Brighton & Hove Albion have extended their unbeaten run to 11 Championship matches courtesy of a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium this evening.
Nathan Baker had given the visitors the lead with his first goal for the club, but a Glenn Murray equaliser right on the stroke of half time ensured that the spoils were shared.
Villa boss Steve Bruce - who remains unbeaten since arriving at the club - made headlines with his team selection as he included Gabriel Agbonlahor in the Villa starting XI for the first time since March, but the returning forward struggled to find clear chances in the opening exchanges despite a frenetic opening to the match.
Indeed, good chances were few and far between at both ends of the field until Villa broke the deadlock in the 20th minute, when Baker glanced Albert Adomah's free kick into the bottom corner.
The goal was the first that Brighton have conceded in their last five matches and ensured that the Seagulls would not add to their tally of 11 clean sheets already this season, although that remains four more than any other team in the top four divisions of English football.
Instead, Brighton were forced to focus on attacking matters as they searched for an equaliser, but Villa gave little away and an ambitious Murray volley that flew a long way wide of the target was all the Seagulls could muster for much of the first half.
Adomah almost doubled the visitors' advantage with just six minutes remaining until the interval when he fired a low effort narrowly wide of the target, but Villa's failures to hang on to a lead once again resurfaced just as it looked as though they would be going into the break ahead.
Murray played a slick one-two with Sam Baldock just outside the area before burying his finish into the bottom corner for his 10th goal of the season - all of which have come at the Amex - and the 150th league goal of his career.
The Seagulls created the first chance of the second half too when Jiri Skalak cut a low corner back to Steve Sidwell, but he couldn't keep his effort down.
Murray then sent a looping header onto the roof of the net before Villa began to up the ante in the final 20 minutes, beginning with a low Adomah strike that David Stockdale turned behind for a corner.
Villa were soon laying siege to the Brighton goal in search of a winner, and the hosts needed the woodwork to come to their rescue with just under 15 minutes remaining when Jonathan Kodjia nodded a corner against the crossbar after Jack Grealish's deflected strike had gone just wide.
Kodjia was the threat again with just nine minutes remaining, and this time it was a mixture of Stockdale and the crossbar that denied the Villa man as the Brighton keeper turned his header onto the woodwork and over.
Chris Hughton made a tactical change in order to stem the tide, and the hosts soon began fighting back, with Jamie Murphy forcing a smart low stop from Pierluigi Gollini after cutting inside from the left flank.
In the end, both sides were forced to settle for a point as Villa's unbeaten start under Bruce extends to six games, although they have now dropped the joint-most points from winning positions in the Championship this season (17).
The result leaves Villa 13th in the Championship table, just four points off the playoff places despite having only won one of their 10 away games in all competitions this season.
Brighton, meanwhile, miss the chance to move level on points with league leaders Newcastle United but do now sit six points clear of third place.
Barney Corkhill
