The Saints battled valiantly but were undone by a controversial offside decision that left fans and players fuming.

Joe Lumley replaced Alex McCarthy in goal after McCarthy's poor showing against Liverpool the previous week, while first-choice keeper Aaron Ramsdale remained sidelined with a broken finger.

Brighton had the first clear chance when Kaoru Mitoma pounced on Yukinari Sugawara's error but could only find the side netting.

Moments later, Southampton's Georginio Rutter came agonisingly close to scoring, striking the post with a powerful left-footed effort.

Brighton broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when Mitoma capitalised on Tariq Lamptey's inch-perfect cross, calmly slotting the ball past Lumley.

Southampton responded in the second half with Flynn Downes smashing home a loose ball in the box to secure his first Premier League goal.

The drama unfolded in the 67th minute when Cameron Archer thought he had given Southampton the lead. However, VAR ruled that Adam Armstrong, who was in an offside position, had interfered with Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's ability to play the ball.

The Premier League later confirmed the decision on X, explaining, "Armstrong was in an offside position and deemed to be impacting Verbruggen's ability to play the ball."

Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale voiced his anger on X, writing, "You can not be serious."

Southampton manager Russell Martin expressed his frustration after the match. "We didn't settle for a point, and we should have had a goal. Adam Armstrong's position didn't affect the goalkeeper enough to disallow it. It's frustrating," he said.

Martin also praised his players' second-half response, adding, "We asked for more aggression and belief, and they delivered. I'm so proud of their performance."

Despite a resilient display, Southampton were left to rue missed opportunities and a contentious VAR decision that cost them all three points.

VAR drama denies Southampton vital win against Brighton