Lewis Dunk makes Burnley set-piece admission after sublime header

Lewis Dunk celebrates his opening goal at Burnley

Dunk’s towering header from a corner sailed into the net, despite the presence of Johann Gudmundsson at the back post, with the Iceland winger seeming to lose his footing in the pouring rain at the crucial moment.

It's was Dunk's third of the season following goals in the draws against West Ham and Wolves.

However, Gudmundsson’s strike eight minutes after half-time ensured an eighth draw in the most recent 11 meetings between the teams, with ex-Brighton striker Ashley Barnes denied by an offside flag shortly after the equaliser.

Burnley remain 17th but are now nine points clear of the bottom three after earning a share of the spoils here, while Brighton are 11 ahead of 18th-placed Fulham after extending their unbeaten run to six matches.

Albion had claimed a shock win over defending champions Liverpool in midweek and beaten Tottenham last Sunday.

The visitors would have fancied their chances after going ahead but ultimately had to settle for a point.

"I think the first half was pretty even," said Dunk. "They came out of the traps very well in the second half. That’s probably the best they’ve played against us. We defended really well to keep them at bay. Our goalkeeper made some good saves.

"They knew their game plan. They put pressure on you, but I thought we dealt with it. If you’d offered me seven points at the start of this week I’d have snapped your hand off. It’s been a good week.

"From the start of the season we’ve improved massively at set-pieces. I think we’ve worked on it and have started causing problems for the opposition. Hopefully we can start getting more goals from those situations.

"Even before when we weren’t picking up points, our performances were good. It’s nice to be getting those points now and to be heading in the right direction."