position.
Brighton responded with a flurry of chances, including an audacious overhead attempt by Rutter and a close-range header from Lewis Dunk that sailed over the bar.
As the match entered its final stages, Brighton pushed relentlessly for a winner.
Mitoma’s low cross in the 100th minute was inches away from being turned in by substitute Simon Adingra, whose effort clipped the post.
The 14 minutes of added time provided additional drama but no decisive breakthrough.
A late free kick from Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh was headed wide by Jan Paul van Hecke, and referee Robert Jones signalled the end of a fiercely contested encounter.
