As they were held to a Premier League draw at Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Brighton lost a chance to advance in the race for European football.
Having gotten in front of Tyrick Mitchell at the back post, influential Solly March directed Pervis Estupinan's incisive delivery into the top corner to give the visitors the lead.
Six minutes later, the hosts equalized thanks to a flagrant error by Seagulls goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who missed a routine catch of Michael Olise's cross and let James Tomkins head home from close range.
As a result, Roberto de Zerbi's Brighton now trail fifth-placed Tottenham, which was soundly defeated by Leicester on Saturday, by four points with two games remaining, while Palace are now in 12th place.
The Seagulls, however, will look back on this game with regret after failing to take advantage of their dominance and the numerous excellent goal-scoring opportunities they generated.
During the entertaining but scoreless first period, Estupinan snuck a right-footed finish past Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita before being adjudged to be just barely offside by VAR.
The hosts, who appeared determined to make it a scrappy affair, were in complete contrast to Brighton's fluid and easygoing style.
Even though Tomkins' goal and two blocked Jean-Philippe Mateta shots were Palace's three best chances, they were all the result of errors by their opponents, and it was still enough for them to earn a spirited draw.
Brighton was harmed by errors on both ends.
While Brighton extended their streak of games without a loss to seven across all competitions, the league standings would have been more favorable for them if they had been able to claim the victory that their play merited.
Had their finishing matched the creativity and quality they displayed in their build-up play, they might have been out of sight by halftime.
Upon serving his suspension again, Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister got into a physical altercation with Guaita, who masterfully denied him three times. Guaita also showed off his athleticism to stop in-form winger Kaoru Mitoma from scoring four goals in as many games.
Both Adam Webster and Mac Allister missed headers from excellent positions late in the game, when it appeared to be simpler to score.
Palace, who had only 25% of the possession time and only one shot on goal, should be commended for their tenacity in staying in the game.
Tomkins, captain Marc Guehi, and Guaita were crucial players in Patrick Vieira's team's comeback as they battled and hustled for every loose ball.
