Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Burnley: Simon Adingra rescues point for Seagulls
- Published
- comments
Simon Adingra's fifth goal of the season broke Burnley's resistance in the second half
Simon Adingra's second-half header earned Brighton a draw against relegation-threatened Burnley at Amex Stadium.
The visitors had led through Wilson Odobert's deflected effort but Adingra broke the Clarets' resistance when he steered Pascal Gross' delivery into the far corner with 13 minutes remaining.
Gross, James Milner, Jan Paul van Hecke and Mahmoud Dahoud had all gone close for Brighton early in the second half, while the home side needed a double save from Bart Verbruggen to deny first Odobert then Jay Rodriguez not long after the interval.
It was almost one-way traffic thereafter, as Kaoru Mitoma sent a first-time shot narrowly over the crossbar before Evan Ferguson nodded past the post.
Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford did magnificently to save Adingra's goal-bound shot at the far post, but there was little the former Manchester City man could do about the Ivorian's header moments later.
Teenager Jack Hinshelwood, whose first senior goal earned Brighton three points at home to Brentford on Wednesday, and Mitoma were both thwarted by Trafford deep into second-half stoppage time as the Clarets held on for a hard-earned point.
The visitors stay in the relegation zone but close to within two points of 17th-placed Everton, while Brighton remain in eighth place.
One point gained or two dropped for Brighton?
Brighton should have won but conceded stupid goal - De Zerbi
The Seagulls have now scored and conceded in each of their last 20 Premier League matches, but for a while it looked like Burnley would become the first side since Fulham in February to stop Roberto de Zerbi's team from finding the net in the top flight.
Despite dominating possession from the outset, the hosts struggled to seriously threaten Trafford's goal until midway through the first half, when the Clarets goalkeeper stuck out a right leg to deny Gross from inside the penalty area.
Trafford did well to save James Milner's low effort, and Van Hecke headed narrowly off target from Adingra's whipped delivery as the Seagulls' pressure began to intensify.
Odobert's goal came firmly against the run of play, but Brighton were fortunate not to fall two goals behind when Rodriguez shot straight at Verbruggen after the Dutchman had got a hand to the Frenchman's low cross.
The game appeared to be slipping away from the Seagulls when Trafford spread himself to deny Adingra from close range, but the lively 21-year-old's cushioned header levelled the scores and left Brighton with over a quarter of an hour to complete the fightback.
Despite the best efforts of Hinshelwood and Mitoma, however, they were unable to find a way past Trafford for a second time.
"I'm disappointed with the result - we played a great second half," De Zerbi told BBC Match of the Day. "We were unlucky, but we have to improve. If we didn't win against Fulham, Sheffield and today against Burnley, then it is a problem in the mentality or the energy.
"We can become a big team, but maybe we are not yet."
Odobert and Trafford impress for Clarets
Brighton 1-1 Burnley: Clarets showing lot of promise - Kompany
Burnley were content to let Brighton settle into their customary passing game in the early stages of the first half, but when the Clarets did win possession they used the ball wisely.
Odobert, who replaced the injured Luca Koleosho in the visitors' starting line-up, was a constant menace to the Brighton defence and deserved the slice of good fortune - a faint deflection off Milner - that led to his first-half opener.
The 19-year-old is the first teenager to score a Premier League away goal for Burnley, and only the second to score multiple goals in a single season for the Clarets after Dwight McNeil in 2018-19.
Vincent Kompany's team defended with spirit and tenacity in the second half, but they needed several fabulous stops from Trafford to keep Brighton at bay - before and after Adingra's equaliser.
"It's the story of our team," Kompany said when asked about Trafford's display. "We've been in every game for some time now. We give ourselves a chance and we have to believe that we will turn these [performances] into results.
"The team can't continue putting in good performances and not [getting] results."
Trafford was called into action twice more in added time, parrying Hinshelwood's close-range header to safety before tipping Mitoma's shot over the crossbar.
Burnley stretch their unbeaten run against Brighton to eight matches in all competitions, while the Seagulls are now winless in seven home league games against the Lancashire club.