Iwobi and Bassey start new Premier League season with dramatic draw as Fulham and Brighton share spoils

Nigerian stars Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi started for Fulham as the Cottagers scraped through their first match of the Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at Brighton.

Bassey played all 90 minutes, while Iwobi lasted 66 minutes before Rodrigo Muniz' 97th-minute equaliser cancelled out Matt O'Riley's second-half penalty.

Brighton thought they had the perfect start when Yankuba Minteh scored inside four minutes, but the goal was disallowed after the ball was ruled out of play.

The Seagulls kept pressing, with Georginio Rutter and Mats Wieffer both forcing saves from Bernd Leno, while Fulham’s best first-half chance came when Harry Wilson headed over at the back post. It was a cagey opening 45 minutes that ended goalless.

After the break, Brighton’s pressure finally told. Rutter’s driving run into the box was halted illegally by Sander Berge, and with João Pedro gone, Matt O’Riley stepped up from the spot.

He coolly converted, netting his fifth penalty in six attempts and marking Fulham’s 1000th Premier League goal conceded.

Chasing an equaliser, Fulham left gaps at the back, but Minteh squandered a golden chance by blazing over. Diego Gómez came close too, almost doubling Brighton’s lead, only for Leno to scramble back and deny him on the line.

Brighton looked set for a deserved win until stoppage time, when Rodrigo Muniz pounced at the back post from a corner and drilled home to level. The late twist denied Brighton a fourth straight league victory, leaving them frustrated despite dominating much of the contest.