Brighton 2-2 Stoke City, RESULT: Jose Izquierdo levels the game after Kurt Zouma had taken the lead

  • Brighton host Stoke City in the Premier League on Monday night 
  • Chris Hughton's side have started well and are targeting eighth place 
  • Stoke are three points away from the Premier League relegation zone
  • Brighton starting XI: Ryan; Bruno, Dunk, Duffy, Bong; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo, Gross, Murray
  • Stoke starting XI: Grant; Zouma, Shawcross, Wimmer, Diouf, Fletcher, Allen, Pieters, Shaqiri, Choupo-Moting, Ramadan 
  • Follow all the build-up and action live with Sportsmail ahead of kick-off at 8pm
  • MATCH REPORT: Jose Izquierdo scores the crucial equaliser for Brighton 

Brighton hosted Stoke City in the Premier League on Monday night, with Chris Hughton's side aiming to move up to eighth place.

Hughton's men couldn't quite manage their fifth league win of the season as they drew 2-2 with Stoke.

Mark Hughes remains under pressure and will feel aggrieved after watching his side take the lead twice at the AMEX Stadium. 


Relive the action as it happened with Sportmail's TOM FARMERY.

For users viewing this on the app, click here for live blog access on the mobile site. 

  • Tom Farmery

    Host commentator

21:57
That's all from me...

thank you very much for joining me for tonight's live Premier League action. Four goals was pretty good value. Brighton were impressive and Stoke were clinical. Had Brighton been as clinical as Stoke then they may well have been celebrating their fifth league win of the season. 

21:52
FT: Brighton 2-2 Stoke

Stoke come forward for what could be their last attack. Crouch to Zouma to Diouf, who wins the throw in. Fletcher's ball is then played into the Brighton area but cleared and referee Lee Mason blows for full time.

21:50

91min: Brighton's fans respond as three minutes of stoppage time are announced. They now have a corner after Brown did well to draw a challenge. Unfortunately once the corner comes in it falls to Schelotto who blazes over the bar. 

21:48
Three minutes of stoppage time
21:48

89min: Diouf and March enjoying a mini battle as this one nears its conclusion. Diouf appeared to catch March after a sliding tackle which presented Brighton with a corner. March takes the corner but it is cleared away.

21:44

86min: Schelotto nearly makes an almost instant impact. He cuts inside the Stoke area but then plays a terrible ball which nearly makes it all the way out for a throw in. A little over excited perhaps.

21:42

83min: Final two changes for Brighton. Izzy Brown replaces Pascal Gross and Anthony Knockaert is replaced by Ezequiel Schelotto.

Anthony Knockaert and Ramadan Sobhi battle for the ball
21:41

82min: Stoke free kick. Fletcher plays the ball in from the right but it's easily cleared at the near post. A player of his experience should be doing better than that. Crouch then somehow manages to get in the way of Fletcher's second ball in which looked to be heading towards goal until the striker blocked it.

21:38

79min: Stoke move forward in numbers before the ball is swung into the Brighton six-yard. Dunk and Duffy went for the ball and missed it but Crouch couldn't quite get close enough to make contact. Stoke looking the sharper side as we reach the last 10 minutes.

21:35

76min: Brighton looking sharp again as Murray wins a corner. Knockaert to take. He whips in a left-footed ball which is easily claimed by Lee Grant. Bit of a waste.

21:32

73min: Sportsmail columnist Peter Crouch replaces Xherdan Shaqiri, who shakes his head as he comes off the pitch. 143rd appearance from the bench for Crouch. Brighton also make a change. Izquierdo is replaced by Solly March.

21:30

71min: Brighton building play slowly. Short and simple passes until the ball is launched high to Murray who carelessly loses possession. A nice attack that before it broke down so easily courtesy of their yellow-carded striker.

21:27

68min: Xherdan Shaqiri continues to hassle Brighton's defensive line. The Swiss international shimmies to his left outside the Brighton box before shooting from range but his shot narrowly missed Ryan's far post.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Pascal Gross reacts as Jose Izquierdo celebrates his strike
21:24

66min: Pieters wins a corner for Stoke. Stoke's sixth corner of the evening. Ball played in but Shawcross can't direct his header towards goal. The ball comes out again before being played in and this time Shawcross is offside.

21:21

63min: Brighton fans well behind their team now. They want a winner. Stoke's percentage has spiked in the last few minutes since the goal. They want to be back in front again and quick.

21:18
GOAL: Izquierdo 59min (Brighton 2-2 Stoke)

Murray cleverly picks out Izquierdo in the six-yard box after Zouma committed himself far too early. His initial effort is blocked by Wimmer before it comes back out to him and this time he sticks it past Grant and into the far corner. He doesn't half look shocked that it went in but it doesn't matter now. Brighton deservedly back on level terms.

21:15

56min: Arm in the face on  Zouma by Murray. The former Chelsea defender goes down but possession is given back to Brighton by referee Lee Mason. Zouma v Murray has developed into a good battle. A battle Zouma is currently winning.

21:11
1055 Stoke fans will be heading home very happy if the scoreline stays the same
21:09

50min: Stoke adapting a deep defensive line just as they did the first time they took the lead tonight. Propper is trying as much as possible to breach the Stoke backline. 

Meanwhile, Stoke come close through Allen and Ramadan Sobhi, but the Egyptian's shot is charged down well by Ryan.

21:05

47min: Expect Stoke to be even more conservative in their play this second half. Brighton have Izquierdo and Gross - two players who are creative and can cause problems. Chris Hughton's side, you feel, will need to direct their play through them.

21:03
Second half begins... Brighton get us back underway

No changes made by either side.

21:00
It all happened in a matter of minutes... Brighton level and then behind again two minutes later
Pascal Gross of Brighton and Hove Albion celebrates scoring his side's first goal after 44 minutes
Stoke City's Kurt Zouma (right) celebrates scoring levelling the game two minutes later
20:50
HT: Brighton 1-2 Stoke

Boos ring out round the AMEX. Referee Lee Mason isn't going to be particularly well liked on the south coast after not awarding Brighton a penalty when it appeared as though Murray had been brought down by Ryan Shawcross. Brighton, though, only have themselves to blame after switching off seconds after getting back on level terms.

20:46
GOAL: Zouma 45min (Brighton 1-2 Stoke)

A lesson in how not to defend a lead by Brighton. Hopeless defending as the corner came in from the left before Zouma met the ball at the near post to head past Ryan who stood no chance from such close range.

20:44
GOAL: Gross 43min (Brighton 1-1 Stoke)

Brighton on level terms and they deserve to be. Pascal Gross is the man with the goal. He linked up well with Propper before powerfully striking past Grant.

20:44

42min: Stoke doing a very good job of seeing this one out until half time. They're keeping a high defensive line, which is forcing Brighton to attempt balls over the top. Meanwhile, the first yellow card has been awarded. Murray goes into the book for a late challenge on Wimmer.

20:39

38min: Penalty appeal for Brighton but it's not given. Glenn Murray goes to ground inside the Stoke area after Shawcross appeared to clip the Brighton striker. Referee Lee Mason goes over to the fourth official only to award a goal kick. There was definitely contact.

20:36
Shaqiri still key for Stoke
Stoke City's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scores their first goal
20:35

34min: Knockaert finds himself one-on-one with Grant but he's offside as Gross helped the ball on to the Brighton No 11. Even if he had been onside, his touch took him away from Grant and, more importantly, the goal.

20:33

32min: Corner for Stoke after Bong intercepts Diouf's pass. Stoke take it short but Diouf this time gives the ball away and Brighton have the chance to regroup.

20:31

30min: Unfortunately for Brighton, that goal has given Stoke plenty of confidence to take a few more risks when going forward. Brighton have adopted a deeper defensive line but that is only going to make it more difficult for the likes of Izquierdo to break forward and take numbers with him.

20:27
GOAL: Choupo-Moting 27min (Brighton 0-1 Stoke)

Brighton don't deserve that. Poor defending by Dunk allows Choupo-Moting to profit. The Cameroon international took Shaqiri's ball down well before running behind Dunk and slotting past Ryan. Clinical stuff.

20:23

22min: Another chance for Brighton. Gross delivers a brilliant ball into the Stoke box from the right but Propper can't quite get enough power on his header to trouble Grant. Brighton the better side here.

20:18

18min: Big chance for Izquierdo and Brighton. The danger man races forward in between Zouma, cuts inside but can't direct his right-footed effort on target. £16m from Club Brugge and he's looking like Brighton's best hope so far during this game.

Mame Biram Diouf in action with Brighton's Lewis Dunk during the first half
20:17

16min: Brighton have a good habit of winning the ball deep in their own half and being able to break very quickly. Izquierdo is the man on the left who is causing Stoke's defence problems. He is, however, struggling to take advantage of the number of players Brighton are getting into the Stoke box.

20:13

13min: Shaqiri nearly made Brighton pay. Propper loses the ball just outside the Brighton area and Shaqiri latches onto the ball before driving into the area but Dunk does so well to stop him in his tracks. Panic over.

20:12

10min: Pieters is a danger for Stoke. Knockaert lost the full back completely as the Stoke player raced down the left. He eventually draws the corner. The corner comes in and Shawcross forces a good save from Ryan in goal.

20:10

7min: Brighton come forward through Stephens before the midfielder sends a right-footed effort towards goal but it finishes just wide of Stoke goalkeeper Grant.

20:07

4min: Jose Izquierdo has started very well here. The Brighton summer signing likes to cut in from the left and has the pace to draw just as he has done just now. Shawcross brings him down to give away the free-kick.

20:03

2min: Steady start. Xherdan Shaqiri makes a little run forward but concedes possession. Brighton keeping the ball well under pressure. 

20:00
Underway at the AMEX

It's Stoke who get us started...

19:58
Stoke manager Mark Hughes expecting a difficult match

Mark Hughes: 'We had difficult run of fixtures in the first seven or eight games of the season so we knew that was going to test us. Like for like, we are ahead of where we were last season. We are building steadily and doing okay. We’re looking to build our season now.'

19:55
Players out of the tunnel... moments away from kick-off
19:49
Ten minutes until kick-off...
19:48
Brighton manager Hughton has his say pre-match

Chris Hughton: 'We’ve been good here over the past couple of seasons and I still feel, even though we’ve had a good couple of away victories, our season will be based on the points we are able to get at home.'

19:32
Just under 30 minutes until kick-off and the Brighton boys are out for their final warm-up
19:26
Fletcher overtakes Gary McAllister for most Premier League apps by a Scot

Darren Fletcher just keeps on going. Fletcher has overtaken Gary McAllister’s record for the most Premier League appearances made by a Scottish player.

The game against Brighton tonight is his 103rd straight Premier League match.

According to Opta, it's the fifth-longest run by an outfield player in Premier League history. Frank Lampard (164), Matt Holland (115), Wayne Bridge (113), and Jonathan Walters (104) only have more.

Stoke City's Darren Fletcher ahead of his 103rd straight Premier League match
19:03
Brighton team news: Murray to lead the line for the hosts
19:02
Stoke team news: Shaqiri starts fresh from international heroics with Switzerland as Grant starts in goal
18:56
Bruno's looking relaxed as he read the matchday programme...
18:50
Good evening and welcome to our coverage of Brighton v Stoke

It might not be the biggest or the most enticing of fixtures but tonight's game is fascinating all the same.

Many thought at the start of the season that Brighton would struggle. They really haven't. Four wins, three draws and four defeats in the Premier League. Three points away from Watford in eighth place.

Stoke City, however, have endured a troubled start to the new term. They sit in 15th place but jump as high as ninth - the position Brighton occupy - with a win tonight.

Stay with me for all of the build-up and live action when the match kicks off at 8pm.

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