Brighton 1-1 Southampton: Glenn Murray scores again for the Seagulls as Saints are held by their resurgent hosts in Premier League clash

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Brighton continue to look at home — at home — in the Premier League.

A draw at the Amex on Sunday with Southampton, a side on the fringes of the top six on early form, was another decent result in front of their fans. How relegation threatened clubs fare on their own turf can be the difference between going down and survival and if Chris Hughton’s side keep it up rivals will be worried.

Brighton have lost here only once so far and that was to Manchester City on the opening day, the nil-two defeat looking increasingly impressive considering Pep Guardiola’s team have tossed aside all and sundry since then. ‘We always felt when you’re a club who’s just won promotion the home form would be a defining factor in how many points you got in a season,’ Brighton’s manager said.

Glenn Murray (left) climbs above the Southampton defence to head home a wide cross to draw Brighton level  

Striker Murray celebrates his equalising goal after latching on to a looping cross from Pascal Gross 

Steven Davis celebrates heading in Southampton's opening goal after James Ward-Prowse's free-kick hit the crossbar 

Captain Davis was in the right place to turn in after Ward-Prowse's wonderful free-kick beat the keeper but hit the bar

PLAYER RATINGS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE 

Brighton (4-4-1-1): Ryan 6; Saltor 6, Duffy 7, Dunk 7, Bong 6.5; Knockaert 6, Stephens 6, Propper 6.5, Izquierdo 6.5 (March 87); Gross 7.5 (Brown 84); Murray 7.

Substitutes not used: Hemed, Goldson, Schelotto, Krul, Suttner

Manager: Chris Hughton 6 

Booked: Murray, Duffy, Bong 

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Forster 6; Cedric 6, van Dijk 6.5, Hoedt 6.5, Bertrand 6; Romeu 6, Davis 7; Tadic 6 (Long 84), Ward-Prowse 6.5 (Hojbjerg 84), Boufal 6 (Redmond 72 6); Gabbiadini 6.

Substitutes not used: Yoshida, Stephens, McCarthy, McQueen.

Manager: Mauricio Pellegrino 6 

Booked: Hoedt

Referee: Neil Swarbrick 6

MOTM: Gross

Attendance: 30,564

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See how Glenn Murray scored Brighton's equaliser. Click here to find out more from MATCH ZONE.

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The Amex is no fearsome fortress, the players are buoyed by the family feel of the seaside support. Southampton arrived with the chance to leap Watford into seventh in this battle of the beaches but left with a point when they could have had none.

‘Now to play Brighton away is not a good moment,’ Southampton manager Mauricio Pellergino said. ‘Mentally they’re really high. Now the motivation to play every point is high, most teams suffer on this pitch.’

Two headers of opposing quality, coming early in either half from Southampton’s Steven Davis and the host’s Glenn Murray, gave each team a point that they will be pleased with, particularly Brighton who are now mid-table. ‘We haven’t been embarrassed in any games,’ Hughton said. ‘We deserve to be there. The two games away at Arsenal and here against City were also important, although we lost those games we’ve seen what City can do to teams. It’s lifted the players’ confidence at this level.’

Southampton’s seventh-minute strike was an uncharacteristically poor start for Brighton. They had not conceded before the 70th minute at home and even that was during the defeat to City.

The closing stages of the tie became heated after a number of strong challenges, with both sides pushing for a win 

Brighton's goalscorer clashes with Wesley Hoedt and both men are given a yellow card for their coming together 

Murray gets ahead of Virgil van Dijk and nearly doubles his tally but he blazes his effort well over the crossbar 

Southampton players celebrate with Davis (left) after they take a well-deserved lead in their tie away at Brighton 

The free kick from James Ward-Prowse to set it up was exquisite. Slightly to the left of the penalty area he swerved the ball right-footed, sending it arcing up and on to the left post just below the joint. Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan had flung himself at the ball in an attempt to save that was nowhere near so the goal was open as Davis reacted faster than any player and stooped to nod in, his first headed goal in 11 years.

Brighton had a chance to equalise shortly before the break but it was squandered by Anthony Knockaert. Gaetan Bong sent in an in-swinging cross from the left that landed perfectly for his team-mate at the back post. Rather than go for goal from close — albeit at a tight angle — Knockaert attempted to steer the ball back and got it all wrong.

The deserved leveller came, however, seven minutes into the second half. Oriol Romeu will rue his poor clearance on the edge of Southampton’s area straight to Knockaert, who passed out to Pascal Gross on the right. His cross went deep and Murray’s precision header was sublime; it wasn’t particularly powerful, but caressed by the striker’s sizeable forehead so close to the top left corner that though Fraser Forster reached a hand to the ball it was already behind the line as he scooped it out.

Fraser Forster had a relatively quite first-half with Mauricio Pellegrino's defence looking impressive in front of him  

Brighton players appeal for handball to referee Neil Swarbrick but the official waves away the claims 

Van Dijk was selected in the Southampton back-line and kept the Saints' defensive line strong in the first-half

Anthony Knockaert (centre) tries to create a chance for the hosts but Southampton have enough numbers back

Southampton Dusan Tadic has a discussion with the match referee Swarbrick in the opening half

Forster was criticised but Pellegrino defended his goalkeeper, saying: ‘It was a bit unlucky, the ball deflected off Cedric’s head and surprised a little bit our goalkeeper.’

Gross, a £3million summer signing from Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga, has been involved in seven of Brighton’s 10 Premier League goals, scoring two and setting up five. Only City’s David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne — both with six — have laid on more this season.

‘He’s a player we knew before he came here was capable of getting assists,’ Hughton said. ‘To be doing it at this level as a new player just into the Premier League it’s outstanding. In Premier League terms, there’s not an awful lot you can get for that sort of money, particularly now.’

With 20 minutes remaining a long punt upfield dropped into the path of Jose Izquierdo in the left channel. Rather than cross, Izquierdo ran at Cedric Soares and cut inside, firing in a shot that Virgil Van Dijk had to block with his stomach before crumpling to the ground and not looking best pleased with the manner of having to bail out his team-mate. 

Saints striker Manolo Gabbiadini started for the Saints but had very few chances in the opening stages 

Ward-Prowse (right) closes down Bong as Southampton looked to keep up the pressure after their opening goal

The hosts' striker Jose Izquierdo holds off the tackle from Cedric Soares after Brighton fell behind early on in the match

Southampton attacker Tadic (right) is tackled by Brighton defender Gaetan Bong in the early stages of the match

Brighton and Southampton hold a minutes silence for Remembrance Day ahead of their Premier League clash 

Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino embraces Brighton's Chris Hughton ahead of the match at the Amex Stadium