Injuries, fine margins and a disputed penalty undo Brighton after Mitoma’s equaliser

Brighton and Hove Albion left the south coast empty-handed, beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth in a match shaped by early injuries and big calls. Kaoru Mitoma’s header early in the second half briefly restored parity after Alex Scott’s opener, but Antoine Semenyo’s 61st-minute penalty proved decisive.

The Seagulls never quite found rhythm across the 90 minutes. Jack Hinshelwood limped off in the opening exchanges and Maxim De Cuyper was injured after being barged into the advertising hoardings, leaving Brighton disjointed. Crucially, the first goal arrived while De Cuyper was still off the pitch.

Early setbacks and a sense of injustice

Brighton’s plans were shredded almost immediately. Hinshelwood’s early withdrawal was followed by De Cuyper’s collision with the hoardings under pressure from Antoine Semenyo; the Belgian required treatment and was replaced by Ferdi Kadioglu. With the defence in flux and De Cuyper off the field, Bournemouth struck through Scott after Semenyo’s hold-up play created the opening on the edge of the area.

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler was pointed post-match: “It shouldn’t be like this and then we concede a goal with 10 men,” he said, calling the sequence “not the right thing.” He later added that small margins and some poor decisions—not necessarily the penalty—had swung the contest away from his side.

Minteh ignites the fightback

After the interval, Brighton looked like themselves. Yankuba Minteh, their liveliest outlet all afternoon, attacked the right flank and shaped a wicked ball to the back post that left Djordje Petrovic stranded; Mitoma arrived unmarked to climb and head in from close range just three minutes into the half.

The visitors pressed the accelerator. Minteh flashed a deflected attempt into the side-netting and Danny Welbeck volleyed narrowly wide after Bournemouth failed to clear a corner. For a spell, the Cherries were pinned back and the Amex side looked the likelier scorers.

The decisive whistle

Then came the moment that settled it. A stray pass from Lewis Dunk invited a Bournemouth break; Evanilson surged into the box and Jan Paul van Hecke made contact as he tried to recover. Referee Peter Bankes pointed to the spot and Semenyo rolled the penalty into the centre as Bart Verbruggen dived away.

Opinions differed. An ex-Premier League referee on television felt the contact was minimal and called it a poor on-field decision. Hürzeler did not quarrel with the award itself, but insisted there were other key moments that went against his side. Brighton rallied, yet the closest they came thereafter was a late Carlos Baleba effort that flew over.

Positives to carry, lessons to learn

There were threads to build on. Minteh’s relentless running repeatedly stressed Bournemouth, Mitoma’s timing at the far post was impeccable, and the experience of James Milner in the starting XI helped shepherd a reconfigured side after the early injuries. Kadioglu’s introduction for De Cuyper at least stabilised the flank.

Yet the Seagulls lacked sustained fluency and sharpness, a point underlined by Dunk’s error before the penalty and the inability to extend their best spell after equalising. Hürzeler’s message was to react quickly and collectively. With Tottenham next at the Amex, Brighton’s task is to recover key bodies, sharpen decision-making and recapture their usual rhythm over longer stretches.