NEAL MAUPAY’S LAST-gasp tap-in plundered Brighton a 1-1 Premier League draw at Southampton.
The French forward produced the fastest reaction after Jakub Moder’s free-kick, to deny Ralph Hasenhuttl a win on his three-year anniversary as Saints boss.
Maupay’s sixth top-flight goal in 15 appearances rescued a point for Graham Potter’s side in the eighth minute of added time, but Brighton are still winless in 11 matches in all competitions.
Armando Broja’s smart finish had for so long appeared sufficient for Saints to grab a first win in four Premier League outings.
The Chelsea loanee coolly cut inside Shane Duffy’s last-ditch sliding tackle to slot home, but Southampton paid the price for profligacy elsewhere and for sitting too deep in the second half.
Brighton avoided another chastening afternoon at the last by snatching a point, but were left to fret over a nasty-looking injury to Leandro Trossard.
The winger was carried from the field on a stretcher suffering a suspected dislocated elbow after a collision with Nathan Redmond.
Broja twice worked himself free on goal in the afternoon’s opening exchanges, only to let Brighton off the hook both times, with shots on target lacking the venom to hit the net.
Enock Mwepu then quickly spurned two chances of his own in response, first producing a tame effort after being allowed to turn in the box all too easily before drawing a solid save from Alex McCarthy.
An engaging, open contest harboured huge promise but could not quite deliver on quality end-product.
Duffy headed wildly over from a corner and Trossard allowed McCarthy a straightforward stop.
Saints finally delivered a telling blow just ahead of the half-hour however, as Broja kept his cool to finish in style.
The Chelsea loanee latched onto Redmond’s cushioned header and cut inside Duffy’s despairing challenge before prodding past Robert Sanchez.
Saints should have doubled their lead straight after half-time, when Broja scuffed wide after Tino Livramento’s accurate pull-back.
Maupay would have expected to score for the Seagulls just moments later, but could only angle wide with an underpowered effort.
Replacement Aaron Connolly teed up Maupay with a fine low ball, only for the Frenchman to strike too close to McCarthy for the Saints keeper to deflect clear.
Time and again Saints lived dangerously, sitting on their lead and inviting Brighton to attack. And right at the last, that approach cost the hosts dearly.
James Ward-Prowse conceded possession in his own half and Oriol Romeu upended Mwepu for a cheap free-kick.
Moder whipped the ball goalwards, forcing McCarthy to parry – and Maupay pounced to finish.
The France forward was onside because Ward-Prowse had moved back at the last minute attempting to cover the post from the free-kick, and had not rushed out quickly enough.
Elsewhere, Callum Wilson finally handed Newcastle their first Premier League win of the season at the 15th attempt as they rode their luck to see off fellow strugglers Burnley.
Eddie Howe’s men were decidedly second best for long periods in front of a crowd of 51,948 at St James’ Park but made the most of a slice of good fortune when Wilson blasted home his sixth goal of the season after goalkeeper Nick Pope had dropped the ball at his feet.
The 1-0 victory, which was a reward for hard work and doggedness rather than quality, lifted the Magpies off the foot of the table and, while they still have a mountain to climb, they have at least established base camp four games into their new head coach’s reign.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche, however, will wonder quite how his team boarded the coach back to Lancashire with nothing to show for their efforts on an afternoon when their four-match unbeaten run drew to a disappointing close.
The visitors mustered the first attempt on goal when Maxwel Cornet ran on to Chris Wood’s sixth-minute knock-down but dragged his effort wide and Johann Gudmundsson rattled Martin Dubravka’s right post with a fierce shot seven minutes later with Jamal Lewis appealing in vain for a free-kick.
The Magpies were not seeing enough of the ball to establish any momentum and what possession they did enjoy they wasted to allow Burnley to counter-attack, Cornet stretching Dubravka with a glancing 21st-minute header.
Miguel Almiron blazed high and wide and Jonjo Shelvey’s touch let him down on the edge of the box as Newcastle grew increasingly frustrated, but it took a timely intervention by full-back Charlie Taylor to prevent Wilson from meeting Allan Saint-Maximin’s cross on the volley with 29 minutes gone.
Cornet’s limping departure 14 minutes before the break provided an unexpected solution to one of the home side’s problems, but their inability to put together a cohesive attack simply served to hand the ball back to the opposition with monotonous regularity.
However, they received the helping hand they needed five minutes before half-time when England international Pope spilled Joe Willock’s cross as he came through a crowd of players and Wilson shifted the ball before smashing it into the roof of the net, with the keeper’s appeals for a foul going unheeded.
Cornet’s replacement Matej Vydra might have levelled in first-half stoppage time, but skied his attempt after slipping as he controlled Matthew Lowton’s cross in space to let the hosts off the hook.
Saint-Maximin whipped a shot into Pope’s arms and Almiron saw his effort deflected just past a post as the Magpies returned on the front foot, although Burnley continued to play the more fluent football.
Nathan Collins got his head to Almiron’s goal-bound 78th-minute shot and Pope had to tip away Shelvey’s dipping effort seconds later and, although substitute Jay Rodriguez thought he had levelled seven minutes from time, an offside flag and a concerted defensive effort as the whistle approached ensured Newcastle’s day was not ruined.
