Brighton endured just their third Premier League defeat of the season as Fulham triumphed 3-1 at a rain-soaked and wind-lashed Craven Cottage.
Two goals from Alex Iwobi and an unfortunate own goal by Matt O’Riley secured the hosts a hard-fought victory.
The adverse weather conditions set a challenging stage, but it was Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s early misstep that handed Fulham the lead just three minutes into the match.
Attempting a short pass to Carlos Baleba in the penalty area, Verbruggen was caught out by Alex Iwobi, who intercepted and calmly slotted the ball into an empty net for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.
Fulham nearly doubled their advantage moments later when Iwobi seemed poised to score again, but Brighton defender Igor Julio made a crucial intervention to deny the opportunity.
Brighton responded with determination and found an equaliser 11 minutes into the second half.
Jan Paul van Hecke lofted a precise pass to Joao Pedro, whose delicate touch set up Baleba for a low-driven shot from 20 yards that beat Bernd Leno. Baleba celebrated in style, thrilling fans with an acrobatic somersault.
Despite the equaliser, Brighton couldn’t sustain the momentum. Fulham regained the lead in the 79th minute through a stroke of luck, as Andreas Pereira’s corner ricocheted off Matt O’Riley and into his own net.
Iwobi sealed the victory for Fulham with a thundering strike in the 87th minute, completing his brace and lifting Fulham to sixth in the table, just one point behind fifth-placed Brighton.
The result highlighted Fulham’s resilience and kept them firmly in the mix for a strong league finish.