Fulham moved into the Premier League’s top half after staging a late comeback to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1, extending their unbeaten home streak in the league to five games.

The game started at a subdued pace, but the Cottagers soon carved out a golden opportunity midway through the first half. Raúl Jiménez, however, failed to make the most of a close-range chance, with Bart Verbruggen producing a crucial near-post save to keep Brighton in the game.

Brighton quickly punished that miss, as Yasin Ayari unleashed a stunning strike from inside the box, curling the ball into the top corner to give the Seagulls the lead and bring his Premier League tally for the season to three goals.

The visitors came close to doubling their advantage shortly afterward. Following a swift counter, Kaoru Mitoma’s effort was denied by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu’s rebound was cleared off the line by Timothy Castagne.

The first notable chance of the second half again fell to Brighton, with Danny Welbeck steering a close-range effort wide after Mitoma’s header had found him in the box.

A Late Twist

With under 20 minutes remaining, the match sprang back to life. Fulham, who had spent much of the game on the back foot, equalized when Samuel Chukwueze latched onto a pinpoint 50-yard pass from Joachim Andersen and finished neatly past Leno, setting up a thrilling finale.

Almost immediately, Brighton thought they had regained the lead as Mitoma’s exquisite through ball found Welbeck in the box, and he slotted home. However, VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for offside and giving Fulham a reprieve.

In the closing stages, Welbeck had another chance from a free header, but Leno’s alert save tipped the ball over the bar to keep Brighton level.

Fulham eventually found the decisive moment, with Harry Wilson stepping up to score a spectacular free-kick that sealed a dramatic victory for the home side.

Implications

The win lifts Marco Silva’s Fulham to seventh in the table. The Cottagers will look to maintain their momentum next weekend when they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

Brighton, meanwhile, remain 12th and will host Everton next Saturday. The result ended their five-game unbeaten run, leaving the Seagulls searching for answers after a late collapse.