Brighton endured their third Premier League defeat of the season as Alex Iwobi’s brace and an unfortunate own goal by Matt O’Riley secured Fulham’s win on a stormy evening at Craven Cottage.
Despite the torrential rain and strong winds, Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen had no excuse for his early error.
Just three minutes in, the Dutchman attempted a short pass to Carlos Baleba inside the box, only for Iwobi to intercept and slot the ball into an empty net for his fourth league goal of the season.
Fulham nearly doubled their advantage shortly after when Iwobi broke through, but Igor Julio intervened with a well-timed challenge.
Brighton leveled the score 11 minutes into the second half through a moment of brilliance.
Jan Paul van Hecke delivered a lofted pass, which Joao Pedro, a nominee for November’s Premier League Player of the Month, skillfully controlled to set up Baleba.
The midfielder unleashed a precise low strike from 20 yards past Bernd Leno, celebrating with an impressive acrobatic somersault.
However, Brighton’s momentum was short-lived. Fulham regained the lead in the 79th minute when Andreas Pereira’s corner inadvertently deflected off O’Riley and into his own net.
Iwobi capped off the night with a thunderous second goal in the 87th minute, sealing Fulham’s victory. The result lifted the hosts to sixth place, just a point behind fifth-placed Brighton.
Brighton blow chance to go fourth
Brighton entered the match knowing a two-goal victory would propel them to fourth in the Premier League table, leapfrogging Manchester City. However, the Seagulls faced a challenging evening, with manager Fabian Hurzeler watching from the media seats as he served a one-game suspension for accumulating his third yellow card during last Friday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Hurzeler would have been alarmed by his side’s sluggish start but likely found some solace in their improved performance as the first half progressed. Carlos Baleba fired over on the turn, while Joao Pedro had two promising chances—one saved by Bernd Leno and another crucially blocked by Calvin Bassey.
With top scorer Danny Welbeck sidelined due to a minor injury, Simon Adingra was among four changes in Brighton’s lineup. Adingra came close to leveling twice, curling one effort over the bar and later forcing an outstanding reaction save from Leno after Kaoru Mitoma’s precise pull-back.
Brighton eventually equalized and looked poised to secure their first Premier League win over Fulham. However, two late goals from the hosts in the final 11 minutes dashed their hopes.
For Fulham, the victory provided a morale boost ahead of a tough upcoming schedule against Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. Manager Marco Silva may face further challenges if on-loan Reiss Nelson is sidelined after pulling up with a left hamstring injury. Nelson, who will miss Sunday’s clash with his parent club Arsenal regardless, was immediately substituted.