João Pedro’s last-gasp penalty sinks Fulham as Brighton keep up hot streak

Things were always going to be tight in this battle of two of the Premier League’s more upwardly mobile sides and so it proved until the fifth minute of added time. At that stage, it looked as though Jan Paul van Hecke’s header that cancelled out Raúl Jiménez’s excellent strike would give Brighton and Fulham a share of the points. But a contentious late penalty from João Pedro, after he was fouled by the substitute Harrison Reed, gave Fabian Hürzeler’s side a sixth straight victory in all competitions to lift them up to sixth place and leave Marco Silva fuming at the injustice of it all. The Fulham manager stood motionless at the final whistle after the referee, Sam Barrott, pointed at the spot, barely able to believe his side had been beaten.

The sun may have been shining on the south coast but the tempo of this game throughout reflected the fact there was no chance of either side being on the beach just yet. Both booked their places in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last weekend and – even if they are now separated by four points – continue to harbour realistic ambitions of qualifying for Europe next season via the Premier League.

There are also plenty of similarities between their managers, with Hürzeler and Silva having arrived in English football’s top flight in their 30s and known as two of the division’s more demonstrative characters on the touchline. Having decided to switch to a back three and make four changes including recalls for Emile Smith Rowe and Jiménez, the Fulham manager spent most of the first half on his feet as his side congested the midfield and managed to keep Brighton at arm’s length.

The plan seemed to be working effectively as the hosts were restricted to a couple of deflected efforts, with Fulham going close at the other end when Smith Rowe’s shot was diverted wide.

Hürzeler’s step count probably wasn’t far behind as he was regularly out of his seat urging his side to move the ball more quickly as João Pedro shot straight at Bernd Leno – last week’s hero in the penalty shootout victory against Manchester United. But with Danny Welbeck watching on from the bench despite his winner against Newcastle last week, Brighton lacked cutting edge.

Instead, it was Silva who was able to celebrate first when the impressive Iwobi strode down the right flank in the 35th minute and delivered a brilliant cross to the back post for Jiménez. His chest control to take the ball past Van Hecke was superb and a half-volleyed finish with his left foot gave Bart Verbruggen no chance. To Hürzeler and the home supporters’ relief, the lead lasted around five minutes when the big Dutchman got his revenge by thundering home a header off the post from Yasin Ayari’s free-kick after escaping his marker Calvin Bassey. The Brighton manager was angry when he felt Georginio Rutter had been fouled but wasn’t given a free-kick just before half-time and headed down the tunnel in a huff.

Jan Paul van Hecke (far right) guides in Brighton’s equaliser with a header from a free-kick. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/Reuters

A deft piece of ball control when the ball went out of play at the start of the second half showed the German still has a silky touch when called upon as João Pedro curled just wide following a one-two with Rutter. Jiménez blazed wide when he found space down the right after a hopeful ball forward before Kaoru Mitoma’s goal was chalked off for Brighton because Yankuba Minteh had strayed offside in the buildup.

The frustrations of both managers began to boil over as the midfield became a battleground, with Silva taking exception with the fourth official at more than one decision that didn’t go his side’s way. It was Hürzeler’s turn to complain when Rutter was taken out by Antonee Robinson as Brighton attempted to break, although increasingly Fulham looked more capable of finding a winning goal.

Welbeck and Solly March received detailed instructions from the Brighton manager before coming on for the final 15 minutes but the veteran striker’s header was badly off target when João Pedro picked him out inside the area. His fellow substitute Simon Adingra had the ball in the net soon after, only to be flagged offside. But the pivotal moment arrived just as it seemed both sides were destined to share the points when Reed tripped João Pedro inside the area and the Brazilian stroked home his seventh Premier League goal of the season.