Caleb Okoli's first Premier League goal gave Leicester City their first point in nine games
Caleb Okoli scored the equaliser as relegation-threatened Leicester City ended their eight-game losing streak and hurt Brighton's ambitions of qualifying for Europe with a hard-earned draw.
Okoli, starting in place of the injured Wout Faes, powered a diving header from Bilal El Khannouss' free-kick past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to rescue a rare point for Ruud van Nistelrooy's side.
The Foxes had scored their first league goal since 26 January when Stephy Mavididi equalised in the first half to cancel out Joao Pedro's penalty that had given Brighton a deserved lead.
Despite the draw, the visitors remain second from bottom of the Premier League and 14 points from safety with six games remaining.
Brazilian forward Pedro had opened the scoring from the spot just past the half-hour mark after Simon Adingra's shot struck the arm of Leicester centre-back Conor Coady inside the box.
But seconds after Adingra brushed the top of the crossbar for the Seagulls, Mavididi capitalised on Lewis Dunk's defensive mistake and beat Verbruggen to end the Foxes' run of 885 minutes without a goal in the top flight.
Matt O'Riley was then denied by the woodwork again for Brighton but Leicester ended the half strongly and Verbruggen had to tip away a header from Kasey McAteer.
But it was the hosts who regained the lead early in the second half after a pull of O'Riley's shirt by Luke Thomas in the box and Pedro slotted his spot-kick into the top corner, giving Mads Hermansen no chance to save.
The Foxes continued to probe for a way back and after Patson Daka was denied by Verbruggen, Okoli turned home El Khannouss' free-kick to stun Brighton.
Leicester were denied all three points by the woodwork which kept out El Khannouss' curling effort in the closing stages.
Brighton are now winless in three matches and sit ninth, seven points adrift of the top four.
Brighton miss chance to bounce back
Brighton were 'too naive' against Leicester - Hurzeler
Brighton were on course to secure a place in Europe for only the second time, but a drop in form in recent weeks has hurt their chances.
Fabian Hurzeler's side came into this game after back-to-back defeats by Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, and looking for their first win in five games but failed to capitalise on a fast start.
The Brighton boss was without suspended centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke and injured winger Kaoru Mitoma, but Adingra, starting for only the second time since 16 January, proved lively early on.
It was the Ivorian who earned the Seagulls' first penalty when his shot from Pervis Estupinan's cross struck the arm of Coady.
Though Pedro scored the penalty and converted again from the spot 10 minutes into the second half to restore their lead, Brighton failed to hold on to the advantage as they once again showed the frailties from their recent outings.
Hurzeler told BBC Match of the Day he was "very disappointed" and it was "very frustrating because it was not a mature performance, we were too naive".
He added: "We didn't act like we should. We didn't deserve more."
His side face a difficult trip to Brentford next, and failure to shrug off their poor form could prove costly for their European ambitions.
"The season is not over yet. We have to show a reaction because this cannot continue," the Brighton manager said.
Foxes show grit amid gloom
'We broke the cycle' - Van Nistelrooy on Leicester win
Leicester may have little left to play for this season, but they arrived in Brighton determined to end a run of eight consecutive league defeats without scoring.
Brighton made their life difficult early on, but the Foxes grew into the contest.
The warning signs were there for the Seagulls as Okoli headed just over from an El Khannouss corner, before Mavididi wriggled into the box but failed to keep his shot low.
When Mavididi finally broke through on 38 minutes, it marked Leicester's first league goal since El Khannouss' winner against Spurs in January.
"The season couldn't end like this with a lack of goals or with this run of form and we broke that cycle today," Van Nistelrooy said.
Okoli's late equaliser sparked celebrations among the travelling support, who have had very little to cheer since their promotion from the Championship.
But the reality remains stark. Leicester will find themselves 17 points from safety with just 18 points left to play for if 17th-placed Wolves beat Spurs on Sunday.
Relegation could be confirmed as early as next Sunday, when they face leaders Liverpool and Wolves take on Manchester United.
"We want to finish the season in a positive way to ensure we start the next season as good as we can," said the Leicester boss, whose future at the club remains uncertain.
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