Blackpool 1-1 Brighton
- Published
Elliot Grandin
Blackpool had to settle for a draw despite dominating their mid-table Championship encounter with Brighton.
The hosts created several chances but fell behind to a scrappy Ashley Barnes toe-poke against the run of play.
Elliot Grandin then headed home Matt Phillips's cross to equalise, prompting a late onslaught from the Tangerines.
But the Frenchman was denied a spectacular second when Seagulls keeper Tomasz Kuszczak pushed his superb 25-yard strike over the bar.
It was the last of many chances for Blackpool, who went close as early as the fifth minute when Kuszczak saved a left-footed strike from Phillips.
Brighton didn't perform - Poyet
Alex Baptiste then squandered a chance from close range, before Grandin mis-hit a header from 12 yards.
Surprisingly it was the visitors who broke the deadlock after 56 minutes when Barnes prodded home from inside the six-yard box.
Tom Ince then scooped a close-range effort over the crossbar before Grandin levelled.
Brighton's Craig Mackail-Smith could have won it with a late overhead kick, but Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks saved.
Blackpool manager Ian Holloway:"Our goals have dried up and I think we need Kevin Phillips back because some of our finishing looked a bit erratic.
"The goal we let in was as soft as a wet potato, but that is down to a lack of communication and not dealing with things.
"Brighton have been going through a rough time, but I give Gus Poyet massive credit for the way his team is playing.
"It is our fault for not taking our chances. I will have to scratch my head, start again and see how we go from here."
Brighton manager Gus Poyet:"I am very happy with the result, but I don't think it was a fair result because Blackpool were by far the better team so I think we should be delighted with a point.
"Football is a funny game. Sometimes you can create 10 or 20 chances and get nothing. Here we did nothing and I don't know how we scored.
"You can call it luck I suppose and when it happens you are happy to accept it.
"There was no celebration when we scored. The players didn't run and celebrate with the fans, probably because they were so shocked and so surprised to have got a goal at that stage of the game."