Downes earns point but VAR denies Southampton victory at Brighton

Perhaps all is not lost for Russell Martin? Having watched them chase shadows for the first hour against high-flying Brighton, the Southampton manager saw his side finally pick up their first away point of the season thanks to an inspirational performance from teenager Tyler Dibling.

Had the VAR not ruled out a winning goal from Cameron Archer for a dubious offside then this really would have been a night to savour for Martin, who squared up to his opposite number Fabian Hürzeler at the full-time whistle in an ill-tempered end to proceedings on the south coast.

While the draw moves Brighton up to the dizzy heights of second place by virtue of their superior head-to-head record against champions Manchester City, Hürzeler was bitterly disappointed not to have finished the job after Kaoru Mitoma headed them in front during a first half of almost total domination. His side could not respond to a spirited comeback that was sparked by Dibling and saw Flynn Downes equalise before the game’s moment of controversy when Adam Armstrong was deemed to have been interfering with play from an offside position left Martin fuming.

“I understand why they might not give it in the heat of the moment so I’m not angry with them,” he said. “It’s about interpretation and in my opinion he doesn’t affect the goalkeeper. So that’s a bad decision.”

Hürzeler acknowledged that Brighton must become more ruthless after spurning a series of opportunities and was not happy with Martin or the referee’s decision not to show a second yellow card to Downes.

“It’s just important to have respect for each other,” he said of his spat with the Southampton manager. “How you talk to each other on the sideline – I think that’s the most important thing. That’s how I’ve been educated.”

Martin insisted that there was no problem with his opposite number but admitted that he had been annoyed by the number of times Hürzeler asked the referee to book his players. “Respect is reciprocal, it’s mutual,” he said. “I’ve never known it to be at that level.”

Hürzeler had warned that his side would have to suffer against a Southampton team that enjoys keeping possession but it was fourth-choice goalkeeper Joe Lumley was given a baptism of fire during a frantic opening period. Yukinari Sugawara almost gifted Mitoma an opening goal after miscontrolling under pressure but his compatriot could not apply the finish when Lumley charged out of his goal. Georgino Rutter then flashed a shot just wide before striking the post with a curling shot from outside the area that cannoned away to safety.

Southampton may be vulnerable in defence but they showed occasional glimpses of their threat in attack, with Dibling forcing Matt O’Riley into a rash challenge that earned the midfielder a yellow card. But any hopes that had survived the home side’s onslaught were dashed when Tariq Lamptey’s cross eluded all three of the visiting centre-backs and Mitoma was able to steer his header past Lumley.

Not for the last time, tempers flared moments later when Kyle Walker-Peters hauled down Rutter right in front of the dugouts and Hürzeler leapt out of his seat demanding a booking, much to Martin’s clear disgust. A few words were exchanged, with the Brighton manager eventually shown a yellow card that means he gets a touchline ban for their next game against Fulham on Thursday. “You have to be very careful what you say in England,” he said afterwards.

With the impressive Yasin Ayari – the latest example of Brighton’s seemingly endless supply of emerging talent – prompting in midfield, the script seemed written for them to extend their lead. Instead it was Archer who had a golden opportunity to equalise from Sugawara’s excellent low cross just before half-time but he was unable to hit the target from close range.

Having survived a lovely flowing Brighton move at the start of the second half, Southampton were soon back to their old tricks when Lumley gave the ball away as he attempted to play out from the back and he looked relieved to see the danger snuffed out. Taylor Harwood-Bellis went into the book for a cynical bodycheck on Mitoma and Ayari forced Lumley into a save after conceding with a volley.

Southampton desperately needed inspiration from somewhere and it came from the dazzling feet of Dibling. Having shrugged off a heavy challenge from Ayari, the teenager picked out Armstrong in the box but his shot was blocked. The ball eventually found its way back to the striker and his effort deflected into the path of Downes, who made no mistake from 12 yards out to stun the home supporters into silence.

Martin thought that things had got even better when another brilliant Dibling dribble set substitute Ryan Fraser free down the left and Archer tapped in. He could not believe his luck when VAR eventually ruled out the goal after a significant delay. Dibling forced Bart Verbruggen into a save but Brighton spurned a number of chances to win it, culminating with substitute Simon Adingra striking the post late on.