Brighton avoided defeat in stoppage time as 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas produced an extraordinary overhead strike to snatch a point against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Brighton avoided defeat in stoppage time as 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas produced an extraordinary overhead strike to snatch a point against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The visitors appeared on course for a rare success away from home after Marcus Tavernier converted a first-half penalty, which had been awarded following a video assistant referee review.
That effort looked decisive until the closing moments, when Kostoulas struck in the 91st minute to ensure the Seagulls left the pitch level.
The result leaves Brighton 12th and Bournemouth 15th, with neither side moving position in the table.
The home side began energetically and quickly asked questions of Djordje Petrovic, as Ferdi Kadioglu, Brajan Gruda, and Jack Hinshelwood all tested the Bournemouth goalkeeper early on.
Despite that pressure, it was the Cherries who opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Tavernier guided his spot-kick beyond Bart Verbruggen.
The penalty followed a swift break forward, initiated by Tavernier, which ended with Amine Adli going down under contact from the goalkeeper. Although Adli was initially booked for simulation, referee Paul Tierney overturned the decision after reviewing the incident on the monitor.
Bournemouth nearly extended their lead before the interval, but record signing Evanilson struck the post as he chased a third league goal in consecutive matches.
Brighton controlled the ball after the break and increased their intensity following the introduction of Yankuba Minteh, Carlos Baleba, and Georginio Rutter midway through the second half.
Clear openings remained scarce, yet the hosts continued to push forward as time ran down.
In the second of eight added minutes, substitute Kostoulas delivered a spectacular finish, denying Bournemouth a first Premier League victory on the road since August.
That late equaliser extended Brighton’s unbeaten run in all competitions to five games.
Before kick-off, Fabian Hurzeler had urged his players to treat their remaining league fixtures as decisive, and while the performance lacked fluency, the late response underlined a resilient mentality.
The point keeps Brighton within reach of the European places, with upcoming matches against Fulham, Everton, and Crystal Palace offering encouragement. The returns of Minteh and Baleba will also strengthen Hurzeler’s options after recent absences.
For Bournemouth, optimism remains despite the frustration. In their first match since Antoine Semenyo’s move to Manchester City, Amine Adli impressed on his rare league start, while Eli Junior Kroupi again showed attacking quality.
However, the withdrawal of Tavernier and Kroupi highlighted a lack of depth, reinforcing Andoni Iraola’s call for reinforcements before the transfer window closes on 2 February.
