As it happened: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Fulham

That’s it for VAVEL UK’s live text commentary of this Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham — we hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned at the site for more live coverage and further reaction and analysis to all top flight matches in this gameweek.

Possession: 51%-49%

Shots: 16-9

On target: 4-2

Corners: 10-0

Fouls: 10-13

Well, that was one of the most entertaining goalless draws you'll see in a while, but in the end it's a result that does little for either side.

Brighton were largely on top and probably fashioned more and better chances than their opponents, but Fulham had a gilt-edged chance to snatch victory right at the death but for a tremendous block from Dunk.

With regards to the table, it's as we were before kick-off: Brighton in 17th, Fulham 18th, with five points separating them but lots of the season still to play.

That was the biggest opportunity of the match, deep into added time!

Mitrovic back-heels the ball to Bryan who fizzes the ball into the box. It goes all the way to Loftus-Cheek at the back post and the Englishman looks certain to score, but Dunk - somehow - blocks the shot on the line.

Lookman digs out a fantastic cross from the left. It's got great power but it just about evades the reach of both Mitrovic and Loftus-Cheek and Sanchez claims the ball gratefully.

March tries to clip the ball into Maupay in the area, but it comes at an awkward angle for the striker and he just can't bring it down.

We're in crunch time now. It's been pretty much all Brighton in this second half but Fulham have defended marvellously, and either side could yet sneak a winning goal.

Brighton have just replaced Mac Allister with Propper; the former's looked pretty lively this evening.

How has that stayed out for Brighton?!

White is unleashed down the right of the box and and he crosses first-time towards Maupay, who draws a fantastic save from Areola.

March has the next bite at the cherry but Aina gets in the way of the shot.

It is, somehow, still goalless.

Mitrovic has been right in the thick of things since his introduction. He just tried a clever through ball for Decordova-Reid but Dunk managed to get there first.

Bryan and Mitrovic come on for Tete and Cavaleiro as Parker shuffles his pack.

Gross whips in an in-swinging corner and he manages to pick out Webster who rose highest in the box, but the defender failed to direct his effort on target. Another let-off for Fulham.

March clips a cross into the area and Maupay tries to reach it; he makes contact, but it's a tad too high for him and he fails to trouble Areola.

This feels like a match that could be decided by only one goal, if at all, but what a crucial moment that could prove to be if it comes. There is so much hinging on these final 20 minutes.

Brighton take a quick free-kick and Mac Allister flicks the ball to Maupay through on goal. The Frenchman is one-on-one with Areola but fails to work the goalkeeper, firing way over the bar.

The striker should have done much, much better there, a gilt-edged opportunity.

Brighton shift through the gears and get the ball to Veltman on the right flank. He searches out Trossard at the back post and the forward tried to square it, but Aina managed to block the pass.

No real chance comes from it, but Veltman does attempt to catch Areola off guard from at least 40 yards out - it was no where near.

Fulham have just brought on Lemina in place of Reed.

Decordova-Reid bundles over Veltman on the right touchline. Brighton now have the chance to whip in a free-kick.

Fulham counter once again, and Decordova-Reid cuts the ball back for Lookman to strike from the left edge of the penalty box, but it's high and wide and in no danger of troubling Sanchez.

It's good build-up play from Brighton as Gross passes out wide to Veltman. The wing-back returns the ball straight to the midfielder, but Reed does brilliantly to get back and block the shot.

Cavaleiro wriggles free in the box and takes aim at goal, but it's a tame shot and an easy save for Sanchez. He should have done better.

Fulham again look to trouble Brighton on the counter-attack. Cavaleiro steamrolls forward and clips the ball to Lookman, who in turn attempts to work play out to Decordova-Reid on the left, but White manages to intercept the pass.

Loftus-Cheek embarks on a mazy run around and eventually into the Brighton penalty area, but he's tackled well by March.

Fulham burst forward on the counter-attack, with Cavaleiro again leading the charge. The forward plays it out to Tete on the right, but the wing-backs shot was blocked well by March.

Areola punches away a dangerous corner from Gross, a necessary intervention as Webster was lurking just behind him.

Brighton get things back underway at the Amex.

Possession: 41%-59%

Shots: 7-3

On target: 4-0

Corners: 4-0

Fouls: 7-5

It's goalless at the break, but we've had a few chances in the match.

Trossard has been heavily involved for Brighton and, with a bit more luck, could have given his side the lead on two separate occasions, while Gross also went close from a free-kick.

We've seen bursts of what Fulham are capable of on the counter-attack, particularly in one instance when Cavaleiro drove over half the pitch before striking at goal, but the visitors have looked on the back foot here despite having a good deal of possession.

A crucial second-half lies ahead.

Veltman lobs a ball to Dunk in the area, but the header proves no trouble for Areola.

Reed goes into the book after pushing Gross to the ground. It gives Brighton another good opportunity from the free-kick.

Mac Allister becomes the second Brighton player to be cautioned after losing a tussle for the ball with Anguissa.

March leaves it for Gross to strike, and the midfielder does well to power it through a group of players, but it soars just wide of the far post.

Reed bundles over Maupay about 20 yards from goal. Brighton have a free-kick in a really good position here.

Lookman picks his head up deep on the left and tries to pick out the run of Tete into the box, but the ball trickles out for a goal-kick.

A scintillating counter-attack from Fulham.

Loftus-Cheek dispossesses Webster and offloads the ball immediately to Cavaleiro. The forward darts forward and opens up the opportunity to strike from the edge of the area, but it's just wide of the near post.

Good build-up from Fulham sees Anguissa pick out Tete on the right. The wing-back crosses towards the back post where Decordova-Reid was lurking, but he failed to direct his header on target.

Aina goes down after another strong tackle from Mac Allister.

Brighton are doing their all to win possession high up the pitch here, and it could pay dividends at some point, but we're seeing quite a stop-start affair at the moment.

Bissouma goes into the book for a pretty risky challenge on Cavaleiro.

Brighton sustain their pressure on the Fulham box with a number of free-kicks and corners, but nothing comes from them.

Trossard, heavily involved so far, works space for a cross on the right, and it's a beautiful delivery straight into no man's land, but it just evades the reach of Maupay.

Gross whips in a superb free-kick, catching the Fulham defence at sixes and sevens. Dunk rises highest to meet the ball, but heads straight into the grateful grasp of Areola.

After quite an assured start, Fulham are very much on the back foot now and Brighton will feel they should be in front.

Aina surrenders possession just outside his own penalty area and Brighton work the ball to Trossard on the edge of the box, but Andersen gets in front to block the shot well.

The first clear opportunity of the match, and it should have resulted in a goal for Brighton.

Maupay and Adarabioyo tussle for a ball on the right and the former comes out on top. He strides towards the byline and cuts it back for Trossard, whose driven finish is stopped by Areola.

A super save from the goalkeeper, but Trossard will be disappointed not to have scored.

Fulham have a free-kick on the left flank. Reed clips a ball over to Lookman, but the forward fails to keep it in.

Brighton work the ball out to March on the left flank, but the cross from the Englishman was caught dominantly by Areola.

There's a pause in play, as Anguissa looks to be in some pain. The physios are on the pitch in his aid.

He seemed to land awkwardly after a strong but fair challenge from Maupay.

Trossard's corner was looking for the head of Webster, but Adarabioyo managed to clear well.

A super run from Anguissa threatens to create the first chance of the match before the midfielder is tackled well by Bissouma. After recycling play, Fulham opened the gap for Aina to strike from 25 yards, but the defender failed to trouble Sanchez in the Brighton goal.

Fulham have had all the possession so far, but we're yet to see any meaningful opportunities.

Some good build-up play right from inside their own box sees Fulham's Decordova-Reid drive towards the Brighton penalty area, but the wing-back was tackled well by Veltman.

Fulham get proceedings going at the Amex.

The teams are out on the pitch, and we'll be underway in a matter of moments.

Areola; Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo; Tete, Reed, Anguissa, Decordova-Reid; Loftus-Cheek, Cavaleiro, Lookman.

Subs: Rodak, Hector, Ream, Bryan, Lemina, Onomah, Kebano, Kamara, Mitrovic.

Sanchez; White, Dunk, Webster; Veltman, Bissouma, Gross, March; Trossard, Maupay, Mac Allister.

Subs: Walton, Burn, Propper, Alzate, Lallana, Moder, Tau, Connolly, Zeqiri.

That’s it for now, but the live text commentary will resume around one hour before kick-off as we bring you the team news.

This fixture will be broadcast live on BT Sport 3 for supporters with a subscription, though you can of course follow all of the action as it happens here on VAVEL UK with minute-by-minute updates on all the goings on during the match.

“We’re halfway through a season here. Of course these are big [games] because of where both teams are in the division and where our competition will probably be this year, but I don’t think it’s the be all and end all as there’s still a lot of games.

“I still feel as a team we’re improving and we’ve developed, I feel like I have a team here that can go and win two, three games back-to-back. You may think that’s mad to say that because we’ve won two all year, but that’s the way I feel.

“They’re a good side. They probably shouldn’t be where they are, because I think Graham’s done a fantastic job with the team. They have individuals in their team who have been operating in the Premier League for some time, hence the quality they have in their squad.”

“Our away form has been really good, but even in the latter part of last season we didn’t manage to get too many home wins. Anybody will say that if you’re winning your home games, everything becomes a little bit easier.

“You can come through a really tough period and be tested on all levels when you don’t win. You face criticism, feedback, doubt, all those things. You have to stay strong as a group and as individuals.

“Difficult times are always around the corner because that’s the nature of this league. You have to keep fighting, keep trying to progress, and wins held that process; it gives people belief and confidence.”

Brighton & Hove Albion — Sanchez; Webster, Dunk, Burn; Veltman, White, Gross, March; Trossard, Maupay, Lallana.

Fulham — Areola; Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo; Tete, Reed, Anguissa, Bryan; Loftus-Cheek, Cavaleiro, Lookman.

​​​​​​​Having rotated his squad for the FA Cup defeat to Burnley at the weekend, Parker should have his starting 11 fit and raring to go for this crunch Premier League clash.

Full-back Antonee Robinson serves the final game of his three-match suspension, while skipper Tom Cairney and defender Terence Kongolo are also unavailable due to injury.

The hosts could be boosted by the returns of Adam Lallana and Aaron Connolly, both of whom have been part of the most recent first-team training sessions.

However, this match arrives too soon for Danny Welbeck, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Tariq Lamptey.

History would give Brighton the upper hand here; they have lost to Fulham just once in the last eight meetings in all competitions, winning five and drawing the other two.

The Cottagers have conceded nine goals in their three most recent visits to the Amex.

The most recent encounter between the two sides took place in December, when a goalless draw was played out in what felt like a crucial fixture at Craven Cottage.

The most notable incident of the game fell just after half-time: Brighton thought they’d taken the lead when Adam Lallana prodded home, only for the goal to be disallowed by VAR due to a handball by Danny Welbeck in the build-up.

To the eye of the observer, Fulham are a good team, but the standings have so far failed to support that notion, and they are very much deeply entrenched in a fierce relegation battle. They need to win here to improve their chances of survival.

A streak of five consecutive draws stretching over a month between December and January came to an end on 16 January, and the Cottagers have since suffered defeats to Chelsea and Manchester United. They are winless since the end of November and desperately need to start racking up the points soon.

Fulham currently sit 18th in the Premier League table.

It’s not been the easiest of seasons so far for Brighton who, prior to their most recent Premier League fixture, were on a nine-game winless run in the division.

But the Seagulls did earn that elusive victory on 16 January, with Neal Maupay’s first-half goal enough to see of newly promoted Leeds United at Elland Road — their third away win of the season, but they have failed to win a league game on home soil since 20 June last year, a run of 13 consecutive matches.

Brighton & Hove Albion currently sit 17th in the Premier League table.

When the sides met in December, their respective predicaments then weren’t too different from how they are now. Five points and just one position in the table separate them.

A draw won’t suffice for either; Brighton could generate some good distance from the bottom three with a win; while three points for Fulham could truly ignite their push for survival.

This is a basement battle of supreme significance — here’s hoping we get to witness a match worthy of the occasion.

Hello and welcome to VAVEL UK’s live text commentary of this Premier League fixture, Brighton & Hove Albion vs Fulham. Stay tuned for a comprehensive preview followed by live updates from when the match kicks off at 19:30 GMT.