Report: Saints earn deserved point at Brighton

The Seagulls climbed to second in the Premier League with this result and looked on track for victory when Kaoru Mitoma headed them in front in a first half in which Georginio Rutter struck the post and Danny Welbeck headed narrowly wide.

Cameron Archer should have levelled the scores before half time but Saints were much improved after the interval, and did get their equaliser through Flynn Downes on 59 minutes.

Confidence restored, Saints went hunting for more and Archer thought he’d turned the game on its head midway through the second half with a poacher’s finish from Ryan Fraser’s cross, only for Adam Armstrong to be ruled offside after a five-minute delay, despite not touching the ball.

That led to 10 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game, but neither side could force a winner as the south-coast spoils were shared.

Russell Martin made four changes to his side from Sunday’s brave effort in defeat against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Adam Lallana and Paul Onuachu, both forced off with injuries that day, were unavailable for selection, while Alex McCarthy and Fraser dropped to the bench.

That meant a Premier League debut for 29-year-old Joe Lumley, with Martin revealing before the game that McCarthy had “played through the pain barrier” against Liverpool and been struggling with a knee problem.

There were also recalls for Yukinari Sugawara, Ryan Manning and Archer, as the latter partnered Armstrong up front.

Joe Lumley lined up for his Premier League debut

Saints started confidently against a team who knew they could go second with a win, attacking with purpose and forcing an early corner.

But when Mateus Fernandes’s shot was blocked, Brighton broke at speed. Sugawara seemed to have the danger covered as the last man, but allowed compatriot Mitoma to pick his pocket, going eye to eye with Lumley but rushing the chance and missing the target as he tried to thread the ball inside the near post.

Having survived that early scare, Saints were worried again when Rutter jinked inside and whipped a shot back across Lumley that whistled inches wide with the keeper rooted.

Saints were living dangerously now. Rutter, who was on the losing side at Wembley six months ago in that Championship play-off final, was plotting revenge as he hit a vicious curling drive that crashed against Lumley’s right-hand post.

Next to go close was captain Welbeck, whose header from Pervis Estupiñán’s cross grazed the outside of the upright on its way wide.

The goal was coming and Mitoma duly provided it in the 29th minute. Brighton worked the ball out to Tariq Lamptey on the right, whose devilish cross bounced up off the turf kindly for Mitoma to stoop and head home, sharp with his movement and ruthless with his finish.

Saints’ build-up play, particularly the playmaking of Fernandes and driving runs of Tyler Dibling, were getting them into good areas, but Archer’s low cross was cut out and Manning’s half-volley deflected behind.

Tyler Dibling was a constant threat on the counter-attack

The visitors’ best chance of the half fell to Archer in the final two minutes. Sugawara’s low cross from the right was a beauty, beyond the stretching Igor Julio, but just skipped up in front of Archer, who could not connect cleanly on his left foot and saw the ball drop wide of the target from six yards.

Martin had a decision to make at half time on Downes, booked early on and guilty of a few more fouls thereafter, but trusted the midfielder, surely on a final warning from the referee, to keep his discipline.

The Seagulls smelt blood. A slick move at the start of the second period resulted in a teasing low cross from Matt O’Riley just out of reach of Mitoma, before João Pedro’s brilliant footwork threatened to carve a chance from the byline.

A booking for Taylor Harwood-Bellis means he and Downes will be suspended for Wednesday’s visit of Chelsea to St Mary’s, having both now accrued five yellow cards this season.

But that earlier decision to keep Downes on the field paid dividends when he struck his first Premier League goal to level the scores just shy of the hour, as Saints showed their spirit to hit back.

Another driving Dibling run set the wheels in motion. Manning did well to keep his composure and set up Armstrong, who seemed to take too many touches in the area and saw his shot blocked, but instead it fell kindly for Downes to ram home the rebound in front of a bouncing away end.

Saints celebrate Flynn Downes's equaliser

The goalscorer was substituted very soon after, with Sugawara also withdrawn, as Joe Aribo and Fraser entered the fray. Buoyed by the equaliser, Saints had their tails up, and thought they had turned the game on its head eight minutes later.

Again Dibling was involved, this time setting Fraser free down the left, whose low cross was behind Armstrong and finished at the far post by Archer.

After a lengthy VAR check, Archer was deemed to be onside, but that was not sufficient. Armstrong, having ran past the ball, had dangled a leg in attempting to flick it and was thus ruled offside despite making no contact. When your luck’s out, it’s out.

Martin sent on Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ben Brereton Díaz in the closing stages as Saints continued to look dangerous on the counter, particularly through the outstanding Dibling, although he will also miss the Chelsea clash through suspension.

With 10 added minutes signalled, there was more than enough time for one more chance. When it came, it was a Brighton chance in the 100th minute, as Jack Stephens slid in to get a crucial touch on a low cross, and watched on anxiously as the ball rolled against Lumley's left-hand post and behind for a corner.

Ultimately the points would be shared, leaving both sides wondering what might have been.

Brighton: Verbruggen, Lamptey (Dunk 72), van Hecke, Igor Julio, Estupiñán, Georginio (Minteh 88), Ayari, O’Riley (Wieffer 73), Mitoma, Welbeck (c) (Ferguson 79), João Pedro (Adingra 72).

Unused substitutes: Steele, McConville, Slater, Enciso.

Goal: Mitoma (29’).

Booked: O’Riley, Wieffer.

Southampton: Lumley, Sugawara (Fraser 66), Harwood-Bellis, Stephens (c), Walker-Peters, Manning, Downes (Aribo 66), Fernandes, Dibling, Armstrong (Brereton Díaz 90+2’), Archer (Kamaldeen 88).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Edwards, Wood, Bree, Amo-Ameyaw.

Goal: Downes (59’).

Booked: Downes, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Dibling.

Referee: Rob Jones.