Brighton & Hove Albion’s Premier League campaign began in frustration as Fulham snatched a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser to force a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Matt O’Riley appeared to have done enough to give Fabian Hürzeler a winning debut in the Albion dugout, converting a second-half penalty after Rutter was tripped in the area.
But Fulham, who had offered little in attack for much of the contest, struck late when Rodrigo Muniz pounced at the far post to silence the home crowd and send the away fans into raptures.
Brighton dominated possession and looked the more threatening throughout the first half. Rutter’s low strike was comfortably dealt with by Bernd Leno, while Kaoru Mitoma’s header skimmed the roof of the net.
They thought they had broken through earlier when Yankuba Minteh finished a move, only for the ball to have gone out of play in the build-up.
The second half seemed to swing decisively in Albion’s favour. O’Riley, who had converted from the spot on the final day of last season at Tottenham, dispatched another penalty with authority to put his side ahead.
Fulham appealed for spot-kicks of their own as young midfielder Josh King and defender Calvin Bassey both went down under challenges, but referee Sam Barrott waved play on.
Hürzeler’s men threatened to wrap up the points when Minteh blazed over and substitute Diego Gómez forced Leno into a scrambling save. Brajan Gruda also spurned a golden chance to double the lead.
That wastefulness proved costly. With time almost up, Verbruggen parried a low drive from Emile Smith Rowe behind for a corner.
From the delivery, Lewis Dunk’s touch diverted the ball to Muniz, who controlled smartly before rifling into the bottom corner to snatch Fulham an unlikely point.
It was a frustrating conclusion for Brighton, who handed a debut to Belgian full-back Maxim De Cuyper, while Marco Silva’s side introduced teenage prospect Josh King for just his second Premier League start following a quiet summer in the transfer market.