Albion 1 Southampton 1

Albion climbed into second place last night - but not in the way they wanted.

They go level with Manchester City after Kaoru Mitoma sent them on course for the win.

Flynn Downes levelled for a Saints side who then saw Cameron Archer’s effort ruled out for offside via a lengthy VAR scrutiny.

Simon Adingra almost won it for the hosts right at the death as the ball bounced behind off the post.

Tariq Lamptey’s return at right-back was the big surprise of the Albion line-up with Joel Veltman ruled out by injury.

Matt O’Riley was handed his first Premier League start in the absence of suspended Carlos Baleba and fit-again Lewis Dunk was on the bench as Fabian Hurzeler stuck with Jan Paul van Hecke and Igor as his pairing at the back.

Southampton’s highly-rated forward Paul Onuachu did not make it and they pitched in goalkeeper Joe Lumley for a Premier League debut in place of Alex McCarthy.

Lumley had plenty of experience from the EFL with clubs including Middlesbrough, QPR and Reading.

Southampton looked confident on the ball from the start.

But Mitoma should have given Albion an early lead as they countered from a corner.

Yukinari Sugawara failed to deal with a through ball and it looked like Mitoma had to score with Lumley out of position.

Some of the crowd thought he had – but his shot went comfortably wide of the near post.

Then Georginio Rutter cut in from the right but shot a yard wide.

Downes was first in the book for catching Danny Welbeck as the hosts stitched together a nice move from deep.

O’Riley soon followed him for a foul but, before that, the hosts had come inches from a breakthrough.

Rutter again came in from the right, waited for things to open up and then sent a curler crashing against the far upright with Lumley beaten.

Welbeck headed wide, as Lumley could only watch, from Pervis Estupinan’s cross as another chance came and went.

But the opening goal came on 29 minutes and it was pretty simple.

There was good work from O’Riley in the build-up. Lamptey curled over the cross, it bounced in the box and Mitoma was ahead of his marker to guide the header past Lumley.

Kyle Walker-Peters was booked for a pull on Rutter and unrest in the technical areas also saw Hurzeler yellow-carded.

Albion were on top but it might have been 1-1 at the break as a low cross evaded Igor and Archer bundled his effort off target from a great position.

The hosts looked for a quick second as they attacked the North Stand after the break and O’Riley slid the ball across the face of goal after a slick move.

Then Saints gave the ball away at the back and Rutter’s shot flicked wide off a defender.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis was booked for taking down Mitoma and the free-kick led to O’Riley shooting too close to Lumley.

And then the evening turned.

The visitors were level on 59 minutes as Downes thrashed home a shot after a couple of efforts had been blocked.

They thought they had gone ahead when Archer turned home a Ryan Fraser cross which had eluded the offside Adam Armstrong in the middle.

A lengthy VAR check ensued, with Jarred Gillett the man in the Stockley Park hot seat, before it was deemed Armstong had done enough to affect the defending team.

Relieved Albion made changes and stated a late flurry but, that Adingra incident apart, did not look like grabbing the win.

Albion: Verbruggen; Lamptey (Dunk 73), van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan; Ayari, O’Riley (Wieffer 73); Rutter (Minteh 88), Joao Pedro (Adingra 73), Mitoma; Welbeck (Ferguson 79). Subs: Steele, McConville, Slater, Enciso.

Yellow card: O’Riley, Hurzeler, Wieffer.

Southampton: Lumley; Sugawara (Fraser 64), Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning; Dibling, Downes (Aribo 66), Fernandes, Armstrong (Brereton Diaz 90+2); Archer. Subs: McCarthy, Edwards, Bree, Wood, Sulemana, Amo-Ameyaw.

Yellow card: Downes, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Martin, Dibling.

Referee: Robert Jones.