The Seagulls trailed by two goals with 64 minutes on the clock after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's goal-of-the-season contender was added to by a Danny Ings penalty.

Shane Duffy headed his side back into the match soon after, however, and Glenn Murray ensured that Albion would snatch a share of the spoils from their south-coast rivals with his late penalty.

Glenn Murray celebrates his late equaliser during the Premier League game between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion on September 17, 2018 © Reuters

A month on from knocking their opponents out of the EFL Cup, an unchanged Southampton were at their brightest in the early stages when Nathan Redmond got on the ball.

The English winger ran past Martin Montoya and clipped in a cross for Shane Long to meet, but he could not beat Mathew Ryan with his header.

Redmond then drove forward and evaded a couple of challenges before picking out Ings, whose shot deflected wide of Ryan's target.

Minus the playmaking qualities of the injured Pascal Gross, Brighton struggled to create much of anything and soon found themselves behind.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg celebrates scoring during the Premier League game between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion on September 17, 2018 © Reuters

Following near misses for Mohamed Elyounoussi and Ings, the former sending a header wide from eight yards, Hojbjerg showed his teammates how to do it with a long-range bullet.

From a standing start, Hojbjerg sent the ball flying past Ryan into the bottom corner from all of 35 yards out - the first goal Southampton have scored in the opening 45 minutes of a league game this term.

Brighton have never won a game from behind in the Premier League, but the Saints had dropped 11 points from winning positions since Mark Hughes' appointment - a figure that would be added to come full time.

Davy Propper and Anthony Knockaert failed to make the most of their sights of goal, while Long poked wide after Ryan was left stranded.

Danny Ings celebrates scoring the Saints' second with teammates during the Premier League game between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion on September 17, 2018 © Reuters

It looked like being the hosts' day, though, with Ings adding a second from the penalty spot after Gaeten Bong caught the Liverpool loanee from behind inside the box.

Brighton were back in the match just 129 seconds later through Duffy's free header from 10 yards - the first time Albion have netted on their travels this term.

The visiting side pressed for an equaliser in the remaining 23 minutes and thought they had it when Alireza Jahanbakhsh clipped the outside of the near post with his flick.

Shane Duffy celebrates pulling one back during the Premier League game between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion on September 17, 2018 © Reuters

Southampton were dropping deeper as the match wore on and, after Alex McCarthy bailed them out with a fine save to thwart Jurgen Locadia, all their earlier hard work was undone.

A James Ward-Prowse shove on Duffy when defending a corner led to the referee pointing to the spot for a second time, allowing Murray to send the ball down the middle for his fifth goal in six league starts against the Saints.

Ryan Bertrand almost restored Southampton's lead at the death, only for Ryan to keep out his free kick, meaning that the rival clubs remain locked on five points apiece after five matches.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): McCarthy; Cedric, Vestergaard, Hoedt, Bertrand; Redmond, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Elyounoussi (Ward-Prowse 76'); Ings (Davis 84'), Long (Gabbiadini 76')

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (4-4-1-1): Ryan; Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Bong; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, March (Jahanbakhsh 71'); Bissouma (Locadia 76'); Murray