Brighton and Hove Albion climbed to second in the Premier League table despite being held to a draw at home against bottom-placed Southampton.
Kaoru Mitoma opened the scoring midway through the first half, taking advantage of poor defending by the Saints to head Brighton into the lead.
A win would have put Brighton just six points behind leaders Liverpool. However, they were denied victory when Flynn Downes struck home an equalizer just before the hour mark.
As a result, Brighton sit second, level with Manchester City on points, goal difference, and goals scored, but ahead due to their superior head-to-head record.
Southampton briefly thought they had taken the lead through Cameron Archer shortly after Downes’ goal, but the effort was disallowed for a contentious offside decision, with Adam Armstrong deemed to have interfered with play.
The result leaves Southampton anchored at the bottom of the table with only five points from 13 matches.
Brighton dominated the early stages of Friday evening’s match, frequently exposing Southampton’s risky attempts to play out from the back. Georginio Rutter nearly put Brighton ahead in the 16th minute, cutting in from the right and hitting the post with a left-footed shot.
Their breakthrough came when Tariq Lamptey, making his first league start of an injury-plagued season, delivered a cross from the right. Jack Stephens missed his header, and the ball bounced through to Mitoma, who outmaneuvered Yukinari Sugawara to head in the opener.
Brighton, however, failed to build on their lead and were punished when Armstrong’s blocked shot fell perfectly for Downes, who fired in from 16 yards to secure the draw.
Controversial VAR Call Denies Southampton Win
Southampton, aiming to end a nine-game away losing streak, felt hard done by after a contentious VAR decision denied them a crucial win.
Their disallowed goal came from an impressive team move initiated by youngster Tyler Dibling, one of the few bright spots in Southampton’s challenging season. Dibling set up substitute Ryan Fraser, whose cross from the left bypassed Adam Armstrong at the near post but was finished by Cameron Archer at the far post.
A lengthy VAR review lasting over four minutes determined that while Archer was onside, Armstrong — in an offside position — had slightly flicked his heel towards the cross, which was deemed to interfere with play. As a result, Southampton were denied what would have been their second league victory this season.
The Saints also contributed to their own frustrations, relying on aimless long balls and set pieces that failed to trouble Brighton’s defense. Their best first-half chance saw Archer miss from eight yards out.
Brighton Falter in Title Race Challenge
For Brighton, the match represented a missed opportunity to cement themselves as genuine title contenders. With Manchester City and Chelsea still in the conversation, the Seagulls had a chance to signal their intentions but fell short against a team struggling at the bottom of the table.
Fabian Hürzeler’s squad has been in strong form and faces a favorable run of fixtures ahead. In December, they avoid any of the current top seven teams, with their toughest opponent being eighth-placed Aston Villa on December 30. However, failing to capitalize on matches like this raises doubts about their title credentials, even after impressive wins against elite teams like Manchester City.
There were positives, including the return of Tariq Lamptey, who made his first start since October and showed his usual energy at right-back. Centre-back Lewis Dunk was fit enough to make the bench, and Matt O’Riley looked comfortable in midfield, marking his first Premier League start since joining from Celtic.
Yet, forwards Danny Welbeck and João Pedro, who have been in good form recently, struggled to make an impact, leaving Brighton to settle for a frustrating draw and two dropped points.